Strain and crystallographic orientation effects on the valence subbands of wurtzite quantum wells

Francisco Mireles and Sergio E. Ulloa
Phys. Rev. B 62, 2562 – Published 15 July 2000
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Abstract

We present a derivation of the 6×6 valence band Hamiltonian valid for general [h0il] oriented III-V wurtzite strained substrates. The derivation is performed within the exact envelope function theory approach in which the operators are written in an ordered form when the Hamiltonian is applied to wurtzite superlattices. The choice of suitable basis functions for the (h0il) growth direction, written in terms of those for the typical (0001) case, allows us to define the heavy-, light-, and split-off-hole states in a transparent way and without ambiguities. The Hamiltonian for the (101¯0) oriented crystals is provided explicitly. The main differences between the bulk and superlattice (-ordered) Hamiltonians are contrasted. As an application, numerical calculations of the subband dispersion of GaN/InxAl1xN quantum wells for various directions are presented and discussed. We show that inclusion of strain effects and the properly -ordered Hamiltonian are essential in an accurate description of the valence subbands of quantum wells in these systems.

  • Received 28 July 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.62.2562

©2000 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Francisco Mireles* and Sergio E. Ulloa

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy and Condensed Matter and Surface Sciences Program, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701-2979

  • *Present address: Dept. of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C., V5A 1S6, Canada. Electronic address: fmireles@sfu.ca

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Vol. 62, Iss. 4 — 15 July 2000

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