Comparative analysis of the optical quality of single In0.1Ga0.9As/Al0.33Ga0.67As quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (100) and (311) GaAs substrates

Abstract

We investigate the room‐temperature photoluminescence of single In0.1Ga0.9As/Al0.33Ga0.67As quantum wellsgrown simultaneously on (100), (311)A, and (311)B GaAs substrates. The measurements, taken under both steady state and transient conditions, evidence that nonradiative (Shockley‐Read‐Hall) recombination dominates the emission of both the [100] and [311]B oriented samples at low injection levels, and is still important up to injection levels approaching those in lasers. The emission of the [311]A oriented sample is, in contrast, dominated by radiative recombination already at modest injection levels. The origin of this remarkable feature of the [311]A oriented sample is traced back to the reduced incorporation of deep recombination centers at the (311)A In0.1Ga0.9As/Al0.33Ga0.67As interface.