Excitons in CdTe/ZnTe heterostructure with atomically thin CdTe layers

Abstract

Heterostructures with atomically thin double quantum wells based on CdTe/ZnTe are investigated by optical spectroscopy (photoluminescence and reflectivity methods) as a function of temperature and density of excitation. Heavy and light exciton luminescence lines are observed with comparable intensities and different temperature behaviors (they cross each other at about 65° K). All these features agree with a complete calculation that takes into account both a very small chemical band offset for such monolayer CdTe inclusions in the ZnTe matrix (namely, 2%), and, consequently, the importance of Coulombic interaction in these double quantum wells.