Acceptor-related photoluminescence study in GaAs/Ga1−xAl

Abstract

A theoretical study of the photoluminescence spectrum associated with shallow acceptors in GaAs-(Ga, A1)As quantum wells is performed. As a general feature, there are two special structures in the acceptor-related spectrum: an edge associated with transitions involving acceptors at the center of the well, and a peak associated with transitions related to on-edge acceptors. The photoluminescence line shape depends on the temperature, the quasi-Fermi energy of the conductionsubband electron gas, and on the acceptor distribution along the quantum well. It is suggested that an analysis of the acceptor-photoluminescence line shape could allow an experimental determination of the quasi-Fermi-energy level of the conduction-subband electron gas as well as of the onedge-acceptor binding energy. Experimental results of unintentionally doped multiple-quantumwell GaAs-Gao, Alo, As samples by Miller et al. [Phys. Rev. B 25, 3871 (1982)] and of single quantum wells of GaAs-Gao gsAlp, gAs by Meynadier et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 58, 4307 (1985)] are in excellent agreement with theoretical results obtained with a homogeneous distribution of acceptor impurities along the GaAs layer and a convenient choice of the quasi-Fermi-energy level.

Excitonic and impurity-related optical transitions in Beδ-dopedGaAs∕AlAsmultiple quantum wells: Fractional-dimensional space approach

“…Similar spectra were calculated theoretically in Ref. 78. However, a similar line shape requires the assignment of a quasi-Fermi-energy level for the electron gas.…”

“…4,77 This double peak structure is attributed to the recombination of free electrons with acceptors at the QWs center and interface, and is of qualitative agreement with the theoretical calculations. 76,78 However, by comparison between the experimental and calculated electron-to-acceptor PL line shapes of nominally undoped GaAs/ Al x Ga 1−x As QWs, 79 the authors claimed that the acceptor distribution exhibited a maximum at the well interface, extending 0.7 nm into the barrier and 1.2 to 3 nm into the well. Similar spectra were calculated theoretically in Ref.…”

Polaronic excitons in a double-quantum-well semiconductor heterostructure

“…Niculescu [3] has calculated the binding energies of the ground state of a double donor associated with the first subband in a parabolic quantum well, taking into account the nonparabolicity of the conduction band. Multiple-quantum-well systems consisting of alternate layers of GaAs and Ga 1−x Al x As, with the impurity binding energies with infinite or finite potential barrier height in the Ga 1−x Al x As regions given as functions of the GaAs well and Ga 1−x Al x As barrier thickness and the position of the impurity which is located in the GaAs well, have been investigated [4,5].…”

Effects of In-Plane Magnetic Fields on the Acceptor-Related Photoluminescence Spectra of p-Doped Coupled-Well Superlattices

“…Acceptor energies and envelope wave functions, which are taken as products of a sine expansion and hydrogenic trial 1s-like functions [6], are obtained following a variational scheme. The acceptor-related magnetoluminescence lineshape may then be calculated for a homogeneous distribution of acceptors throughout the SL growth axis as [8] Lw…”