Optical and structural properties of Pb1−xEuxTe/CdTe//GaAs (001) heterostructures grown by MBE

MBE growth conditions, SEM and XRD structural characterization and experimental studies of optical properties are presented for Pb1−xEuxTe/CdTe semiconductor heterostructures grown on GaAs (001) substrate with a thick CdTe buffer layer. Photoluminescence excited by pulsed YAG:Nd laser was studied in the mid-infrared spectral region for 12.5nm-thick Pb1−xEuxTe quantum wells (x=0–0.038) with 75nm-thick CdTe barriers. Increasing the Eu content up to about 4at% permitted large infrared photoluminescence tuning from 0.34 to 0.465eV due to the increase in Pb1−xEuxTe bandgap.