Spectroscopic analysis of external stresses in semiconductor quantum-well materials

Abstract

We present an approach for spectroscopic strain analysis in semiconductor quantum-well devices. This approach is applicable to all types of semiconductor materials, and to spectroscopic techniques which employ the electronic band-structure of the material, such as photoluminescence, photoreflection, photocurrent, and transmittance. The approach is based on two components, namely the theoretical calculation of the strain-sensitivity of the spectral positions of the relevant quantum-confined optical transitions within a particular quantum-well, and the spatially resolved measurement of a substantial part of the optical transition sequence within the quantum-well. The primary experimental technique applied in our approach is photocurrent spectroscopy. InAlGaAs/GaAlAs/GaAs, high-power lasers serve as the model species.