Abstract
Ultrafast optical spectroscopy of semiconductors has become a powerful means for investigation (1) carrier relaxation, and (2) carrier transport processes in semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures. The physics of carrier relaxation in semiconductors can be divided into four temporally overlapping regimes: (a) coherent, (b) non-thermal, (c) hot-excitation, and (d) isothermal-excitation. Historically, optical investigation of carrier relaxation in semiconductors started with regime (d), and with advances in ultrafast lasers, has progressed to regime (a). Most of the recent excitement has centered on this coherent regime, with exciting results of AC Stark Effect, spectral oscillations, quantum beats, coherent oscillations of an electronic Wavepacket, Bloch oscillations, terahertz spectroscopy, exciton localization, many- body interaction effects and femtosecond time-resolved nonlinear experiments. In the field of carrier transport, considerable information has been obtained about tunneling, carrier capture in quantum wells, and transport of carriers in superlattices using ultrafast optical techniques. In this tutorial, we will present an overview of the field, with special emphasis on exciting recent developments.
© 1993 Optical Society of America
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