Influence of electron-phonon interaction on the optical properties of III nitride semiconductors

The electronic band structures of III nitride semiconductors calculated within the adiabatic approximation give essential information about the optical properties of materials. However, atoms of the lattice are not at rest; their displacement away from the equilibrium positions perturbs the periodic potential acting on the electrons in the crystal, leading to an electron-phonon interaction energy. Due to different ways that the lattice vibration perturbs the motions of electrons, there are various types of interaction, such as Froehlich interaction with longitudinal optical phonons, deformation-potential interactions with optical and acoustic phonons and piezoelectric interaction with acoustic phonons. These interactions, especially the Froehlich interaction, which is very strong due to the ionic nature of III nitrides, have a great influence on the optical properties of the III nitride semiconductors. As a result of electron-phonon interaction, several phenomena, such as phonon replicas in the emission spectra, homogeneous broadening of the excitonic line width and the relaxation of hot carriers to the fundamental band edge, which have been observed in GaN and its low dimensional heterostructures, are reviewed. (author)