Interface states and subbands in HgTe-CdTe heterostructures.

Abstract

If one component of a semiconductor heterojunction has an inverted band gap relative to the other component, e.g. as in HgTe-CdTe, an interface state may exist depending on the valence-band offset. In a quantum well, the mixing of these interface states with the topmost heavy-hole subbands at finite in-plane wave vector changes drastically the in-plane dispersion of the heavy-hole subbands and, hence, the fundamental band gap.