Tight-binding calculations of the subband structures of zincblende-semiconductor [001] quantum wells

The scattering-theoretic T-matrix method is used to calculate the subband structures of GaAs?ZnSe and ZnSe?ZnS_xSe_1?x [001] quantum wells within an empirical tight-binding model, that includes the bulk Г₆, Г₇ and Г₈ valence- and conduction bands. The resulting confinement energies for vanishing lateral crystal momentumk _‖ are compared with those, that are obtained from a simple effective mass model and effects are found and predicted which the effective mass model cannot account for. The effect of the band nonparabolicity and the influence of the microscopic sequence of atomic layers, which determines the symmetry properties of a quantum well, are studied for the GaAs?ZnSe wells.     

Gain and luminescence spectra of broadband emitters based on asymmetric quantum-well heterostructures

Laser diodes and amplifiers of a new type based on asymmetric quantum-well heterostructures having a set of effective layers of different thickness are considered. In distinction to conventional laser heterostructures, for such modified quantum-well systems the gain spectrum and the set of lasing frequencies can be varied over a wide range by choosing the widths and the component composition of quantum wells and barrier regions. The transformation of the amplification bands for the TE and TM modes with the excitation current was studied. Calculations were performed for the GaAs−Al_xGa_1−xAs system. In a model of direct transitions the subbands of heavy and light holes as well as changes in the polarization factor with the frequency of light are considered. A number of questions associated with spectral broadening of lines and determination of radiation localization and distribution of quasi-Fermi levels in the effective layers are discussed. B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Belarusian State University. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 1, pp. 221–227, March–April, 1997.     

Kinetics of indirect photoluminescence in GaAs/AlxGa1−x As double quantum wells in a random potential with a large amplitude

The kinetics of indirect photoluminescence of GaAs/Al_xGa_1−x As double quantum wells, characterized by a random potential with a large amplitude (the linewidth of the indirect photoluminescence is comparable to the binding energy of an indirect exciton) in magnetic fields B≤12 T at low temperatures T≥1.3 K is investigated. It is found that the indirect-recombination time increases with the magnetic field and decreases with increasing temperature. It is shown that the kinetics of indirect photoluminescence corresponds to single-exciton recombination in the presence of a random potential in the plane of the double quantum wells. The variation of the nonradiative recombination time is discussed in terms of the variation of the transport of indirect excitons to nonradiative recombination centers, and the variation of the radiative recombination time is discussed in terms of the variation of the population of optically active excitonic states and the localization radius of indirect excitons. The photoluminescence kinetics of indirect excitons, which is observed in the studied GaAs/Al_xGa_1−x As double quantum wells for which the random potential has a large amplitude, is qualitatively different from the photoluminescence kinetics of indirect excitons in AlAs/GaAs wells and GaAs/Al_xGa_1−x As double quantum wells with a random potential having a small amplitude. The temporal evolution of the photoluminescence spectra in the direct and indirect regimes is studied. It is shown that the evolution of the photoluminescence spectra corresponds to excitonic recombination in a random potential. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1890–1905 (May 1999)     

Excitonic effects in diluted magnetic semiconductor nanostructures

Excitonic properties and the dynamics are reported in quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wells (QW) of diluted magnetic semiconductors. Transient spectroscopies of photoluminescence and nonlinear-optical absorption and emission have been made on these quantum nanostructures. The Cd_1−x Mn_xSe QDs show the excitonic magnetic polaron effect with an increased binding energy. The quantum wells of the Cd_1−x Mn_xTe/ZnTe system display fast energy and dephasing relaxations of the free and localized excitons as well as the tunneling process of carriers and excitons in the QWs depending on the barrier widths. The observed dynamics and the enhanced excitonic effects are the inherent properties of the diluted magnetic nanostructures. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 846–848 (May 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Influence of quantization of band states on the effective electron mass in quaternary alloys

Summary An attempt is made to study the effective electron mass in quaternary alloys, taking a In_1−x Ga _x As _y P_1−y lattice matched to InP, by using the three-band Kane model under different physical conditions,e.g. bulk specimens, magnetic quantization, cross-field configuration, quantum well, electric-field-aided quantum well, magnetic-field-aided quantum well, quantum well under cross fields, quantum well wires, electric-field-aided quantum well wires, magnetic-field-aided quantum well wires and quantum well wires under cross fields by formulating the respective expressions. We have plotted the effective Fermi level mass with various physical variables under different conditions. In the presence of a quantizing magnetic field the effective mass depends on the spin splitting of Landau levels due to the spin-orbit splitting parameter of the valence bands. Under cross-field configuration and the various quantum confined low-dimensional systems, the effective masses depend on the respective quantum numbers in addition to the Fermi energies even for parabolic models because of the inherent features of such systems. In addition, the corresponding results for relatively wide-gap materials have also been obtained from our generalized formulations under certain limiting conditions.     

