Exciton in wurtzite GaN/AlxGa1−xN coupled quantum dots

Based on effective-mass approximation, we present a three-dimensional study of the exciton in GaN/AlxGa1−xN vertically coupled quantum dots (QDs) by a variational approach. The strong built-in electric field due to the piezoelectricity and spontaneous polarization is considered. The relationship between exciton states and structural parameters of wurtzite GaN/AlxGa1−xN coupled QDs is studied in detail. Our numerical results show that the strong built-in electric field in the GaN/AlxGa1−xN strained coupled QDs leads to a marked reduction of the effective band gap of GaN QDs. The exciton binding energy, the QD transition energy and the electron–hole recombination rate are reduced if barrier thickness LAlGaN is increased. The sizes of QDs have a significant influence on the exciton state and interband optical transitions in coupled QDs.