Failure of Matthiessen´s rule in the calculation of carrier mobility and alloy scattering effects in Ga0.47In0.53As

Matthiessen´s rule is shown to be an unacceptable approximation to analyse the scattering mechanisms in semiconductors, especially when deriving the alloy scattering-limited mobility from the experimental data. The anomalous temperature dependence of the `alloy scattering-limited mobility¿ is caused by the failure of Matthiessen´s rule in the presence of competing scattering modes. The electron Hall mobility calculated using the iterative technique explains accurately the experimental data using a single model for the alloy scattering mechanism and the appropriate material parameters.