Light–heavy-hole mixing in quantum well structures

Light–heavy-hole mixing is analyzed using a scattering formalism. An effective potential is found which describes mixing, scattering, and bound states in an effective mass envelope wave-function approximation. Two simple quantum well structures, a single barrier and a single well, are examined. A connection between mixing and strain in thin epitaxial layers is described. The hole tunneling work of E. E. Mendez, W. I. Wang, B. Ricco, and L. Esaki [Appl. Phys. Lett. 47, 415 (1985)] is discussed.