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Atomically Abrupt and Smooth Heterointerfaces: An Optical Investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

Colin A. Warwick ,
William Y. Jan ,
Abbas Ourmazd ,
Timothy D. Harris  and
JÜdrgen Christen
Colin A. Warwick
Affiliation:
AT&T Bell Labs, Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
William Y. Jan
Affiliation:
AT&T Bell Labs, Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Abbas Ourmazd
Affiliation:
AT&T Bell Labs, Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Timothy D. Harris
Affiliation:
AT&T Bell Laboratories, 600 Mountain Avenue, Murray Hill, NJ, 07974
JÜdrgen Christen
Affiliation:
Technische Universität Berlin, FRG
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Abstract

Luminescence spectra from quantum wells are routinely interpreted in terms of atomically smooth and atomically abrupt interfaces. Here we show that this interpretation is inconsistent with photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation, and quantitative microscopic (chemical lattice imaging) results. We argue that the discussion of interfacial roughness in terms of “an island size” is too naive. A full characterization of an interface requires the description of a “roughness spectrum”, specifying the amplitude of the interfacial corrugation vs corrugation wavelength over the relevant length scale.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 198: Symposium V – Epitaxial Heterostructures , 1990 , 129
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1990

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References

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