The Spatial Coherence of Electron Wavefunctions and the Transition from Miniband to Stark-Ladder Electric Field Regimes in InGaAs/InAlAs-on-InP Superlattices

Abstract

Five In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As-on-InP superlattices of various well-to-barrier ratios and miniband widths have been studied by low-temperature photoluminescence, photocurrent, and differential photocurrent spectroscopies. These techniques provide a means of measuring the spatial coherence length of electron wavefunctions in the superlattices. We find that the onset of Wannier-Stark localization occurs when the well-to-well potential drop within the superlattice is between 1.1 and 1.43 times the low-temperature photoluminescence line width for all samples studied. Furthermore, the photoluminescence line width is accurately describable in terms of a simple model for alloy broadening. These findings confirm an intuitive picture for the transition between the miniband and Wannier-Stark electric field regimes in In0.53Ga0.48As/In0.52Al0.48As-on-InP superlattices.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA337751

Entities

People

  • John L. Bradshaw
  • Richard P. Leavitt

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Band Structures
  • Crystal Lattices
  • Electric Fields
  • Electronic States
  • Electrons
  • Energy Bands
  • Low Temperature
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Photoluminescence
  • Quantum Wells
  • Radiation
  • Semiconductors
  • Spectra
  • Spectroscopy
  • Transitions
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Marine Propulsion Engineering and Naval Architecture
  • Semiconductor Device Technology
  • Theoretical Analysis.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene