Density of impurity states of shallow donors in a quantum well under intense laser field

The density of donor impurity states in a square GaAs–AlGaAs quantum well under an intense laser field is calculated taking into account the laser dressing effects on both the Coulomb potential and the confining potential. Using the effective-mass approximation within a variational scheme, the donor binding energy is obtained as a function of the laser dressing parameter, and the impurity position. Our results point out that a proper consideration of the density of impurity states may be of relevance in the interpretation of the optical phenomena related to shallow impurities in quantum wells, where the effects of an intense laser field compete with the quantum confinement.     

Nonlinear optical rectification and the second and third harmonic generation in Pöschl–Teller quantum well under the intense laser field

In this work, the effect of a non-resonant intense laser field on the optical rectification and second and third harmonic generation in a Pöschl–Teller quantum well is theoretically investigated. In this regard, the coefficients of nonlinear optical rectification and second and third harmonic generation are obtained by using the compact-density matrix approach and an iterative method. Different values of the asymmetry parameters of the Pöschl–Teller potential as well as intense laser field strength have been considered. Numerical results presented for a typical GaAs quantum wells show that higher-order optical effects are considerably sensitive to intense laser field and can be adjusted by a correct choice of asymmetry parameters of the potential.     

Dielectric enhancement of the exciton energies in laser-dressed near-surface quantum wells

A theoretical study of the intense high-frequency laser field effect on the interband transitions and on the ground (1S-like) and excited (2S-like) exciton states in InGaAs/GaAs near-surface quantum wells is performed within the effective mass approximation. The carrier confinement potentials and image charge contributions to the Coulomb interaction can significantly be modified and controlled by the capped layer thickness and laser field intensity. We found that: (i) the interband and exciton transition energies monotonically enhance with the laser amplitude; (ii) for small capped layers the splitting between the 2S and 1S exciton lines are more sensitive to the dressing laser parameter, and (iii) for high enough laser intensities the dressing effects on both confining potential and Coulomb interactions can yield entirely different exciton emission spectra depending on the cap layer thickness. Our results are compared with the theoretical and experimental data obtained in the absence of the laser field and a good agreement is reached.     

Electron-related optical responses in triple δ-doped quantum wells

A detailed theoretical study on the electron-related optical responses in triple δ-doped GaAs quantum wells in the presence of non-resonant, monochromatic intense laser field is presented. For this purpose, we first obtained the bound subband energy levels and their corresponding envelope wave functions of the structure for different central doping concentrations within the effective-mass approximation. Then, we calculate the effect of the non-resonant intense laser field on the optical properties of this structure using the compact-density-matrix approach via the iterative method. We found that the optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in the triple δ-doped GaAs quantum well can be modulated by changing the central doping concentration and the intensity of the non-resonant, monochromatic laser field. In addition, it is shown that a sufficiently intense laser field suppresses the multiple quantum well configuration towards a single potential well one and the optical response becomes practically independent of the δ-doping concentration.     

Interband absorption in square and semiparabolic near-surface quantum wells under intense laser field

The exciton effects on the interband absorption spectra in near-surface square and semiparabolic quantum wells under intense laser field are studied taking into account the correct dressing effect for the confinement potential and electrostatic self-energy due to the repulsive interaction between carriers and their image charges. We found that for near-surface quantum wells with different shapes the laser field induces significant effects on their electronic and optical properties. The numerical results for the InGaAs/GaAs system show that the red-shift of the absorption peak induced by the increasing cap layer can be effectively compensated using the blue-shift caused by the enhanced laser parameter. In square quantum well without laser field our theoretical values for the absorption peak position are in good agreement with the available experimental data. As a key result, we conclude that the optical properties in near-surface quantum wells can be tuned by tailoring the heterostructure parameters: well shape, capped layer thickness and/or dielectric mismatch as well as the external field radiation strength.     

Far-infrared fountain laser on intraband transitions in semiconductor nanoheterostructures

A scheme for a far-infrared fountain laser on transitions between subbands of dimensional quantization in the conduction band in a AlGaAs heterostructure with quantum wells, generating an electromagnetic field in the far-infrared range, is proposed. It is shown that such a device can operate at room temperature using radiation of a CO₂ laser or several mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers as pump radiation.     

