Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T22:47:45.324Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Accurate Modeling of the Subband and Optical Properties of Compressive Strained Quantum Wells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

E. Herbert Li
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
K. S. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Materials Science City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Bernard L. Weiss
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5XH, United Kingdom
Get access

Abstract

The effect of valence subband-mixing on the optical properties of strained and unstrained quantum wells (QWs) is analyzed theoretically. In the model developed, the orientation of the confined carrier in-plane wave vector and the optical polarization vector, which are taken into consideration to obtain the optical matrix elements, are believed to have a negligible effect and have been ignored in most previous calculations. Results presented here show that there are large variations, due to subband mixing in the of compressive strained QW, such as InGaAs/GaAs, and which addresses the controversial issue of whether a non-mixing calculation, such as the parabolic band structure approximation, should be used for strained material systems. The effect of orientation also shows an over-estimation and under-estimation of the TE absorption coefficient when non-parabolic and parabolic band structures are used, respectively, under isotropic orientation. These results indicate the importance of an accurate model for the determination of optical properties in the QW structures.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Adams, A.R., Electron. Lett. 22, 249 (1986).Google Scholar
2 Suemune, I., Coldren, L.A., M.Yamanishi, , and Y.Kan, , Appl. Phys. Lett. 53, 1378 (1988).Google Scholar
3 Ohtoshi, T. and Chinone, N., IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 1, 117 (1989).Google Scholar
4 Moloney, M.H., Heffernan, J.F., J.Hegarty, , R.Grey, , and J.Woodhead, , Appl. Phys. Lett. 63, 435 (1993).Google Scholar
5 Hong, S.C., Kothiyal, G.P., Debbar, N., P.Bhattacharya, , and J.Singh, , Phys. Rev. B 37, 878 (1988).Google Scholar
6 Suemune, I., IEEE J.Quantum Electron. 27, 1149 (1991).Google Scholar
7 Coffey, D., J. Appl. Phys. 63, 4626 (1988).Google Scholar
8 Matthews, J.W. and Blakeslee, A.E., J. Crystal Growth 27, 118 (1974); 29, 275 (1975); 32, 265 (1976).Google Scholar
9 G.Ji, Huang, D., Reddy, U.K., Henderson, T.,Houdré, R., and H.Morkoç, , J. Appl. Phys. 62, 3366 (1987).Google Scholar
10 Fritz, I.J.,Gourley, P.J., and Dawson, L.R., Appl. Phys. Lett. 51, 1004 (1987).Google Scholar
11 H.Asai, and K.Oe, , J. Appl. Phys. 54, 2052 (1983).Google Scholar
12 G.C.Osbourn, , J. Appl. Phys. 53, 1586 (1982).Google Scholar
13 F.H.Pollack, and M.Cardona, , Phys. Rev. 172, 816 (1968).Google Scholar
14 J.Micallef, , E.H.Li, , and B.L.Weiss, , Superlattice Microstruc. 13, 125 (1993).Google Scholar
15 E.H.Li, , B.L.Weiss, , and K.S.Chan, , Phys. Rev. B 46, 15181 (1992).Google Scholar
16 E.H.Li, and B.L.Weiss, , IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 4, 445 (1993).Google Scholar
17 E.H.Li, and K.S.Chan, , Electron. Lett. 29, 1233 (1993).Google Scholar
18 J.Micallef, , E.H.Li, , and B.L.Weiss, , Superlattice Microstrur. 13, 315 (1993)Google Scholar