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.     

Optical characterization of InGaAsN/GaAsN/GaAs quantum wells with InGaP cladding layers

Optical properties of InGaAsN/GaAs and InGaAsN/GaAsN/GaAs quantum well structures with InGaP cladding layers were studied by photoreflectance at various temperatures. The excitonic interband transitions of the InGaAsN/GaAsN/GaAs QW systems were observed in the spectral range above hν=E_g(InGaAsN). The confinement potential of the system with strain compensating GaAsN barriers became one step broader, thus more quantum states and larger optical transition rate were observed. A matrix transfer algorithm was used to calculate the subband energies numerically. Band gap energies, effective masses were adopted from the band anti-crossing model with band-offset values adjusted to obtain the subband energies to best fit the observed optical transition features. A spectral feature below and near the GaAs band gap energy from GaAs barriers is enhanced by the GaAs/InGaP interface space charge accumulation induced internal field.     

Optical properties of GaNAs/GaAs triple quantum well structures

Optical properties of the GaNAs/GaAs triple quantum well structures were characterized by using photoreflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy at different temperatures. The excitonic interband transitions of the triple quantum well systems were observed in the spectral range above hν=E_g(GaN_xAs_1−x). A matrix transfer algorithm was used to match the GaN_xAs_1−x/GaAs boundary conditions and calculate the triple quantum well subband energies numerically for theoretical comparison. The internal electric field in the system was extracted from Franz-Keldysh oscillations in the photoreflectance spectra. The influences of the annealing treatment on the transition energy and the internal electric field are also analyzed.     

Tunable anticrossing of gated and ungated plasma resonances and enhancement of interlayer terahertz electric field in an asymmetric bilayer of density-modulated two-dimensional electron gases

We study theoretically the terahertz (THz) response of a bilayer of density-modulated two-dimensional electron gases, which we employ to model the actual double-quantum-well electron channel of a grid-gated field-effect transistor in which strong THz photoresponse was recently observed. We have shown that such a system can be driven into the anticrossing regime between gated and ungated plasma resonances by tuning the gate voltage. The amplitude of the interlayer THz electric field in the ungated (double-layered) portions of the channel increases dramatically in the anticrossing regime. This strong interlayer THz electric field may strongly affect interlayer electron tunneling which, in turn, may contribute to the physical mechanism underlying the strong THz photoresponse observed in recent experiments.     

Microstructural and optical properties of strain compensated InxGa1−xAs/InyAl1−yAs multiple quantum wells

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photocurrent (PC) measurements were carried out to investigate the microstructural and excitonic transitions in In_0.52Ga_0.48As/In_0.55Al_0.45As multiple quantum wells (MQWs). TEM images showed that high-quality 11-period strain-compensated In_0.52Ga_0.48As/In_0.55Al_0.45As MQWs had high-quality heterointerfaces. Based on the TEM results, a possible crystal structure for the In_0.52Ga_0.48As/In_0.55Al_0.45As MQWs is presented, and their strains are compensated. The results for the PC data at 300 K for several applied electric fields showed that several excitonic transitions shifted to longer wavelengths as the applied electric field increased. These results indicate that the strain-compensated In_0.52Ga_0.48As/In_0.55Al_0.45As MQWs hold promise for electroabsorption modulator devices.     

One-dimensional surface-plasmon gratings for the excitation of intersubband polaritons in suspended membranes

We present the observation of the strong light-matter coupling regime between intersubband transitions of semiconductor quantum wells and the plasmonic-like resonances of a one dimensional metallic grating. Polariton spectra have been recorded in transmission employing a suspended membrane sample and are consistent with theoretical calculations. This arrangement, avoiding the complexity of dispersive substrate, is particularly attractive for the development of time-resolved pump-probe experiments.     

Resonance structure of dynamic fractional Stark ladders in laser-driven biased superlattices

The resonance structure of an electronic Floquet state in a dynamic fractional Stark ladder (DFSL) is examined based on the scattering theory applied to a dressed potential resulting from renormalization of a laser-electron interaction to an original potential. Here, the DFSL is realized in laser-driven biased superlattices with a fractional matching ratio of a Bloch frequency to a laser frequency. It is revealed that, in contrast to a conventional understanding, the DFSL resonance position and lifetime tend to redshift and shorten, respectively, with an increase in strength of the laser field, and further, these show irregular changes in a limited region of the strength. The underlying physics is discussed in detail.     

