The introduction of semiconductor quantum wells in the 1970s created a revolution in optoelectronic devices. A large fraction of today's lasers and light emitting diodes are based on quantum wells. It has been more than 30 years but novel ideas and new device functions have recently been demonstrated using quantum well heterostructures. This paper provides a brief overview of the subject and then focuses on the physics of quantum wells that the lead author believes holds the key to new device functionalities. The data and figures contained within are not new. They have been assembled from 30 years of work. They are presented to convey the story of why quantum wells continue to fuel the engine that drives the semiconductor optoelectronic business. My apologies in advance to my students and co-workers that contributed so much that could not be covered in such a short manuscript. The explanations provided are based on the simplest models possible rather than the very sophisticated mathematical models that have evolved over many years. The intended readers are those involved with semiconductor optoelectronic devices and are interested in new device possibilities.

Date Published: 28 October 2009
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 7514, Photonics and Optoelectronics Meetings (POEM) 2009: Fiber Optic Communication and Sensors, 751412 (28 October 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.841026

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7514:
Photonics and Optoelectronics Meetings (POEM) 2009: Fiber Optic Communication and Sensors
Dieter Stefan Jäger; Hequan Wu; Shuisheng Jian; Desheng Jiang; Deming Liu; Weiwei Dong; Qizhen Sun; Xiaochun Xiao, Editor(s)