Low power optical nonlinearities in GaAs/AlAs quantum wells produced by spatially separated electron-hole plasmas

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Abstract

This paper describes the results of nonlinear optical studies on a series of mixed type-I–type-II GaAs/AlAs quantum well structures. These double quantum well structures are designed such that the lowest confined electron state of the narrow well (thickness < 35 Å) lies above the X minima of the AlAs and the wide well (thickness > 35 Å) lies below the X minima. Thus electron-hole pairs created in the narrow well become spatially separated as the electrons can thermalise rapidly into the wide well but the holes can only tunnel slowly into the wide well. The large spatial separation thus produced enables us to observe optical nonlinearities at ultra-low pump power densities (∼ 1 mW/cm2). The parameters controlling the carrier lifetime, and hence the critical pump power densities, will be discussed.

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