Study of band structure in PbSe/PbSrSe quantum wells for midinfrared laserapplications

The electronic states in PbSe/Pb0.934Sr0.066Se multiple-quantum-well struct ures (MQWs) grown by molecular-beam epitaxy have been investigated both the oretically and experimentally for the midinfrared laser applications. With the aid of combined temperature-dependent photoluminescence and absorption measurements on a Pb0.934Sr0.066Se thin film for the effective masses and t emperature-dependent band gaps, we find that the PbSe/PbSrSe MQWs have type -I band alignment and the conduction band offset ratio is Q(c)=0.82 +/-0.03 . The calculation, taking into account the strain, carrier confinements, an d the multivalley band structure, can well explain both the observed lumine scence peak energies and the temperature coefficient of the luminescence pe aks as a function of well thickness. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics .