Polar optic phonon scattering and mobility limited by such scattering are discussed for quantum wells with widths ranging between 10 nm and 2 nm.Numerical results are given for the InP/Ga0.47In0.53 As/InP system for both the bulkmode and the confined-mode models.Mobilities are found to be close to those given by the infinite-barrier, parabolic- band, bulk-mode model even when all the refinements of bulk-mode theory are taken into account or the analysis is made by using the confined-mode theory. © 1992 IOP Publishing Ltd.