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.     

Polaronic effects on two-dimensional excitons

Summary We calculate the binding energy of a two-dimensional exciton for a set of states labelled by the quantum numberm associated to the angular momentum in the direction perpendicular to the surface. The Fr?hlich electron-phonon and hole-phonon interactions are taken into account. The statem=0 is more bound with respect to that obtained by the Wannier exciton theory with the screening given by the static dielectric constant and the reduced mass calculated by the electron and hole polaronic masses. The opposite effect is found for the statem=1,2,... Whenm becomes large, the hydrogenic series is recovered with the screening and reduced mass defined above. Our results are compared with the experimental data concerning exciton luminescence GaAs/Al _x Ga_1−x As, CuCl/CaF₂ and CdTe/Cd_1−x Zn _x Te quantum wells. The authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Optical absorption and refraction index change of a confined exciton in a spherical quantum dot nanostructure

Electronic energies of an exciton confined in a strained Zn_1−x Cd _x Se/ZnSe quantum dot have been computed as a function of dot radius with various Cd content. Calculations have been performed using Bessel function as an orthonormal basis for different confinement potentials of barrier height considering the internal electric field induced by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations. The optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes between the ground state (L = 0) and the first excited state (L = 1) are investigated. It is found that the optical properties in the strained ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum dot are strongly affected by the confinement potentials and the dot radii. The intensity of the total absorption spectra increases for the transition between higher levels. The obtained optical nonlinearity brings out the fact that it should be considered in calculating the optical properties in low dimensional semiconductors especially in quantum dots.     

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.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZnxHg1?xSeyS1?y quantum dots

This article describes the synthesis of highly water-soluble Zn _x Hg_1−x Se _y S_1−y quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution through a simple photo-assisted reaction between ZnSe QDs and mercury(I) nitrate dihydrate [Hg₂(NO₃)₂·2H₂O]. In order to deduce the optimal synthesis conditions, we varied several parameters, including the concentrations of mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) and Hg₂(NO₃)₂·2H₂O, the illumination time, and the reaction temperature. When irradiated at temperatures below 80 °C, the ZnSe QDs reacted with the S²⁻ ions formed rapidly from MSA and the Hg²⁺ ions formed from Hg₂ ²⁺ ions to form Zn _x Hg_1−x Se _y S_1−y QDs through a process of photo-etching and surface combination. Under different conditions, we prepared a series of Zn _x Hg_1−x Se _y S_1−y QDs that emit fluorescence at the maximum wavelengths ranging from 405 to 760 nm. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometry revealed that the content of Hg in the Zn _x Hg_1−x Se _y S_1−y QDs was greater when the synthesis was conducted at higher temperature. The Zn_0.88Hg_0.12Se_0.44S_0.56 QDs exhibit improved photostability than crude ZnSe QDs and possess long lifetimes (τ₁ ~ 38 ns and τ₂ ~ 158 ns).     

Infrared radiation from hot holes during spatial transport in selectively doped InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with quantum wells

The infrared radiation from hot holes in In_xGa_1−x As/GaAs heterostructures with strained quantum wells during lateral transport is investigated experimentally. It is found that the infrared radiation intensities are nonmonotonic functions of the electric field. This behavior is due to the escape of hot holes from quantum wells in the GaAs barrier layers. A new mechanism for producing a population inversion in these structures is proposed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 7, 478–482 (10 October 1996)     

Hydrogenic donor impurity in a cubic quantum dot: effect of position-dependent effective mass

In this paper, we intend to study the effect of variable mass on the binding energy. In this regard, we apply an analytic expression for position-dependent effective mass in a cubic quantum dot. Then, we obtain the binding energies of a shallow donor in the quantum dot of GaAs/Al _x Ga_1−x As using a variational procedure within the effective mass approximation. Calculations are presented with a constant effective mass and position-dependent effective mass. It is found that (i) the binding energy decreases as the dot length increases in both the cases of constant and variable masses, (ii) an increase of binding energy is observed when the spatially varying mass is included, and (v) the binding energy shows complicated behavior when the position-dependent mass is included for the small dot size L ≤ 130 ?.     

