Modelling of Semi-Insulating Photorefractive Quantum Well Devices

The photorefractive effect in electrooptic materials provides a very promising tool for image processing applications. Semiconductor multiple quantum well (MQW) structures are attractive materials due to the short response time and the high value for the electrooptic coefficient. If the electric field is applied perpendicular to the MQW planes, than the electrooptic behaviour is associated with the quantum confined Stark effect for excitons in the wells. In these photorefractive multiple quantum well devices, a complicated interaction takes place between the electrons, holes, excitons, photons and deep-level charges. For a better understanding of the internal behaviour of these photorefractive multiple quantum well devices, a numerical simulator was built.