Long-wavelength infrared spectroscopy of an asymmetrically structured Ga0.6Al0.4As/GaAs superlattice

Shmuel I. Borenstain, Ilan Gravé, Anders Larsson, Daniel H. Rich, Bjorn Jonsson, Ingmar Andersson, Johan Westin, Thorwald Andersson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

A long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectroscopic study of a doped multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structure, where each quantum well is clad by asymmetrically structured superlattices, is reported. The measured absorption and photocurrent spectra differ markedly from those of a MQW LWIR detector with conventional flat barriers. Different electron subband states are introduced, and the transition e1-e3, which in a flat-barrier MQW is normally forbidden, becomes the dominant transition; thus bringing about an extremely broad photoresponse band (/0.6), centered at 5 m. This system also exhibits direct evidence of photon-assisted resonant tunneling. It is manifested by a distinct peak and negative differential photoconductance in the photocurrent-vs-bias- voltage characteristics when the structure is exposed to a CO2 9.5-m laser line. All these effects are explained by the dependence of the electronic eigenstate spectrum on the electric field, calculated by solving the Schrödinger equation using the transfer-matrix method.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9320-9323
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume43
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1991
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics

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