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.     

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.     

Impurity-related polarizability and photoionization-cross section in double quantum wells under electric fields and hydrostatic pressure

Double quantum well heterostructures are quite important for the exploration of correlated electron states in two-dimensional systems. By using the variational procedure, within the effective-mass and parabolic-band approximations, the effects of both electric field and hydrostatic pressure on the shallow-donor-impurity related polarizability and photoionization cross-section in GaAs–Ga_1−xAl_xAs double asymmetric quantum wells are presented. The electric field is considered to be applied along the growth direction. It is found that the impurity binding energy and polarizability can be tuned by means of an applied external electric field or hydrostatic pressure in asymmetric double quantum wells, a behavior which could be used in the design and construction of semiconductor devices. The photoionization cross-section magnitude increases as the pressure and applied electric field are increased, except beyond the Γ–X crossover in the barrier material, where a decrease of the photoionization cross-section is expected due the smaller confinement of the impurity wave function.     

Linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorption in double triangular quantum wells

The linear and the third-order nonlinear optical absorptions in the asymmetric double triangular quantum wells (DTQWs) are investigated theoretically. The dependence of the optical absorption on the right-well width of the DTQWs is studied, and the influence of the applied electric field on the optical absorption is also taken into account. The analytical expressions of the linear and the nonlinear optical absorption coefficients are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach and the iterative method. The numerical calculations are presented for the typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1?xAs asymmetric DTQWs. The results show that the linear as well as the nonlinear optical absorption coefficients are not a monotonous function of the right-well width, but have complex relationships with it. Moreover, the calculated results also reveal that applying an electric field to the DTQWs with a thinner right-well can enhance the linear optical absorption but has no prominent influence on the nonlinear optical absorption. In addition, the total optical absorption is strongly dependent on the incident optical intensity.     

The effects of hydrostatic pressure and intense laser field on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a square quantum well

In this paper, the effects of hydrostatic pressure, temperature and intense laser field on the linear and nonlinear optical processes in the conduction band of a square quantum well are numerically investigated in the effective mass approximation. The analytical expressions of optical properties are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach. The numerical results are presented for typical square GaAs/Al_xGa_1?xAs single quantum well system. The nonlinear optical absorption and refractive index changes depending on the hydrostatic pressure and intense laser field are investigated for two different temperature values. The results show that the intense laser field, the hydrostatic pressure and the temperature have a significant effect on the optical characteristics of these structures.     

Electric field effect on the second-order nonlinear optical properties in semiparabolic quantum wells

Electric field effect on the second-order nonlinear optical properties in semiparabolic quantum wells are studied theoretically. Both the second-harmonic generation susceptibility and nonlinear optical rectification depend dramatically on the direction and the strength of the electric field. Numerical results show that both the second-harmonic generation susceptibility and nonlinear optical rectification are always weakened as the electric field increases where the direction of the electric field is along the growth direction of the quantum wells, which is in contrast to the conventional case. However, the second-harmonic generation susceptibility is weakened, but the nonlinear optical rectification is strengthened as the electric field increases where the direction of the electric field is against the growth direction of the quantum wells. Also it is the blue (or red) shift of the resonance that is induced by increasing of the electric field when the direction of the electric field is along (or against) the growth direction of the quantum wells. Finally, the resonant peak and its corresponding to the resonant energy are also taken into account.     

Effects of applied electric and magnetic fields on the nonlinear optical rectification and second-harmonic generation in a graded quantum well under intense laser field

In this present study, the effects of electric and magnetic fields on the nonlinear optical rectification and second-harmonic generation in a graded quantum well under intense laser field have been investigated theoretically. The energy eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenfunctions are obtained by solving Schrödinger equation within the framework of effective mass approximation. The analytic expressions for the optical properties are calculated by the compact-density-matrix approach and iterative method. The numerical results are presented for a typical GaAs/Ga_1?x Al _x As quantum well. The results show that the nonlinear optical rectification and second-harmonic generation coefficients are considerably affected by the electromagnetic fields and intense laser field.     

