Heavy-hole effective mass and valence-band offset estimated by confined states in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As multi-quantum well structures

Abstract

Interband optical transitions of In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As multi-quantum well structures were observed at room temperature in photocurrent spectra under applied bias voltages. Photocurrent spectra had steplike structures and excitonic resonance peaks corresponding to confined states in quantum wells. A heavy-hole effective mass and a valence-band offset were estimated to be 0.39 m/sub 0/ and 0.22 eV by departure from the square-law dependence of confinement energies on heavy-hole quantum numbers.