Intense laser field effects on the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical properties of a semi-parabolic quantum well

By using the compact-density matrix approach, the effect of a nonresonant intense laser field on the linear and nonlinear optical absorptions based on intersubband transitions and the refractive index changes in an asymmetric semiconductor quantum well have been presented. Our results show that the peak position of the absorption coefficient is sensitive to intense laser field, the absorption maximum shifts towards lower energies for increasing intense laser field value. Also we observe as the intense laser field strength increases, the total refractive index change has been increased in magnitude and also shifted towards lower energies. The results indicate that linear and nonlinear optical properties of the low dimensional semiconductor heterostructures can be adjusted in a desired energy range by using intense laser field.     

Intense laser field effect on impurity states in a semiconductor quantum well: transition from the single to double quantum well potential

In this work are studied the intense laser effects on the impurity states in GaAs-Ga_{1− x} Al _x As quantum wells under applied electric and magnetic fields. The electric field is taken oriented along the growth direction of the quantum well whereas the magnetic field is considered to be in-plane. The calculations are made within the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. The intense laser effects have been included through the Floquet method by modifying the confinement potential associated to the heterostructure. The results are presented for several configurations of the dimensions of the quantum well, the position of the impurity atom, the applied electric and magnetic fields, and the incident intense laser radiation. The results suggest that for fixed geometry setups in the system, the binding energy is a decreasing function of the electric field intensity while a dual monotonic behavior is detected when it varies with the magnitude of an applied magnetic field, according to the intensity of the laser field radiation.     

Simultaneous effects of laser field and hydrostatic pressure on the intersubband transitions in square and parabolic quantum wells

The intersubband transitions in square and parabolic quantum wells under simultaneous action of the hydrostatic pressure and high-frequency laser field have been investigated. We found that the laser-induced blueshift effect on the subband energy levels may be tuned by the pressure action. Our calculations revealed that the oscillator strength of the transition between the ground and the first excited levels depends on the quantum well width and shape, laser field intensity and hydrostatic pressure. This combined effect of pressure and laser field offers a new degree of freedom in the optoelectronic devices applications.     

Intense laser effects on nonlinear optical absorption and optical rectification in single quantum wells under applied electric and magnetic field

In this work the effects of intense laser on the electron-related nonlinear optical absorption and nonlinear optical rectification in GaAs-Ga_1−xAl_xAs quantum wells are studied under, applied electric and magnetic field. The electric field is applied along the growth direction of the quantum well whereas the magnetic field has been considered to be in-plane. The calculations were performed within the density matrix formalism with the use of the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. The intense laser effects are included through the Floquet method, by modifying the confining potential associated to the heterostructure. Results are presented for the nonlinear optical absorption, the nonlinear optical rectification and the resonant peak of these two optical processes. Several configurations of the dimensions of the quantum well, the applied electric and magnetic fields, and the incident intense laser radiation have been considered. The outcome of the calculation suggests that the nonlinear optical absorption and optical rectification are non-monotonic functions of the dimensions of the heterostructure and of the external perturbations considered in this work.     