The theory of cylindrical photonic wires

The energy modes for a photonic nanowire have been studied and calculated. We model our photonic crystals after Noda et al. (1999) [18] where logs of semiconductor material are stacked to produce photonic band gaps in both the near and far infrared regions. A nominal dispersion relation was adopted in order to achieve qualitatively useful results. Photonic wires were modeled in two schemes, each with two specific geometries. In the first scheme, a pillar of one photonic crystal is embedded in a larger photonic crystal to produce a wire. This pillar was modeled as having either a square or a circular cross-section. The photonic crystals considered consisted of varying proportions of Ga_xAl_1−xAs, so that the wire could be adjusted. The second scheme investigated was a dielectric material for the central pillar, rather than a photonic crystal. Again, circular and square cross sections were considered. It was found that many more modes fit into the near infrared band gap than the far infrared band gap, and that a circular cross-section permits fewer modes. Finally, a dielectric pillar allows for a wire which is physically much smaller than a wire with a photonic crystal in the middle. As many photonic devices include such wires, these qualitative results could be useful in their design.     

Effect of low-energy electron irradiation on the cathodoluminescence of multiple quantum well (MQW) InGaN/GaN structures

The effect of low-energy electron-beam (e-beam) irradiation on the InGaN-related cathodoluminescence in multiple quantum well (MQW) InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode (LED) structures has been studied. It is shown that the e-beam exposure leads to an increase of emission intensity and to a formation of new blue-shifted emission bands. The changes observed were explained by the enhancement of In diffusion stimulated by excess carrier recombination.     

Polaron effects on the optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in a square quantum well

The linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach and an iterative procedure. With typical semiconducting GaAs materials, the linear, third-order nonlinear, total optical absorption coefficients and the optical refractive index have been examined. We find that the polaron effect has an important influence on the linear, third-order nonlinear, and total absorption coefficients as well as the refractive index changes.     

Exciton effects on the refractive index and optical absorption in wurtzite quantum wells via a fractional-dimensional space approach

The optical refractive index changes and absorption coefficients of quantum wells (QWs) are theoretically investigated with considering exciton effects within the framework of the fractional-dimensional space approach. The exciton wave functions and bound energies are obtained as a function of spatial dimensionality, and the dimension increases with the well width increasing. Then optical properties are obtained by using the compact-density matrix approach and an iterative method. Numerical results are presented for wurtzite ZnO/Mg_xZn_1−xO QWs. The calculated results show that the changes of refractive index and absorption coefficients are greatly enhanced due to the quantum confinement of exciton. And the smaller the QW width (dimension) is, the larger influence of exciton on the optical properties will be. Furthermore, the exciton effects make the resonant peaks move to a lower energy. In addition, the optical properties are related to the QW width, the incident optical intensity and carrier density.     

Intersubband optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in modulation-doped asymmetric double quantum well

The linear and the third-order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in a modulation-doped asymmetric double quantum well are studied theoretically. The electron energy levels and the envelope wave functions in this structure are calculated by the Schrödinger and Poisson equations self-consistently in the effective mass approximation. The analytical expressions of optical properties are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach. In this regard, the linear, nonlinear and total intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are investigated as a function of right-well width (Lw₂) of asymmetric double quantum well. Our results show that the total absorption coefficients and refractive index changes shift toward higher energies as the right-well width decreases. In addition, the total optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes is strongly dependent on the incident optical intensity.     

Nonlinear optical properties of an off-center donor in a quantum dot under applied magnetic field

The nonlinear optical properties of an off-center hydrogenic donor in a two-dimensional quantum dot under applied magnetic field are investigated in detail by using the matrix diagonalization method. Based on the computed energies and wave functions, the linear, third-order and total optical absorption coefficients as well as the refractive index changes have been examined between the ground state (L=0) and the first excited state (L=1). The results show that the ion position, the applied magnetic field, the confinement frequency, and the incident optical intensity have an important influence on the nonlinear optical properties of off-center donors.     

Extremely large binding energy of biexcitons in an organic-inorganic quantum-well material (C4H9NH3)2PbBr4

We have confirmed biexciton formation in an organic-inorganic hybrid quantum-well material (C₄H₉NH₃)₂PbBr₄ by photoluminescence and two-photon absorption measurements. The biexciton has extremely large binding energy, 60 meV, which to our knowledge is the largest value ever reported for a semiconductor. By analyzing the spectrum of biexciton luminescence, the biexciton gas temperature was found to be much higher than the bath temperature due to a higher local temperature arising from the large biexciton binding energy.     

