Optical bistability via tunable Fano-type interference in asymmetric semiconductor quantum wells

We analyze hybrid absorptive-dispersive optical bistability (OB) behavior via tunable Fano-type interference based on intersubband transitions in asymmetric double quantum wells (QWs) driven coherently by a probe laser field by means of a unidirectional ring cavity. We show that OB can be controlled efficiently by tuning the energy splitting of the two excited states (the coupling strength of the tunnelling), the Fano-type interference, and the frequency detuning. The influence of the electronic cooperation parameter on the OB behavior is also discussed. This investigation may be used for optimizing and controlling the optical switching process in the QW solid-state system, which is much more practical than that in atomic system because of its flexible design and the controllable interference strength.     

Optical pumping of nuclear spin magnetization in GaAs/AlAs quantum wells of variable electron density

We report the use of time-resolved Faraday rotation to induce and probe the polarization of nuclear spins within a set of quantum wells with varying background electron density. The electron density was controlled over a broad range by making use of structures of mixed type-I/type-II GaAs/AlAs quantum wells that spatially separate photoexcited electron–hole pairs. We find that the optically detected nuclear magnetic field decreases quasi-monotonically with increasing electron density. The likely factors responsible for this behavior are increased electron spin-lattice relaxation, increased electron spin delocalization, and dilution of the electron spin polarization.     

Transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas in wide AlP quantum wells including temperature and correlation effects

We investigate the mobility, magnetoresistance and scattering time of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas in a GaP/AlP/GaP quantum well of width L>L_c=45.7 Å at zero and finite temperatures. We consider the interface-roughness and impurity scattering, and study the dependence of the mobility, the resistance and scattering time ratio on the carrier density and quantum well width for different values of the impurity position and temperature using different approximations for the local-field correction. In the case of zero temperature and Hubbard local-field correction our results reduce to those of Gold and Marty (Phys. Rev. B. 76 (2007) 165309) [3]. We also study the correlation and multiple scattering effects on the total mobility and the critical density for a metal–insulator transition.     

Optical properties of GaN/AlN multiple quantum wells

Optical properties of GaN/AlN multiple quantum wells (MQW) have been investigated by Raman scattering, photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation measurements. A careful examination of the Raman spectrum reveals the fact that the constituent layers of GaN/AlN MQWs are well strained. The experimental results of emission and absorption in MQWs were compared with the calculated solutions of the finite quantum well and the bound states involved in the optical transitions were identified. It is found that the interband transitions up to n=3 bound state can be observed in the strained GaN/AlN MQWs sample. The temperature dependence of the heavy-hole transitions shows an interesting phenomenon, in which the peak energy first increases with increasing temperature and then decreases with the temperature rapidly. The observation can be explained in a consistent way by the strain effects of lattice mismatch due to the interplay between the thermal expansion of GaN and AlN layers. Our results indicate that pseudomorphic GaN/AlN MQWs with good quality can be readily grown, and their applications in optoelectronics can be expected in the near future.     

Magneto infrared absorption in high electron density GaAs quantum wells

Magneto infrared absorption measurements have been performed in a highly doped GaAs quantum well which has been lifted off and bonded to a silicon substrate, in order to study the resonant polaron interaction. It is found that the pinning of the cyclotron energy occurs at an energy close to that of the transverse optical phonon of GaAs. This unexpected result is explained by a model taking into account the full dielectric constant of the quantum well.     

Magnetoelectronic transport of the two-dimensional electron gas in CdSe single quantum wells

Hall mobility and magnetoresistance coefficient for the two-dimensional (2D) electron transport parallel to the heterojunction interfaces in a single quantum well of CdSe are calculated with a numerical iterative technique in the framework of Fermi-Dirac statistics. Lattice scatterings due to polar-mode longitudinal optic (LO) phonons, and acoustic phonons via deformation potential and piezoelectric couplings, are considered together with background and remote ionized impurity interactions. The parallel mode of piezoelectric scattering is found to contribute more than the perpendicular mode. We observe that the Hall mobility decreases with increasing temperature but increases with increasing channel width. The magnetoresistance coefficient is found to decrease with increasing temperature and increase with increasing magnetic field in the classical region.      

Diffusion thermopower of the two-dimensional electron gas in GaN single quantum wells

Diffusion thermopower ($S_d$) of the two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in GaN single quantum wells is calculated in the temperature range 1 K–12 K using the Fermi–Dirac distribution function. Scattering of carriers through acoustic phonons via deformation potential and piezoelectric couplings, and through background and remote ionized impurities is included. $S_d$ is found to decrease with temperature and the 2D electron concentration, and is primarily controlled by deformation potential acoustic scattering. The dependence of $S_d$ on the well width and the ionized impurity concentration is found to be quite weak.     

