POLAR OPTICAL OSCILLATIONS IN COUPLED QUANTUM-WELLS - THE ELECTRON-PHONON INTERACTION AND SCATTERING

Within the framework of the dielectric continuum model, optical phonon modes and their interaction and scattering with electrons in general coupled quantum wells (GCQWs) are studied. The dispersion relation of interface phonons and the electron-interface-phonon coupling strengths as functions of coordinate z and wave-number k are derived and illust rated. We find that the forbidden-frequency behavior of asymmetric het erostructures exists in GCQWs, which may cause an obvious polarization and interaction with electrons. The scattering rates as functions of quantum well parameters are calculated and numerical examples are give n graphically. It is shown that the behaviors of intersubband scatteri ng rates are much more complicated than those of intrasubband scatteri ng ones. The results are useful for subsequent theoretical modeling of optical or transport experiments. (C) 1996 American Institute of Phys ics.