Photoluminescence and Photoluminescence Excitation Study of Electron-Hole Tunnelling in In sub (0.53) Ga sub (0.47) As/InP Coupled-Single Quantum Wells

Electron and hole tunneling is observed by photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopies in In sub (0.53) Ga sub (0.47) As/InP samples incorporating two quantum wells of different widths separated by 20-100angstroms wide barriers. For 20angstroms wide barriers the two associated emission lines due to confined excitation recombination thermalize with activation energies demonstrating directly combined electron and hole tunneling through the barriers. From such data and measured luminescence decay times lower bounds for the tunneling rates are inferred.