WANNIER STATES AND OPTICAL-TRANSITIONS IN A DIATOMIC SEMICONDUCTOR SUPERLATTICE

We study the effect of several structural parameters on the band struc ture and Wannier functions of a superlattice with a complex period. Ou r calculations include nonparabolic-band corrections and different eff ective masses. As an interesting and physical example, we study the ev olution of a ''molecular lattice'' - with two wells per period - with respect to the connectivity between different wells. We find strong de pendence of important physical quantities, such as bandwidths, wave fu nctions, and interband oscillator strength. We discuss how these effec ts should be observable in transport and photoluminescence experiments . (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.