Carrier lifetimes and localisation in coupled GaAs-GaAlAs quantum wells in high electric fields

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An exact numerical calculation for a one-dimensional effective-mass model of a double GaAs-GaAlAs quantum well structure subjected to a strong electric field is presented. Both the Stark shifts and the field-induced tunnelling rates associated with the confined resonances are obtained. In particular, in fields in the range (2-5)*105 V cm-1 the apparent hole ground state ceases to be the longest-lived level. This stabilisation of a higher-energy state can be interpreted in terms of field-induced charge localisation. The process of broadening of the bound states into resonances depends strongly on coupling to the continuum, and confined field-induced anti-resonances appear above the top of the barrier.