Intersubband absorption of cubic GaN/Al(Ga)N quantum wells in the near-infrared to terahertz spectral range

The intersubband absorption of cubic GaN/Al(Ga)N quantum wells is studied experimentally and theoretically over a wide spectral range. By changing the quantum well thickness it is possible to tune the intersubband absorption peak wavelength from 1.4 {μ}m (214 THz) to 63 {μ}m (4.76 THz). Comparing the experimental results with simulations based on the effective-mass model we demonstrate that the GaN/AlN conduction-band offset is higher than 1.2 eV. The best fit with the experimental data is achieved for a conduction-band offset of 1.4 eV and for a GaN effective mass of 0.11m₀.