Electric field effect on the diffusion modified AlGaAs/GaAs single quantum well

Abstract

The electron subband energies and wave functions in an interdiffusion-induced Al xGa 1-xAs/GaAs/Al xGa 1-xAs single quantum well are calculated in the presence of the dc electric field using the finite difference method. The mean lifetimes are obtained from the time-dependent probability of tunneling of the wave packet out of the well by the applied electric field. The effect of the applied electric field on the subband energies in the well is the same as in the as-grown square quantum well when the interdiffusion length is below 20 Å. In the well with higher diffusion length the barrier height reduces so that the wave function tunnels out of the well. The linear and nonlinear intersubband absorption coefficients and the change in the real part of the index of refraction are calculated with the applied electric field at 100 kV/cm and without the field in both the as-grown square well and the diffusion modified well with the interdiffusion length at 20 Å. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.