${\mathit{E}}_1$ transition in (113)-oriented GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum wells: Confinement effects and optical anisotropy

A study about the ${\mathit{E}}_1$-like transition in (113)-oriented GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum wells is presented. The electroreflectance, which was performed using light polarized along the [332¯] and [1¯10] in-plane perpendicular directions, was the utilized experimental technique. We have found that the considered transition shifts towards higher energies as the well thickness decreases and takes place at different values of energy depending on the light polarization, being less energetic in the [332¯] electroreflectance spectra than in the [1¯10] electroreflectance spectra. The observed energy shift can be explained in terms of quantum confinement effects while the observed in-plane optical anisotropy is due to the splitting of the GaAs ${\mathit{E}}_1$ transition induced by the confined potential characteristic of the considered nanostructures. © 1996 The American Physical Society.