ABSTRACT
Theoretical and experimental work show that electro-absorption improves and the quantum-confined Stark effect becomes stronger in In0.2Ga0.8As / AlxGa1−xAs quantum wells as the aluminum concentration (x) is increased in the barriers. This higher electro-absorption was used to fabricate a reflection modulator which exhibited a record reflectivity change of 77%. The enhanced electro-absorption is in contrast to material quality, as measured by photoluminescence intensity, which severely degrades with increasing aluminum composition.
