Influence of applied electric field on the absorption coefficient and subband distances in asymmetrical AlN/GaN coupled double quantum wells

The influence of applied electric fields on the absorption coefficient and subband distances in asymmetrical AlN/GaN coupled double quantum wells (CDQWs) has been investigated by solving Schr?dinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. It is found that the absorption coefficient of the intersubband transition (ISBT) between the ground state and the third excited state (1_odd-2_even) can be equal to zero when the electric fields are applied in asymmetrical AlN/GaN CDQWs, which is related to applied electric fields induced symmetry recovery of these states. Meanwhile, the energy distances between 1_odd-2_even and 1_even-2_even subbands have different relationships from each other with the increase of applied electric fields due to the different polarization-induced potential drops between the left and the right wells. The results indicate that an electrical-optical modulator operated within the opto-communication wavelength range can be realized in spite of the strong polarization-induced electric fields in asymmetrical AlN/GaN CDQWs.     

Optimization of a solar-blind and middle infrared two-colour photodetector using GaN-based bulk material and quantum wells

This paper calculates the wavelengths of the interband transitions as a function of the Al mole fraction of Al_xGa_1-xN bulk material. It is finds that when the Al mole fraction is between 0.456 and 0.639, the wavelengths correspond to the solar-blind (250~nm to 280~nm). The influence of the structure parameters of Al_yGa_1-yN/GaN quantum wells on the wavelength and absorption coefficient of intersubband transitions has been investigated by solving the Schr?dinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. The Al mole fraction of the Al_yGa_1-yN barrier changes from 0.30 to 0.46, meanwhile the width of the well changes from 2.9~nm to 2.2~nm, for maximal intersubband absorption in the window of the air (3~μm <λ <5~μm). The absorption coefficient of the intersubband transition between the ground state and the first excited state decreases with the increase of the wavelength. The results are finally used to discuss the prospects of GaN-based bulk material and quantum wells for a solar-blind and middle infrared two-colour photodetector.