Quantum cascade transitions in nanostructures

In this article we review the physical characteristics of quantum cascade transitions (QCTs) in various nanoscopic systems. The quantum cascade laser which utilizes such transitions in quantum wells is a brilliant outcome of quantum engineering that has already demonstrated its usefulness in various real-world applications. After a brief introduction to the background of this transition process, we discuss the physics behind these transitions in an externally applied magnetic field. This has unravelled many intricate phenomena related to intersubband resonance and electron relaxation modes in these systems. We then discuss QCTs in a situation where the quantum wells in the active regions of a quantum cascade structure are replaced by quantum dots. The physics of quantum dots is a rapidly developing field with its roots in fundamental quantum mechanics, but at the same time, quantum dots have tremendous potential applications. We first present a brief review of those aspects of quantum dots that are likely to be reflected in a quantum-dot cascade structure. We then go on to demonstrate how the calculated emission peaks of a quantum-dot cascade structure with or without an external magnetic field are correlated with the properties of quantum dots, such as the choice of confinement potentials, shape, size and the low-lying energy spectra of the dots. Contents PAGE 1 Introduction 456 2 Intersubband transitions in quantum wells 458 3 Quantum cascade transitions 462 3.1. Basic principles 462 3.1.1. Minibands and minigaps 464 3.1.2. Vertical transitions 464 3.1.3. GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers 464 3.1.4. QCLs based on superlattice structures 465 3.1.5. Type-II quantum cascade lasers 466 3.1.6. Recent developments 466 3.2. Applications: sense-ability and other qualities 466 4 Quantum cascade transitions in novel situations 467 4.1. External magnetic field 467 4.1.1. Parallel magnetic field 468 4.1.2. Many-body effects: depolarization shift 470 4.1.3. The role of disorder 471 4.1.4. Tilted magnetic field 475 4.2. Magneto-transport experiments and phonon relaxation 479 4.3. Magneto-optics experiment and phonon relaxation 484 5 A brief review of quantum dots 485 5.1. From three- to zero-dimensional systems 485 5.2. Making the dots 487 5.2.1. Lithographic patterning 487 5.2.2. Self-assembled quantum dots 488 5.3. Shell filling in quantum dots 489 5.4. Electron correlations: spin states 490 5.5. Anisotropic dots 491 5.6. Influence of an external magnetic field 491 5.6.1. The Fock diagram 491 5.6.2. The no-correlation theorem 492 5.6.3. Correlation effects and magic numbers 492 5.6.4. Spin transitions 493 5.7. Quantum dots in novel systems 494 5.8. Potential applications of quantum dots 494 5.8.1. Single-electron transistors (SETs) 494 5.8.2. Single-photon detectors 494 5.8.3. Single-photon emitters 495 5.8.4. Quantum-dot lasers 495 6 Quantum cascade transitions in quantum-dot structures 496 6.1. Quantum dots versus quantum wells 496 6.2. QCT with rectangular dots 497 6.2.1. Vertical transitions 500 6.2.2. Diagonal transitions 501 6.3. QCT in a parabolic dot 504 6.4. Magnetic field effects on intersubband transitions 506 6.5. Mid-IR luminescence from a QD cascade device 512 7 Summary and open questions 513 Acknowledgements 515 References 515     

Optical detection of an electric field in a GaAs/AlGaAs <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">i</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> heterostructure with double quantum wells

Processes occurring when a static transverse electric field is applied to a GaAs/AlGaAs n-i-n heterostructure with single quantum wells and asymmetric tunnel-coupled double quantum wells have been investigated by optical methods. The difference between the energies of exciton transitions for quantum wells of different widths makes it possible to attribute the observed photoluminescence peaks to particular pairs of wells or particular single quantum wells. The local electric field for each quantum well has been determined in terms of the Stark shift and splitting of exciton lines in a wide range of external voltage. A qualitative model has been proposed to explain the nonmonotonic distribution of the electric field over the depth of the heterostructure.     

The effects of the intense laser field on the optical properties of the asymmetric parabolic quantum well

We have calculated the effects of the intense laser field on the total optical absorption coefficient (the linear and third-order nonlinear) for transition between two lower-lying electronic levels in the asymmetric parabolic \({\text{GaAs/ Ga}}_{{ 1 {\text{ - x}}}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{x}} {\text{As}}\) quantum well. Total absorption coefficient (linear and nonlinear absorption coefficient) for the transitions between any two electronic states was calculated by using density matrix formalism and the perturbation expansion method. Our results show that the effects of intense laser field and the well dimensions on the optical transitions are more pronounced. If well center is changed to be \({\text{L}}_{\text{c}} < 0 \, ({\text{L}}_{\text{c}} > 0)\), effective well width decreases (increases) and thus we can obtain the red or blue shift in the peak position of the absorption coefficient by changing the intensities of the non-resonant intense laser field as well as dimensions of the well.     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties in a semiconductor quantum well under intense laser radiation: Effects of applied electromagnetic fields

In this work we are studying the intense laser effects on the electron-related linear and nonlinear optical properties in GaAs–Ga_1?xAl_xAs quantum wells under applied electric and magnetic fields. The calculated quantities include linear optical absorption coefficient and relative change of the refractive index, as well as their corresponding third-order nonlinear corrections. The nonlinear optical rectification and the second and third harmonic generation coefficients are also reported. The DC applied electric field is oriented along the hererostructure growth direction whereas the magnetic field is taken in-plane. The calculations make use of the density matrix formalism to express the different orders of the dielectric susceptibility. Additionally, the model includes the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. The intense laser effects upon the system enter through the Floquet method that modifies the confinement potential associated to the heterostructure. The results correspond to several configurations of the dimensions of the quantum well, the applied electric and magnetic fields, and the incident intense laser radiation. They suggest that the nonlinear optical absorption and optical rectification are nonmonotone functions of the dimensions of the heterostructure and of the external perturbations considered in this work.     

