Intervalley-scattering-induced electron-phonon energy relaxation in many-valley semiconductors at low temperatures

We report on the effect of elastic intervalley scattering on the energy transport between electrons and phonons in many-valley semiconductors. We derive a general expression for the electron-phonon energy flow rate at the limit where elastic intervalley scattering dominates over diffusion. Electron heating experiments on doped n-type Si samples with electron concentrations (3.5–16.0)×1025  m−3 are performed at sub-Kelvin temperatures. We find a good agreement between the theory and the experiment.