Dynamics of Spontaneous Electric Field Domains in a Two-Dimensional Electron System Irradiated by Microwaves and the Conductance of a Donor Layer

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the switching frequency of a microwave-induced spontaneous electric field forming a domain structure and the conductance of a doping layer that provides electrons to the two-dimensional electron system have been measured on samples fabricated from the same GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Both quantities have been found to obey the thermally activated dependence (Arrhenius law) with close activation energies. This result indicates a relation between the quantities and confirms a hypothesis that the observed dynamics of the domain structure originates from the dynamical screening of the spontaneous electric field of domains by charges in the doping layer.