Optical properties of a high-quality (311)-oriented GaAs/Al0.33Ga0.67As single quantum well

We analyze the photoluminescence and photoluminescence-excitation spectra of a 10-nm-thick (311)-oriented GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{0.33}$ ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.67}$As single quantum well of state-of-the-art optical quality. The ground-state (1S) heavy-hole exciton transition is coincident in emission and absorption and has a linewidth of 0.86 meV. We observe the first excited state (2S) of the heavy-hole as well as of the light-hole exciton, allowing accurate determination of their binding energies. Having determined, in addition, both the quantum-well width and the barrier composition by independent means, we can thus deduce from the experimental transition energies the heavy-hole and light-hole masses along the [311] direction. The measured values of 0.460 and 0.092 for the heavy-hole and light-hole masses, respectively, are consistent with results derived from refined sets of Luttinger parameters proposed recently.