A quasi-bound state approximation is used to obtain the electric field depe
ndence of the eigenvalues, eigenfunctions, electron-hole overlap integrals
and excitonic binding energies for coupled, graded double quantum wells (GD
QWs). In GDQWs the intra- and interband transitions have a much stronger el
ectric held dependence than those in the square quantum well structures. Al
so, unlike the single or double square wells the operation wavelength of GD
QW devices can be tuned by changing not only the magnitude but also the pol
arity of the applied voltage. Thus GDQWs have potential for applications in
optoelectronic devices such as tunable electro-absorption modulators and i
nfrared photodetectors.