Localization and fractal spectra of optical phonon modes in quasiperiodic structures

The dispersion relation and localization profile of confined optical phonon modes in quasiperiodic structures, made up of nitride semiconductor materials, are analyzed through a transfer-matrix approach. The quasiperiodic structures are characterized by the nature of their Fourier spectrum, which can be dense pure point (Fibonacci sequences) or singular continuous (Thue-Morse and Double-period sequences). These substitutional sequences are described in terms of a series of generations that obey peculiar recursion relations and/or inflation rules. We present a quantitative analysis of the localization and magnitude of the allowed band widths in the optical phonons spectra of these quasiperiodic structures, as well as how they scale as a function of the number of generations of the sequences.