Optical properties in fractional-layer-superlattice quantum wires calculated by multi-band effective mass theory

Abstract

We present the results of theoretical studies numerically analyzing the optical absorption and gain properties in AlGaAs fractional-layer-superlattice (FLS) quantum wires. With our calculation method we can treat any asymmetrical FLS wire with arbitrary dimensionality from 2D to 1D and to calculate not only absorption spectra but also gain properties. Our theory accurately reproduces the optical absorption anisotropy, experimentally evaluated for an AlGaAs FLS quantum wire. It is numerically shown how optical features evolve as the quantum confinement changes from 2D to 1D by varying the FLS lateral modulation. The small modulation of Al content in the AlGaAs FLS layer is found to change the optical properties markedly and improve the gain characteristics largely.