Giant optical anisotropy of semiconductor heterostructures with no common atom and the quantum-confined pockels effect

We examine the optical anisotropy associated with the absence of fourfold rotoinversion axis in heterostructures of zinc-blend materials sharing no common atom or submitted to an external potential having no inversion symmetry. We discuss a simple original method allowing the introduction of the local symmetry considerations into the classical envelope function theory, which permits flexible calculations of quantum well structures. In particular, we consider the ''quantum confined Pockels effect'' resulting from the application of an external electric field, and we discuss its relation to the ''quantum confined Stark effect.''