Time-resolved polarized photoluminescence spectroscopy of confined donors in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells

We report on the recombination dynamics of band edge photoluminescence (PL) in GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs multiple quantum wells which have been selectively doped with Si donors at a variety of positions across the well. We observe PL lines associated with the ground state n = 1 light and heavy hole exciton transitions, as well as several bound exciton states and a donor-to-continuum transition which occur below the dominant heavy hole excitons. The recombination lifetime of the donor-to-continuum (Si(c)→VB) transition is significantly longer than that measured for the excitonic transitions. The Si(c)→VB transition is 20 times longer than the lifetime of the hhX. This result clearly suggests that this line is not an exciton-related transition and may be consistent with what is expected for a localized donor-to-continuum transition. Measurements of the lifetime as a function of temperature and a measure of the recombination dynamics as a function of magnetic field support this conclusion.     

Energy levels of single nonabrupt GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells

Energy levels of electrons in nonabrupt GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs single quantum wells are calculated with and beyond the constant interfacial effective mass approximation (CIEMA), and compared with those of abrupt GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs quantum wells. For a given interface width, the energy levels calculated with the CIEMA are higher than those calculated beyond it, but both are higher than those of the abrupt semiconductor quantum well. The shifts of the energy levels increase with the interfacial width of the nonabrupt quantum well, as well as with the degree of interfacial asymmetry.