Photoinduced charge redistribution and its influence on excitonic states in Zn(Cd)Se/ZnMgSSe/GaAs quantum-well heterostructures

The photoinduced charge redistribution in Zn(Cd)Se/ZnMgSSe/GaAs quantum-well heterostructures under different conditions of optical excitation has been investigated using scanning probe microscopy and optical spectroscopy in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K. Excitation of the samples by radiation with a photon energy greater than the band gap of Zn(Cd)Se leads to the accumulation of electrons in quantum wells, which is detected using scanning spreading resistance microscopy. For moderate excitation densities (up to 25 W/cm²) and at temperatures ranging from 80 to 100 K, the density of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas formed in quantum wells is several orders of magnitude higher than the density of electron-hole pairs generated by the excitation radiation. The excess electron concentration in the quantum well leads to a broadening of the exciton resonances and to an increase in the relative intensity of the donor-bound exciton emission line and also determines the increase in the luminescence quantum yield with increasing excitation intensity. An additional illumination with a photon energy less than the band gap of Zn(Cd)Se decreases the concentration of excess electrons in quantum wells. The influence of the additional illumination is observed at a temperature of approximately 100 K and almost completely suppressed at 5 K. The obtained results are explained in terms of the formation of a potential barrier for electrons at the ZnMgSSe/GaAs interface and by the specific features of recombination processes in the electron-hole system containing impurity centers with different charge states.