Hydrostatic-pressure studies of confined transitions in cubic ${\mathrm{Zn}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Cd}}_{\mathit{x}}$Se/ZnSe strained-layer quantum wells

Photoluminescence spectra of cubic ${\mathrm{Zn}}_{0.82}$${\mathrm{Cd}}_{0.18}$Se quantum wells of widths 30, 60, and 200 Å are studied as a function of hydrostatic pressure (0–60 kbar) at 80 K. The pressure coefficients of heavy-hole excitons are found to decrease with increasing well width. The photoluminescence energies of the ZnSe barrier and cap layers are also observed to shift as a function of hydrostatic pressure, providing a measure of the pressure coefficient of the direct gap in this material.