Linear polarization effects in anisotropic photoemission from GaAs/AlAs short-period superlattices

Abstract
By investigating the linear polarization dependence of intrinsic emissions from undoped GaAs/AlAs short-period superlattices at room temperature, it is shown that a dominating peak observed in the normal emission spectra is due to the free-carrier recombination associated with the lowest electron to mixed-hole subbands with an unexpectedly large light-hole character instead of with the lowest electron to pure heavy-hole subbands expected in an ideal superlattice. Origins of the extensive valence-band mixing in the synthesized superlattices are discussed in relation to microscopic fluctuations in the layer thicknesses observed in the transmission electron microscope lattice image.