Electronic Structures and Carrier Distributions of T-Shaped AlxGa1-xAs/AlyGa1-yAs Quantum Wires Fabricated by a Cleaved-Edge Overgrowth Method

Abstract

The electronic structures and carrier distributions of T-shaped AlxGa1-xAs/Al(y)Gal(1-y)As quantum wire (QWR) consisting of crossed arm and stem wells were numerically calculated by using a finite-difference method (FDM). The electronic subband energies in the arm and the stem wells were numerically calculated by using the FDM taking into account two-band Hamiltonian systems considering with and without strain and nonparabolicity effects. The band deformation due to strain and the probabilistic electron confinement of T-shaped AlxGa1-xAs/Al(y)Gal(1-y)As QWRs were also calculated. The transition energy from the ground heavy-hole state (HH1) to the ground electron state (E-1) was 1.584 eV when the strain was not considered and 1.585 eV when the strain effects were included. The excitonic peak energies corresponding to the interband transitions (E-1-HH1) in the T-shaped QWRs determined from the photoluminescence spectra were compared favorably with those determined from the FDM calculations.