Heterostructures with diffused interfaces: Luminescent technique for ascertainment of band alignment type

The experimental ascertainment of band alignment type for semiconductor heterostructures with diffused interfaces is discussed. A method based on the analysis of the spectral shift of photoluminescence (PL) band with excitation density (P-ex) that takes into account state filling and band bending effects on the PL band shift is developed. It is shown that the shift of PL band maximum position is proportional to h omega(max) similar to (U-e + U-h).ln(P-ex) + b.P-ex (1/3), where U-e (U-h) are electron (hole) Urbach energy tail, and parameter b characterizes the effect of band bending or is equal to zero for heterostructures with type-II or type-I band alignment, respectively. The method was approved with InAs/AlAs, GaAs/AlAs, GaSb/AlAs, and AlSb/AlAs heterostructures containing quantum wells. Published by AIP Publishing.