Charged excitonic complexes in GaAs/Al0.35Ga0.65As p-i-n double quantum wells

Photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation measurements (PLE) have been performed in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs double quantum well (QW) structures under different applied electric fields. An emission due to charged excitons (trions) has been identified in the PL spectra similar to 3 meV below the heavy-hole exciton emission.

These trions are localized by random potential fluctuations, at the interfaces or in the QW, as shown by the saturation of their emission intensity with respect to that of the heavy-hole excitons. Trions are positively charged, namely, they are made by two holes and one electron, as shown by (i) an analysis of the PL polarization for resonant excitation of the heavy- and the light-exciton ground state, and (ii) the analysis of the Zeeman effect for the trion PL band in the Faraday geometry, i.e., for a magnetic field normal to the QW's.