Polaron mass of carriers in a thin film on ionic substrates

A new approach to establishing a strong electron–phonon interaction in heterostructures is proposed. A three-layer structure consisting of an ionic substrate, a semiconductor film, and a covering dielectric (with air or vacuum possibly serving as such a dielectric) is examined. Interface optical phonons emerge near the heterointerface. Their parameters are governed by the dielectric properties of the substrate. It is demonstrated that the effective mass of carriers in the film is altered in the presence of interface phonons. Depending on the substrate ionicity, the magnitude of this change may vary from several tens to hundreds of percent. It is shown that the conditions for strong electron–phonon interaction may be established in a large number of semiconductor films. Measurements of the effective mass of carriers in identical films positioned on different substrates should make it possible to identify a transition from a weak electron–phonon interaction to a strong one.