VARIATIONS OF THE HOLE EFFECTIVE MASSES INDUCED BY TENSILE STRAIN IN IN1-XGAXAS(P) INGAASP HETEROSTRUCTURES/

Magneto-optical experiments have been used to study a range of InGaAsP -based mutliple-quantum-well (MQW) structures containing biaxial strai ns, ranging from 1.6% tensile to 1.0% compressive. The observed excito nic transitions, involving both heavy and light holes, are studied in fields up to 15 T. Estimates of the hole effective masses are made, pr oviding details of the valence-band nonparabolicities, and electronlik e behavior is demonstrated for both heavy and light holes with differe nt amounts of tensile strain. This is related to band crossings within the valence band and enables an estimate of 0.68+/-0.10 to be made of the heterojunction band offset in a strained In1-xGaxAs/InGaAsP MQW, with approximately 1.25% tensile strain in the well region. The experi mental data are compared to the results of k.p Hamiltonian calculation s of the in-plane valence-band dispersion.