Quantum-confined Stark effect and phase-space exciton quenching in quantum wires

Summary form only given. When an electric field is applied perpendicular to a quantum well (QW) a significant redshift of the exciton absorption edge can be observed, which is referred to as the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE). If the electric field is used to also inject carriers into the QW a significant bleaching of the absorption edge can be achieved which is referred to as phase-space exciton quenching (PEQ). Due to the strong enhancement of the exciton oscillator strength in one dimensional (1D) structures both QCSE and PEQ are expected to be much larger than in QWs, and thus have the potential for making very efficient electro-optic and nonlinear optical modulators and switches. Here we report on an investigation of QCSE and PEQ in V-groove QWRs. The grown structures, consisting of an intrinsic region containing the crescent shaped QWR, and undoped AlGaAs barrier layers, were processed into p or n-type Schottky diodes.