Band structure calculations for dilute nitride quantum wells under compressive or tensile strain

We have calculated the band structure of InGaAsN/GaAs(N)/GaAs compressively strained quantum wells (QW) emitting at 1.3 mum using the band anticrossing model and an eight-band k (.) p Hamiltonian. The calculated interband optical transition energies have been compared to the experimental ones deduced from photocurrent, photoluminescence and excitation of photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments and measured laser characteristics extracted from the recent literature. Because of the high compressive strain in the QW, strain-compensated structures may be required in order to grow stable multiple QWs; in view of this we have studied the band structure of InGaAsN/GaAsP/GaAs QWs emitting at 1.3 mum. Dilute nitride structures also offer the possibility of growing tensile strained QW lasers on InP substrate emitting in the 1.55 mum emission wavelength range. In order to evaluate the potentialities of such structures we have determined the band characteristics of InGaAsN/InGaAsP/InP heterostructures with a TM polarized fundamental transition.