Analysis of transient interband light modulation by ultrashort intersubband resonant light pulses in semiconductor quantum wells

Abstract

We explore the transient characteristics of an interband resonant light modulation process by ultrashort intersubband resonant light pulses in semiconductor quantum wells (QW's). The modulation characteristics in a three-level semiconductor QW system, including the effects due to in-plane momentum, have been investigated by a numerical analysis of the coupled Bloch equations using a density-matrix approach. We have studied the effect of the carrier density and the nature of the intersubband coupling light on the transient absorption features of the interband light. The modulation process has been compared in doped and undoped QW's. The switching behavior of the strong interband light field in presence of a train of intersubband light pulses has also been discussed.