Effect of conduction band nonparabolicity on the optical properties in a single quantum well under hydrostatic pressure and electric field

The effect of conduction band nonparabolicity on the linear and nonlinear optical properties such as absorption coefficients, and changes in the refractive index are calculated in the Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/GaAs heterostructure-based symmetric rectangular quantum well under applied hydrostatic pressure and electric field. The electron envelope functions and energies are calculated in the effective mass equation including the conduction band nonparabolicity. The linear and nonlinear optical properties have been calculated in the density matrix formalism with two-level approximation. The conduction band nonparabolicity shifts the positions of the optical properties and decreases their strength compared to those without this correction. Both the optical properties are enhanced with the applied hydrostatic pressure. While the absorption coefficients are bleached under the combined effect of high pressure and electric field, the bleaching effect is reduced when nonparabolicity is included.     

Electric field effects on the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical properties of double semi-parabolic quantum wells

In this work, the effects of the electric field on the optical properties of the symmetric and asymmetric double semi-parabolic quantum wells (DSPQWs) are investigated numerically for typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1−xAs. Optical properties are obtained using the compact density matrix approach. Our calculations for the asymmetric DSPQW show that the resonant peak values of the total refractive index change and total optical absorption coefficient are maximum for a certain value of the applied electric field, due to the anti-crossing effect. However, for the symmetric DSPQW, the resonant peak values of these optical properties decrease monotonically with increasing the applied electric field. Also, our results indicate that a larger value of the optical rectification coefficient of the symmetric DSPQW can be induced by applying a small electric field.     

Study of optical properties in a cubic quantum dot

In this paper, the effect of hydrostatic pressure on both the intersubband optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes is studied for typical GaAs/Al _x  Ga_1?x As cubic quantum dot. We use analytical expressions for the linear and third-order nonlinear intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes obtained by the compact-density matrix formalism. The linear, third-order nonlinear, and total intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are calculated at different pressures as a function of the photon energy with known values of box length (L), the incident optical intensity (I), and Al concentration (x). According to the results obtained from the present work, we have found that the pressure plays an important role in the intersubband optical absorption coefficient and refractive index changes in a cubic quantum dot.     

Nonlinear optical rectification in asymmetric double triangular quantum wells

The nonlinear optical rectification (OR) in the asymmetric double triangular quantum wells (DTQWs) is investigated theoretically. The dependence of OR on the right-well width of the DTQWs is studied, and the influence of the applied electric field on OR is also taken into account. The analytical expression of the OR susceptibility is analyzed by using the compact density-matrix approach and the iterative method and the numerical calculations are presented for the typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs asymmetric DTQWs. The results show that the OR susceptibility obtained in this coupled system can reach the magnitude of 10^-3 m/V, 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that in single quantum systems. Moreover, the OR susceptibility is not a monotonic function of the width of the right well, but has complex relationship with it. The calculated results also reveal that an applied electric field has a great influence on the OR susceptibility. Applying an appropriate electric field to a quasi-symmetric or symmetric DTQW can result in a larger OR susceptibility as compared with that obtained in an optimal asymmetric DTQW without electric field.     

Improvement in intersubband optical absorption and the effects of device parameter variations in quantum wells with an applied electric field

The intersubband optical absorption in symmetric and asymmetric, single and coupled, double GaAs/ Ga_{1 − x}Al_xAs quantum wells is calculated. The results have been obtained in the presence of a uniform electric field as a function of the potential symmetry, size of the quantum well, and coupling parameter of the wells. In coupled double quantum wells we obtain a large Stark effect that can be used to fabricate tuneable photodetectors. We show that the effect of an applied electric field on the intersubband optical absorption is similar to changes in the dimensions of the structure. This behaviour in the intersubband optical absorption for different wells and barrier geometries can be used to study these systems in regions of interest, without the need for the growth of many different samples.     

