TE- and TM-polarized optoelectronic properties of HgCdTe quantum wells

A systematic investigation of the strength of TE-polarized and TM-polarized intersubband and interband transitions in narrow-gap HgCdTe quantum wells is performed using an eight-band finite-element k·p formalism. Effects of varying the well composition, well width, and applied electric field are explored for both polarizations, and the possibility of fabricating low-threshold quantum cascade lasers using this system is pointed out. Especially promising are the prospects for optically-pumped terahertz lasers based on interband transitions. Lasers emitting in the 30–45 µm wavelength range (falling in the phonon bands of III–V quantum wells), are projected to operate above liquid-nitrogen temperature.

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