Modulation of the electronic properties of GaAs quantum wells induced by surface acoustic waves

We investigated the modulation of the optical properties of GaAs-based structures by a surface acoustic wave (SAW) by microscopic measurements of reflectance and photoluminescence. We demonstrate that for photon energies away from electronic resonances, the modulation of the optical properties is associated with the strain field of the SAW (elastooptical mechanism). Close to the E0 resonance, the electrooptical modulation due to the SAW piezoelectric fields becomes important and leads to a spatial modulation of the photoluminescence intensity.