Luminescence of ZnCdSe/ZnSe ridge quantum wires

Blue light-emitting quantum wire structures fabricated by molecular-beam ep itaxial growth on submicrometer prepatterned GaAs substrates were investiga ted by spatially and time resolved luminescence experiments. The quantum wi res are formed due to the different growth rates of ZnCdSe on the (111) and (100) surfaces of the grated substrate. With decreasing wire width, the ex citon luminescence splits into two clearly distinguished lines. These lines can be assigned to the emission of the ridge quantum wire and the emission of ZnCdSe quantum wells at the bottom of the grooves. The two-dimensional quantum confinement in the ridge wire is confirmed by a maximum of the deca y time at the energy of the ridge luminescence. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02933-2].