Piezoelectric field effect on the optical properties of In0.21Ga0.79As/GaAs (113) MQW

Abstract

Photoluminescence study PL has been performed for the In0.21Ga0.79As multiple quantum wells MQW grown by molecular beam epitaxy MBE on (001) and (113) A GaAs substrates. The electronic structure was obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation, including piezoelectric field and strain effect on the conduction and valence bands of the unequal QWs. We critically review the explanation of S-shape in temperature dependence of PL peak energy for polar Middle In0.21Ga0.79As QW at intermediate temperatures. This abnormal behavior is merely linked to the impact of carrier localization and polarization-induced electric fields in optical properties. A significant blue shift of 18 meV for polar and a negligible shift for non-polar In0.21Ga0.79As/GaAs Middle QW has been observed. In order to follow the evolution of the PL peak energies for each QW in both samples versus temperature, three theoretical models (Varshni, Vïna and Pässler) have been reported. A comparison between theoretical and experimental data demonstrates that the Pässler model is the most accurate fit despite none of the classical models can replicate the excitonic PL energy evolution at cryogenic temperature for Middle QW in the structure grown on (113).