Two-colour mid-infrared absorption in an InAs/GaSb-based type II and broken-gap quantum well

We examine contributions from different transition channels to optical absorption in an InAs/GaSb-based type II and broken-gap quantum well (QW). In such a structure, because both electron and hole subbands are occupied by the conducting carriers, new channels open up for electronic transition via intra-and inter-layer scattering mechanisms. We find that two absorption peaks can be observed through inter-subband transitions within the same material layer. The absorption induced by the inter-layer transition is rather weak due to a small overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions. The results suggest that InAs/GaSb-based type II and broken-gap QWs can be employed as two-colour photodetectors working at mid-infrared bandwidth at relatively high temperatures up to room-temperature.