STRAIN RELAXATION INDUCED RED SHIFT OF PHOTOLUMINESCENCE OF CdZnSe/ZnSe QUANTUM WIRES*

Wire patterns (80-1000 nm) of molecular beam epitaxy grown Cd0.2 Zn0.8 Se/ZnSe quantum well were fabricated by a CH4 /H2 reactive ion etching technique. Photoluminescence emission shows with decreasing lat- eral size a broadening of line shape and a spectral red shift. Calculations for the change of the band gap due to strain relaxation show that this shift of the photoluminescence emission for narrow Cd0.2 Zn0.8 Se/ZnSe structures (lattice mismatch of 1.34%) can be explained by a partial elastic strain re- laxation of the biaxially compressively strained Cd0.2Zn0.8Se quantum weJI after the patterning process.