Zener Breakdown in the Optical Absorption of Semiconductor Superlattices

Abstract

Electrical breakdown in the optical absorption of strongly coupled superlattices takes place at high, but realistic electric fields. The Zener breakdown is characterized by a strong inhomogeneous line broadening and, eventually, the disappearance of sharp transitions. We show that the Zener breakdown is unambiguously related to the continuous nature of the spectrum and the infinite extension of the wave functions.