Carrier lifetimes in strained InGaAs/(Al)GaAs multiple quantum wells

The effect of strain, strain relief, and barrier design on the carrier lifetime in InGaAs/(Al)GaAs multiple-quantum-well samples is investigated. Carriers lifetimes are measured in samples with varying amount of strain, due to increasing indium concentration in the wells, as well as in samples subject to strain relief, with thick barriers and GaAs barriers. Lifetimes of the order of 0.5 ns are measured. The lifetime is sensitive to the presence of indium in the wells but remarkably insensitive to the indium concentration, the strain in the samples, and the barrier composition.