wave mechanics applied to semiconductor heterostructures GERALD BASTARD les éditions @2... Avenue du Hoggar, Zone Industrielle de Courtabeeuf, B.P. 112, 91944 Les Ulis Cedex, FrancePreface Following the pioneering work of Esaki and Tsu in 1970, the study of two dimensional semiconductor heterostructures, namely modulation-doped hetero- junctions, quantum wells and superlattices, has developed rapidly, both from the point of view of basic physics and of applications. For example, modulation-doped heterojunctions are nowadays currently used to investigate the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects as well as to make very fast transistors. This book, which began as a set of lecture notes for a graduate course given at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, is specifically concerned with the basic electronic and optical properties of two dimensional semiconductor heterostructures based on III-V and (to a lesser extent) I-VI compounds, but applications are not considered. It is intended as an introductory textbook for undergraduate and graduate students and engineers working in this field. It is essentially an attempt of exploring various consequences of one-dimensional size-quantization, a genuine quantum-mechanical effect, on the most basic physical properties of heterolayers. Because one of their degrees of freedom is frozen by this size-quantization, the carriers in heterolayers effectively behave as if their motion were bi-dimensional, a feature which alters a number of physical properties. The book starts with a chapter recalling a few basic quantum mechanical properties of idealized quantum wells and superlattices (those found in quantum mechanics textbook). Chapter II is a summary of the k.p analysis of the electronic dispersion relations in direct gap bulk III-V and II-VI compounds. In chapter III we show how it is possible, in a simplified approach, to intertwine the results of chapters I and II to obtain the electronic dispersion relations in flat band super- lattices. In chapter IV we discuss the occurence of bound states when the hetero- structure is imperfect (hydrogenic impurities or interface defects) or when it is shone with near bandgap light (excitons). Then we switch to charge transfer mechanism and discuss in chapter V the carrier bound states in the quasi-triangular well formed nearby the interface of a modulation-doped heterostructure. Chapter VI is devoted to the in-plane ohmic electrical properties of these modulation-doped heterostructures, focussing the attention on elastic scattering processes. Chapter VII deals with some of the basic optical properties (absorption, photoluminescence) of quantum wells and superlattices. Then, in chapter VIII, we discuss the alterations of heterostructure energy levels by static electric or magnetic fields. 1 have attempted to make each chapter reasonably self contained, which has led to the occurence of a few Tepetitions. Several difficulties are encountered in the writing of a book on such a rapidly evolving subject. One problem is the large number of papers which are continuously published, providing additional results and leading sometimes to the modification of current ideas. I can only hope that the principles presented in this book will beIv Wave mechanics applied to semiconductor heterostructures helpful and fruitful to understand new results and to generate new ideas. Another difficulty is the large number and the variety of papers already published on semi- conductor heterostructures. Instead of trying to include all these papers, a representative bibliography is given at the end of each chapter, and I apologize in advance to all my colleagues whose impostant contribution has not been quoted. I wish to thank those who granted me permission to reproduce their figures. Finally, the author would like to acknowledge all the physicists with whom he had the privilege to work : Drs. J. A. Brum, C, Delafande, Y. Guldner, M. H. Meynadier,. J. Orgonasi, J. P. Vieren, P. Voisin and U. O. Ziemelis at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris) and Drs. C. A. Chang, L. L. Chang, L. Esaki, E. B. Mendez and F. Stern at IBM (Yorktown Heights, U.S.A.). Above all, Michel Voos deserves hearty thanks for having taken the time and displayed enough patience to discuss the physics and to carefully check the manuscript.