High-density In0.14Ga0.86As/(GaAs)5(AlAs)5 quantum wires naturally formed on (775)B-oriented GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

In0.14Ga0.86As/(GaAs)(5)(AlAs)(5) Quantum Wires (QWRs) were naturally formed in a thin In0.14Ga0.86As/(GaAs)(5)(AlAs)(5) Quantum Well (QW) with a regularly corrugated AlAs/In0.14Ga0.86As upper interface (a period of about 40 nm) and a flat In0.14Ga0.86As/AlAs lower interface grown on (775)B-oriented GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The QWRs were formed side by side with a high density of 2.5 x 10(5) QWRs cm(-1). A photoluminescence from the QWRs formed in the QW with an average well width of 2.2 nm, which have a cross section of about 40 x 4 nm(2), showed a strong polarization dependence [the polarization degree P = (I-parallel to - I-perpendicular to)/(I-parallel to + I-perpendicular to) = 0.19], indicating good one-dimensionality of those QWRs. Full width at half maximum of the PL peak from the In0.14Ga0.86As/(GaAs)(5)(AlAs)5 QWRs was as small as 17 meV at 14 K, which is smaller than any of other naturally synthesized QWRs reported so far. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.