Microscopic indium distribution and electron localization in zinc blende InGaN alloys and InGaN/GaN strained quantum wells

In order to give an atomic level understanding of the light emission mechanism and seek In distribution patterns closely related to the elusive electron localization centers, we optimize the crystal structure of zinc blende In _x Ga_1−x N (0≤x≤1) alloys with different In distributions and investigate their electronic structures using first-principles calculations. Our results show that In _x Ga_1−x N forms a random alloy, in which several-atom In–N clusters and In–N chains can exist stably with a high concentration due to their small formation energy. These In–N clusters and chains form more easily in zinc blende structure than in wurtzite structure. The band gap of zinc blende In _x Ga_1−x N alloys insensitively depends on the In distribution. Moreover, we find that both small In–N clusters and straight In–N chains with three or more In atoms, acting as radiative recombination centers, highly localize the electrons of the valence band maximum state and dominate the light emission of Ga-rich In _x Ga_1−x N alloys. The strains of In _x Ga_1−x N layers can enhance the electron localization in In _x Ga_1−x N/GaN strained quantum wells. Our results are in good agreement with experiments and other calculations.     

Effect of the excitation level on the thermal quenching and dynamics of the photoluminescence of GaAs/AlGaAs shallow quantum well structures

The effect of the excitation level on the dynamics of heavy-hole exciton photoluminescence in tunneling-isolated GaAs/Al _x Ga_{1 − x} As (x = 0.05) shallow quantum wells at temperatures of 5 to 70 K is investigated. It is shown that the exciton lifetimes depend strongly on the excitation level, while the activation energies characterizing the thermal escape of nonequilibrium charge carriers from the wells virtually do not.     

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.     

Calculation of energy characteristics for Si<Subscript>1–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ge<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>–Si structures with single quantum wells

Energy characteristics of Si_1–x Ge _x –Si quantum-size structures with single quantum wells were calculated numerically based on a four-band k·p method. Analytical expressions for the Luttinger parameters are obtained as functions of the component composition of Si_1–x Ge _x compounds. Analytical expressions for the energy ħω of optical band-to-band transitions are obtained in an effective mass approximation and agree well with numerical calculations by the k·p method. This allows one to determine accurately a range of changes while varying the component compositions and thickness of the active and barrier layers.     

Momentum conservation in the luminescence of modulation-doped Ga x In1−x As−Al y In1−y As quantum wells

Summary Thek-conserving selection rule in the electron-hole recombination is investigated by intensity-dependent photoluminescence measurements inn-type modulation-doped Ga _x In_1−x As−Al _y In_1−y As single quantum wells intentionally doped with Be acceptors in the well centre. Thek-non-conserving recombination process involves electrons with momentum up to the Fermi edge and holes localized on the Be acceptors. The transition from a one-component electron plasma to a two-component electron-hole plasma is studied by comparing the experimental results with theoretical line shape models. The density-dependent band gap renormalization is determined for the one-component and the two-component electron-hole plasma. The obtained results are found to agree well with recent theoretical calculations.     

Size quatized levels of the valence band and the optical gain in strained <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AlGaAs/GaAsP/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaAs structures under uniaxial compression

The band structure, size quatized levels, and wave functions in the conduction and valence bands of strained n-Al _x Ga_{1 − x} As/GaAs _y P_{1 − y} /p-Al _x Ga_{1 − x} As (y = 0.84) heterostructures are calculated numerically upon a uniaxial compression along the [110] direction. The calculation indicates a sublinear increase of the effective optical gap in the GaAs_0.84P_0.16 quantum well, strong mixing of states of light and heavy holes, and merging of the corresponding ground states in the quantum well of the valence band under a pressure of 4.5–5 kbar. The calculation of matrix elements of the electron-photon interaction operator for a system of possible interband transitions permits one to determine the optical gain for the TE and TM modes. The increase in this coefficient by two to fourfold under uniaxial compression agrees with the previously published experimental data on the increase of the electroluminescence intensity.     

Orthorhombic symmetry of valence-band states in CdTe/Cd1−x MnxTe quantum wells

A study is reported of the anisotropy in magnetic-field-induced linear polarization in (001) CdTe/Cd_1−x Mn_xTe quantum wells. The observed limiting anisotropy is shown to be due to the low C _2v symmetry of the quantum well. The relations obtained for the C _2v point group are in a good agreement with experiment. Considered on the microscopic scale, the effect is associated with the heavy-hole g-factor anisotropy in the well plane. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 903–906 (May 1999)     

Intraband transitions in magnetoexcitons in coupled double quantum wells

A theory of far-infrared (FIR) magneto-optical intraband s→p ^± transitions of direct and indirect excitons in semiconductor coupled double quantum wells has been developed. The case of symmetric strained In_xGa_1−x As/GaAs quantum wells with nondegenerate valence band in the regime of both narrow and wide barriers has been analyzed. The energies and dipole matrix elements of transitions between the ground s and excited p ^± states in a quantizing magnetic field B>2 T and electric field ℰ perpendicular to the quantum well plane have been studied. The regimes of direct (in a weak electric field) and indirect (in a strong electric field) transitions, and the transition between the direct and indirect regimes, have been investigated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1446–1459 (April 1998)