Franz–Keldysh oscillations at the above-barrier miniband in a GaAs/AlxGa1 − xAs superlattice

Abstract

We report on the observation of the Franz–Keldysh oscillations associated with the second-electron and heavy-hole minibands, in which the second-electron miniband lies above the barrier potential, in a GaAs(7.0 nm)/Al0.1Ga0.9As (3.5 nm) superlattice by using electroreflectance spectroscopy. The reduced mass estimated from the Franz–Keldysh oscillations is consistent with that estimated from the miniband–dispersion relation based on the effective mass approximation around a zero-electric field, and becomes heavier with an increase in the electric field. The electric-field dependence of the reduced mass correlates with the localization of the electron envelope function. We discuss these results from an envelope-function forms calculated by a transfer-matrix method.