Linear polarization of radiation from ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum wells induced by the anisotropic profile of interfaces

The low-temperature spectra of the exciton luminescence of the ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum well grown in the [100] direction have been analyzed. It has been found that the observed radiation is linearly polarized in the well plane along either the [011] axis or the orthogonal [0(1) over bar 1] axis depending on the energy of exciting light. Polarization along the [011] axis is associated with the anisotropy of the geometric profiles of interfaces and corresponds to the polarization of excitons localized in the terraces elongated along the [011] axis, which are regions corresponding to an increase in the well thickness by a depth of one or several monolayers. The terraces appear due to the existence of growth steps on the interfaces. Anisotropy in the distribution of growth steps, i.e., a longer length of the steps along the [011] axis, is also responsible for the appearance of polarization along the [0(1) over bar 1] axis. Such a polarization appears due to the found specific channel of anisotropic exciton absorption. As a result of such absorption, free excitons with large wave vectors are excited. The excitation of excitons by light is indirect, because it involves additional processes of the elastic scattering of excitons on the interface growth steps. Prevailing scattering on an ensemble of longer growth steps (along the [011] axis) leads to the alignment of the wave vectors of excited excitons. A difference between the absorption probabilities for the polarizations of excitation along the [011] and [0(1) over bar 1] axes is caused by a difference between the probabilities of scattering on steps for excitons whose dipole moments and, correspondingly, the axes of the P-type wave functions for the holes involved in the process are oriented along and across the direction of the alignment of wave vectors of excitons.