WAVE-GUIDING IN (QUANTUM) WIRE STRUCTURES - IMPACT ON THE POLARIZATION CHARACTERISTICS AND THE SLOPE OF THE OPTICAL GAIN

This work discusses the role of quantum wires as electromagnetic waveg uides. The optical gain of buried InGaAs/In(GaAs)P wire structures is investigated as a function of the wire width. We find that the relativ e contribution of the light and heavy hole transition as well as the o ptical polarization of the gain are strongly dependent on the wire wid th. This corresponds to the behavior expected as a result of quantum c onfinement. Based on calculations of the waveguiding behavior of the w ires, however, we attribute these effects to changes of the waveguide properties rather than to quantum confinement effects of the carriers. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.