Photoluminescence study of InxAl1−xAs-GaAs strained-layer superlattices

Abstract

We present the strain‐induced effects of the In x Al1−x As‐GaAs strained‐layer superlatticesgrown by molecular beam epitaxy. The evaluation of the effects of biaxial strain in the planes perpendicular to the [001] superlattice direction was made by conventional photoluminescencemeasurements. The observed optical transition energies were evaluated by a Kronig‐Penny model involving strain‐induced band structure. Comparison between the observed transition energies and the calculated energies suggests that the optical transition of strained‐layer superlattices is explained by the band‐gap shift and the valence‐band splitting, which are induced by the biaxial strain.