Coherent laser-induced optical behaviors in three-coupled-quantum wells and their application to terahertz signal detection

We investigate quantum optical behaviors of a weak-probe laser field in an asymmetric semiconductor three-coupled-quantum wells (TCQW) structure based on intersubband transitions (ISBTs) via switch-on/off of terahertz (TH) signal radiation under the application of a control laser field. A scheme for TH signal detection and its strength measurement based on this probe absorption characteristic also are put forward, where TH signal field does not interact directly with electron, but significantly affects the coherent optical absorption properties of such a weak-probe laser field. Consequently, the proposed TCQW nanostructure may be used for reducing and cancelling out the important thermionic dark current component in the process of TH signal detection, measurement and photodetector design.     

Linear and nonlinear optical absorption in different graded quantum wells modulated by intense laser field

The laser field dependence of the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorption in different graded quantum wells (GQWs) is investigated in the effective mass approximation. Results obtained show that the position and the magnitude of the linear and total absorption coefficients depend on the laser parameter and the shape of GQW. The resonant peak of total absorption coefficient can be bleached at sufficiently high incident optical intensities. Such a dependence of the exciting optical intensity on the external field strengths in different GQWs can be very useful for several potential device applications. It should point out that by applying the laser field we can obtain a blue shift or a red shift in the intersubband optical transitions.     

Laser effects on the donor states in V-shaped and inverse V-shaped quantum wells

Laser effects on the electronic states in GaAs/ Ga_1−xAl_xAs V-shaped and inverse V-shaped quantum wells under a static electric field are studied using the transfer matrix method. The dependence of the donor binding energy on the laser field strength and the density of states associated with the impurity is also calculated. It is demonstrated that in inverse V-shaped quantum wells under electric fields, with an asymmetric distribution of the electron density, the position of the binding energy maximum versus the impurity location in the structure can be adjusted by the intensity of the laser field. This effect could be used to tune the electronic levels in quantum wells operating under electric and laser fields without modifying the physical size of the structures.     

Intense laser field effect on the interband absorption in differently shaped near-surface quantum wells

The 1S-exciton properties and interband absorption spectra in differently shaped near-surface quantum wells (NSQWs) with symmetrical/asymmetrical barriers, under intense laser field, are investigated taking into account the correct dressing effect for the confinement potential and electrostatic interaction between carriers and their image-charges. We found that: i) the 1S-exciton binding energy is significantly reduced by the laser intensity in InGaAs NSQWs of different asymmetrical shape; ii) the red-shift of the absorption peak induced by the asymmetry diminution or by increasing cap layer thickness can be effectively compensated using the blue-shift caused by enhancing laser parameter. Therefore, the optical properties of the differently shaped NSQWs could be tuned by proper tailoring of the heterostructure parameters (well shape, barrier asymmetry) and/or dielectric mismatch as well as by varying the laser field intensity.     

Absorption and emission of terahertz radiation in doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

Spontaneous emission of terahertz radiation from structures with GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells in a longitudinal magnetic field has been studied. It is shown that some bands in the emission spectrum can be related to radiative electron transitions between resonant and localized impurity states, as well as to the transitions with participation of subband states. The temperature dependence of the equilibrium intraband absorption of terahertz radiation and its modulation in a longitudinal electric field in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells has been investigated.     

Phonon-assisted normal incidence intersubband absorption in semiconductor quantum wells

In the presence of a normally incident mid-IR pulsed laser field, phonon-assisted photon absorption by both intrasubband and intersubband phonon scattering of conduction electrons in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells are predicted. The novel non-resonant and non-linear intersubband absorption is found by including the photon-induced phonon scattering process in a Boltzmann equation for phonon energies smaller than the energy separation between two electron subbands in the quantum well. The predicted phonon-assisted photon absorption by intersubband transitions of electrons from the first to the second subband is a unique feature in quantum-well systems and is expected to have a significant effect on the electron populations in both subbands.