The effects of pressure and hydrogenic donor impurity on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a GaAs/GaAlAs nanowire superlattice

The combined effects of hydrostatic pressure, presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity are investigated on the linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes of a GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_xAs nanowire superlattice. The wave functions and corresponding eigenvalues are calculated using finite difference method in the framework of effective mass approximation. Analytical expressions for the linear and third order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are obtained by means of compact-density matrix formalism. The linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficient and refractive index changes are presented as a function of photon energy for different values of hydrostatic pressure, incident photon intensity and relaxation time in the presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity. It is found that the linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficients, refractive index changes and resonance energy are quite sensitive to the presence of impurity and applied hydrostatic pressure. Moreover, the saturation in optical spectrum and relaxation time can be adjusted by increasing pressure in presence of impurity whereas the effect of hydrostatic pressure is negligible in the case of absence of hydrogenic impurity.     

The energy spectra and wavefunctions of MSQW

On the basis of the quasistationary state approximation, the asymptotic transfer method (ATM) was extended to calculate the energy spectra, envelope functions of carriers and dispersion relations of Ga_1−xAl_xAs multiple sawtooth quantum wells (MSQW) in the presence of an electric field applied along the growth direction and a magnetic field parallel to the MSQW interfaces. It turned out that the energy spectra revealed the Landau-like behavior of carriers under a magnetic field. The envelope functions of carriers displayed obvious fluctuation and the dispersion relations showed a non-parabolic shape.     

Linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in inverse parabolic quantum wells under static external electric field

In the present theoretical study, the linear and third-order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients have been calculated in GaAs/Ga_1−x Al _x As inverse parabolic quantum wells (single and double) subjected to an external electric field. Our calculations are based on the potential morphing method in the effective mass approximation. The systematic theoretical investigation contains results with all possible combinations of the involved parameters, as quantum well width, quantum barrier width, Al concentration at each well center and magnitude of the external electric field. Our results indicate that in most cases investigated, the increase of the electric field blue-shifts the peak positions of the total absorption coefficient. In all cases studied it became apparent that the incident optical intensity considerably affects the total absorption coefficient.     

Electric-field-induced energy spectra and dispersions of ZnO/MgxZn1−xO MQWs

The energy spectra and dispersion relations of carriers in the presence of an electric field applied along the growth direction in ZnO/Mg_xZn_1−xO multiple quantum wells (MQW) are calculated using the asymptotic transfer method (ATM) on the basis of the quasistationary state approximation. The energy spectra of the carriers induce some quasi-bound levels under electric fields. The dispersion relations for the energy of the ground state and lower excitation states still have parabolic shapes for both the electrons and the heavy holes in the presence of a moderate electric field. Our results also reveal that the number of energy levels increases with increasing number of ZnO quantum wells and that the energies increase with both increasing Mg composition x and electric field strength.     

Donor impurity states in coupled quantum well wires under hydrostatic pressure and applied electric field

In this work we study the binding energy of the ground state for a hydrogenic donor impurity in laterally coupled GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_xAs quantum well wires, considering the simultaneous effects of hydrostatic pressure and applied electric field. We have used a variational method and the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. The low dimensional structure consists of two quantum well wires with rectangular transverse section coupled by a central Ga_1−xAl_xAs barrier. Our results are reported for several sizes of the structure and we have taken into account variations of the impurity position along the growth direction of the heterostructure.     

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.     

Built-in electric field effect on the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorptions in InGaN strained single quantum wells

Considering the strong built-in electric field (BEF) induced by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations and the intrasubband relaxation, we investigate the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorptions in In_xGa_1-xN/Al_yGa_1-yN strained single quantum wells (QWs) by means of the density matrix formalism. Our numerical results show that the strong BEF is on the order of MV/cm, which can be modulated effectively by the In composition in the QW. This electric field greatly increases the electron energy difference between the ground and the first excited states. The electron wave functions are also significantly localized in the QW due to the BEF. The intersubband optical absorption peak sensitively depends on the compositions of In in the well layer and Al in the barrier layers. The intersubband absorption coefficient can be remarkably modified by the electron concentration and the incident optical intensity. The group-III nitride semiconductor QWs are suitable candidate for infrared photodetectors and near-infrared laser amplifiers.