MAGNETOOPTICAL PROPERTIES OF HGTE-CDTE SUPERLATTICES

We present a comprehensive theoretical formulation for magneto-optical properties in narrow-band-gap and zero-band-gap HgTe-CdTe superlattices. It is found to be crucial that the details of the unique band structure be taken into account in full generality. Statistical factors also play a dominant role in the magneto-optical properties, since the location of the Fermi level determines which of the numerous possible processes will be observable in a given superlattice at a given temperature and magnetic field. When the calculated spectra are compared with recent data for semimetallic superlattices, we find that the theory accounts for nearly all of the wide range of unusual features which have been observed experimentally. These include double hole cyclotron resonances, both electron and hole cyclotron resonance in the low-temperature limit, the apperance of a second electron resonance at higher photon frequencies and a third at higher temperatures, and a step in the slope of the electron cyclotron mass as a function of temperature. © 1990 The American Physical Society.