Abstract
The relaxation of an optically generated electron-hole plasma is reviewed for the case of multi-valley scenarios in semiconductors. A suitable model substance is bulk AlxGa1−xAs in the vicinity of the crossover from a direct to an indirect-gap material. The electrons distribute among the inequivalent valleys at the Γ, X and L points of the reciprocal space as a result of efficient intervalley coupling induced by deformation as well as alloy-disorder potentials. Exchange and correlation effects in the plasma lead to a differential narrowing of the direct and indirect gaps according to their individual population. These gap shifts are well described by a selfconsistent multi-valley model for the renormalization effects. A disorder-assisted nucleation of electron-hole droplets is found to occur on a picosecond timescale in indirect-gap AlxGa1−xAs. A comparison is drawn to the case of type-II superlattices with special emphasis on the condensation of quantum-confined electron-hole drops. Finally, the unusual process of stimulated emission related to the indirect gap in AlxGa1−xAs is highlighted. This indirect stimulated emission occurs in the visible spectral range at room temperature and is thus most interesting for laser applications.
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© 1992 Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
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Kalt, H. (1992). Carrier relaxation in semiconductors with multiple inequivalent valleys. In: Festkörperprobleme 32. Advances in Solid State Physics, vol 32. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0108626
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0108626
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