Electronic structure of GaAs with an InAs (001) monolayer

The effect on the electronic structure of an InAs monomolecular plane inserted in bulk GaAs is investigated theoretically. The (InAs${)}_1$(GaAs${)}_{\mathit{n}}$ (001) strained superlattice is studied via ab initio self-consistent pseudopotential calculations. Both electrons and holes are localized nearby the inserted InAs monolayer, which therefore acts as a quantum well for all the charge carriers. The small thickness of the inserted InAs slab is responsible for high confinement energies of the charge carriers, and therefore the interband electron–heavy-hole transition energy is close to the energy gap of the bulk GaAs, in agreement with recent experimental data.