Piezoelectric and deformation potential effects of straindependent luminescence in semiconductor quantum well structures

The mechanism of strain-dependent luminescence is important for the rational design of pressure-sensing devices. The interband momentum-matrix element is the key quantity for understanding luminescent phenomena. We analytically solved an infinite quantum well （IQW） model with strain, in the framework of the 6 × 6 k.p Hamiltonian for the valence states, to directly assess the interplay between the spin-orbit coupling and the strain-induced deformation potential for the interband momentum-matrix element. We numerically addressed problems of both the infinite and IQWs with piezoelectric fields to elucidate the effects of the piezoelectric potential and the deformation potential on the straindependent luminescence. The experimentally measured photoluminescence variation as a function of pressure can be qualitatively explained by the theoretical results.