Subbands transport of the two-dimensional electron gas in Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN heterostructures

Transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN heterostructures were investigated by means of magnetotransport measurements. The mobilities corresponding to the 2DEG in the first and the second subbands in the trianglar quantum well at the heterointerface were obtained. When the Al_xGa_1-xN barrier is partially relaxed, the mobility of the 2DEG in the first subband decreases significantly, but there is an increase of mobility in the second subband. We suggest that the scattering from the piezoelectric polarization field modulated by the misfit dislocations at the heterointerface is responsible for the decrease of the 2DEG mobility. Meanwhile, the 2DEG in the second subband leaves farther from the heterointerface than that in the first subband, and thus suffers weaker scattering from the heterointerface roughness and the modulated polarization field. Therefore, the mobility of the 2DEG in the second subband is much higher than that in the first subband.