Two-dimensional Nature of Center-of-mass Excitons Confined in a Single CdMnTe/CdTe/CdMnTe Heterostructure

We have investigated the dimensional nature of center-of-mass exciton confinement states in a CdMnTe/CdTe/CdMnTe heterostructure, where the CdTe well is too wide (144 nm) to confine both electrons and holes but able to confine whole excitons in the center-of-mass coordinate. Fine multiple photoluminescence spectra with a few meV separation were observed at 6 K. From the thickness dependence of the transition rate, they were attributed to even numbered center-of-mass exciton confinement states (N = 2, 4, 6, ⋯, 18). Dimensionality of the center-of-mass exciton confinement states was also investigated in terms of temperature dependence of radiative decay time. At low temperatures (≲12 K), we found that the ground state excitons are likely localized possibly due to the barrier interface fluctuation, resulting in a constant decay time (~350 ps). With increased temperature (≳12 K), localized excitons are thermally released, giving rise to a linear temperature dependence of radiative decay time as an evidence of two-dimensional nature.