Electroluminescence from strain-compensated Si0.2Ge0.8/Si quantum-cascade structures based on a bound-to-continuum transition

Intersubband electroluminescence from strain-compensated Si/Si0.2Ge0.8 quantum cascade (QC) structures, consisting of up to 30 periods grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si0.5Ge0.5 pseudosubstrates is reported. The design of the active region is based on a so-called “bound-to-continuum transition.” The intersubband radiation is emitted at a wavelength of 7 μm and is polarized, as expected for intersubband transitions between heavy hole states. A good agreement with photocurrent measurements is also found.