Transition to one-dimensional behavior in the optical absorption of quantum-well wires

S. Glutsch and D. S. Chemla
Phys. Rev. B 53, 15902 – Published 15 June 1996
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Abstract

We calculate the optical absorption of quantum-well wires for a large variety of wire widths, taking into account Coulomb interaction, unequal electron and hole effective masses, and continuum states. A transition from a two-dimensional semiconductor to a one-dimensional semiconductor is observed as the wire width is reduced. Absorption lines that are forbidden in the free-particle case appear as a result of Coulomb coupling. By comparison of different effective-mass ratios, we rigorously show that the dominant lines are related to the center-of-mass motion of excitons. The influence of a finite length and a finite thickness is studied. The one-subband approximation is found to correctly describe the extreme one-dimensional limit. A comparison with realistic dimensions, however, demonstrates the shortcoming of that approximation for quantitative predictions. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

  • Received 20 December 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.53.15902

©1996 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Glutsch and D. S. Chemla

  • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
  • Material Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720

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Vol. 53, Iss. 23 — 15 June 1996

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