Full electrical control of the electron spin relaxation in GaAs quantum wells

The electron spin dynamics in (111)-oriented GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells is studied by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. By applying an external electric field of 50 kV/cm a two-order of magnitude increase of the spin relaxation time can be observed reaching values larger than 30 ns; this is a consequence of the electric field tuning of the spin-orbit conduction band splitting which can almost vanish when the Rashba term compensates exactly the Dresselhaus one. The measurements under a transverse magnetic field demonstrate that the electron spin relaxation time for the three space directions can be tuned simultaneously with the applied electric field.     

Exciton-electron interaction in quantum wells with a two dimensional electron gas of low density

II–VI quantum-well structures containing a 2DEG of low density have been investigated by means of polarized photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation and reflectivity in external magnetic fields up to 20 T. The spin splittings of the exciton X and the negatively charged exciton X ⁻ are measured as a function of the magnetic field strength. The behavior of the magnetic-field-induced polarization degree of the luminescence line related to X ⁻ demonstrates the formation process of negatively charged excitons from excitons and free carriers polarized by the external magnetic field. We have determined the binding energies of the trion formed either with the heavy-hole or the light-hole exciton. The optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) technique was applied for the first time to study the optical transition processes in a nanosecond timescale. The electron ODMR was observed with the detection on either the direct exciton or the negatively charged exciton X. Further evidence for the interaction of excitons with the electrons of the two-dimensional gas are demonstrated by a combined exciton-cyclotron resonance line observed in reflectivity and luminescence excitation, shake-up processes observed in photoluminescence, as well as inelastic and spin-dependent scattering processes. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 831–836 (May 1999) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Optical properties of InGaAsBi/GaAs strained quantum wells studied by temperature-dependent photoluminescence

The effect of bismuth on the optical properties of InGaAsBi/GaAs quantum well structures is investigated using the temperature-dependent photoluminescence from 12 K to 450 K.The incorporation of bismuth in the InGaAsBi quantum well is confirmed and found to result in a red shift of photoluminescence wavelength of 27.3 meV at 300 K.The photoluminescence intensity is significantly enhanced by about 50 times at 12 K with respect to that of the InGaAs quantum well due to the surfactant effect of bismuth.The temperature-dependent integrated photoluminescence intensities of the two samples reveal different behaviors related to various non-radiative recombination processes.The incorporation of bismuth also induces alloy non-uniformity in the quantum well,leading to an increased photoluminescence linewidth.     

Optical properties of InGaN/GaN double quantum wells with varying well thickness

The optical properties and recombination kinetics of the InGaN/GaN double quantum well (DQW) structures with different well thickness (L_w) have been studied by means of photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved PL, and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. With increasing quantum well thickness up to 4 nm, the PL emission energy decreases and the blueshift of the PL emission energy increases with increasing excitation density. On the other hand, the PL emission energy of the DQWs with L_w=16 nm is higher than that of the DQWs with L_w=4 nm, and is independent of the excitation density. With increasing L_w from 1 to 4 nm, the PL decay times increase. In contrast, the decay times of 16 nm DQWs are faster than those of 4 nm DQWs. These different results for 16 nm DQWs such as the blueshift of the emission energy, the decrease of the excitation density dependence, and the increase of recombination rate can be ascribed to the relaxation of the piezoelectric field. We also observed the inhomegeneity in the CL spectra of the DQWs with L_w=1 nm on 1 μm scale.     

Controlling two-dimensional electron localization via phase-controlled absorption and gain in the three-coupled quantum wells

We investigate two-dimensional (2D) electron localization via phase-controlled absorption and gain of a weak probe field in an asymmetric semiconductor three-coupled quantum well (TCQW) with a closed loop under the action of two orthogonal standing-wave fields. It is found that we can achieve high-precision and high-resolution 2D electron localization via properly varying the parameters of the system. The influences of direct one-photon transition and indirect three-photon transition on the precision of probe absorption–gain spectra are also discussed in details. Thus, the proposed scheme shows the underlying probability for the formation of the 2D electron localization in a solid.     

Optical properties of type-II InGaN/GaAsN/GaN quantum wells

Optical properties of type-II InGaN/GaNAs QW light-emitting diodes are investigated by using the multiband effective mass theory. These results are compared with those of conventional InGaN/GaN QW structures. The type-II InGaN/GaNAs/GaN QW structure shows much larger spontaneous emission and optical gain than that of a conventional QW structure. This can be explained by the fact that, in the case of the type-II QW structure, the effective well width is greatly reduced. A type-II QW structure shows that the peak position at a high carrier density is similar to that (530 nm) at a low carrier density. On the other hand, in the case of a conventional QW structure, the peak position is largely blueshifted at a high carrier density.