Role of effective mass in modulating linear and non-linear response properties of single carrier quantum dots: Interplay with system parameters

We explore the pattern of effective mass dependence of linear and non-linear optical (NLO) response of one electron quantum dots harmonically confined in two dimensions. For different combinations of transverse magnetic field strength (ω_c), harmonic confinement potential (ω₀), and anharmonic interaction, the influence of the effective mass (m^*) of the dot on linear (α), and the first (β), and second (γ) NLO responses of the system is computed through linear variational route. The investigation reveals a complicated interplay between the effective mass and the system parameters.     

Tunneling in 2-D quantum dots via quantum adiabatic switching route

We explore the phenomenon of tunneling in single carrier 2-D quantum dot by quantum adiabatic switching route. The confinement in the y-direction is kept harmonic which ensures that tunneling is allowed only along the x-direction. The harmonic confinement potential is kept fixed and a constant external magnetic field is applied along the z-direction. The growth of probability density in the classically forbidden zones and tunneling current are monitored critically which reveals how tunneling significantly depends on the barrier parameters. The efficacy of the switching function in enforcing adiabaticity of the evolution is demonstrated. The effective mass, barrier width, and height emerge as important control parameters.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the hole effective mass in a strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum well

A systematic analysis of the hydrostatic pressure effects on the effective masses of holes in strained single In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs quantum-well (Qw) is performed. The strain effect on the shift of the subband energies and the effective masses is also investigated. A 14-band k.p Hamiltonian matrix is used in the calculations and solved by iteration with the Bir–Pikus Hamiltonian. Numerical results have been presented over a pressure range from 0 to 16 kbar. Our results show that especially for the calculation of the light-hole mass, it is necessary to use the 14-band and not the 8-band k.p model. This is supported by the fact that the 8-band k.p model predicts an increasing mass with pressure which does not reproduce the experimental results. Finally our calculations clearly confirm the available experimental results given in the literature.     

Alternating current transport property for a two-channel interacting quantum wire

We study theoretically the alternating current (ac) transport property through a two-channel clean quantum wire of finite length in the presence of both inter-channel and intra-channel electron-electron (e-e) interactions. Using the bosonization technique and linear response theory, we have obtained analytical expressions of the ac conductance. Interestingly, the ac conductance oscillations, with two different frequencies, form a beat which governs the behavior of the transport property in the presence of inter-channel e-e interaction. This result provides us with a new way to control the transport property of narrow quantum wires by engineering the Fermi velocities in the two different channels, i.e., the electron density.     

Anisotropic property in interacting quantum wires embedded in (110) plane

We investigate the theoretically combined effect of spin-orbit interactions and Coulomb interaction on the ground state and transport property of a quantum wire oriented along different crystallographic directions in the (110) plane. We find that the electron’s ground state exhibits phase transition among spin density wave, charge density wave, singlet superconductivity and metamagnetism, which can be controlled by changing the crystallographic orientation, the strengths of the spin-orbit interactions and the Coulomb interaction. The ac conductance exhibits a significant anisotropic behavior and a out-of-plane spin polarization which can be tuned by an in-plane electric field.     

Optical properties of natural quantum-well compounds (C6H5-CnH2n-NH3)2PbBr4 (n=1-4)

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of self-assembled organic-inorganic layered perovskite compounds, (C₆H₅-C_nH_2n-NH₃)₂PbBr₄ (n=1-4). the effect of the number of carbon atoms of the alkyl chain length (n) on optical properties has been studied. (C₆H₅-C_nH_2n-NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films fabricated by spin-coating are microcrystalline form, single phase and oriented with the c-axis. Crystallinity, the maximum PL intensity and the lifetime of exciton emissions varied with the number of carbon atoms. the lowest-energy exciton splits into a few fine-structure levels at low temperatures. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectra reveal that (C₆H₅-C_nH_2n-NH₃)₂PbBr₄ shows both singlet and triplet excitons. with decreasing temperature, triplet exciton emissions become dominant for (C₆H₅-C_nH_2n-NH₃)₂PbBr₄ (n=1-3), while (C₆H₅-C₄H₈-NH₃)₂PbBr₄ shows mainly singlet exciton emissions. The intersystem crossing from excited singlet state to triplet state plays an important role in the relaxation process of excitons.