Nonlinear optical rectification in semiparabolic quantum wells with an applied electric field

The optical rectification (OR) in a semiparabolic quantum well with an applied electric field has been theoretically investigated. The electronic states in a semiparabolic quantum well with an applied electric field are calculated exactly, within the envelope function and the displaced harmonic oscillator approach. Numerical results are presented for the typical AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs quantum well. These results show that the applied electric field and the confining potential frequency of the semiparabolic quantum well have a great influence on the OR coefficient. Moreover, the OR coefficient also depends sensitively on the relaxation rate of the semiparabolic quantum well system.