Luminescence of a near-surface GaAs/AlAs heterojunction in AlAs-based heterostructures

It is necessary to protect the surface of AlAs-based heterostructures from oxidation using a GaAs cap layer because of the high reactivity of aluminum. Thus, the surface region of these heterostructures always contains a GaAs/AlAs heterojunction. Here, it is demonstrated that, under nonresonant photoexcitation, the photoluminescence spectrum of AlAs-based heterostructures features a band associated with this heterojunction. The intensity of this band is determined by the thickness and doping type of the GaAs cap layer.