Intraband relaxation time in wurtzite GaN/InAlN quantum-well

The intraband relaxation time in a wurtzite GaN/InAlN quantum well (QW) is investigated theoretically as a function of the compressive strain and well thickness. The results are compared with those obtained for an InGaAs/InGaAsP(1.13 eV) QW. It is found that the total linewidth broadening of GaN/InAlN QW is nearly independent of the compressive strain because the in-plane effective masses are not affected by the strain. On the other hand, the total linewidth of an InGaAs/InGaAsP QW significantly decreases with increasing strain. The linewidths for carrier-phonon scattering of a GaN/InAlN QW are much greater than those of an InGaAs/InGaAsP QW. The relaxation times for the electron-phonon and hole-phonon scatterings are estimated to be about 10 and 3 fs, respectively. Also, it is shown that the total linewidth of a GaN/InAlN QW is nearly constant irrespective of the well thickness.