Bandgap engineering of semiconductor heterostructures by molecular beam epitaxy: physics and applications

Abstract Bandgap engineering is a powerful technique for the design of new semiconductor materials and devices. Heterojunctions and molecular beam epitaxy allow band diagrams with nearly arbitrary and continuous bandgap variations to be made. In this way the transport and optical properties of these artificially structured semiconductors can be tailored at will. Interesting new phenomena have been discovered in these materials and a new generation of devices with unique capabilities is emerging from this approach. Finally, the tunability of band discontinuities via doping interface dipoles is discussed.

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