Carrier transfer in coupled asymmetric GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum wells after ultrafast intersubband excitation

Intersubband scattering processes are investigated in selectively doped asymmetric tunnel-coupled GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells by infrared pump probe spectroscopy. Various subbands are excited by resonant absorption of a mid-infrared pump pulse and the carrier relaxation is observed via time- and frequency-resolved absorption changes monitored by a subsequent infrared probe pulse. The experimental data show that most of the carriers remain in the quantum well in which the excitation process mainly takes place. Only a minor fraction of the carriers is transferred between excited non-resonant subbands of the neighbouring quantum wells. The situation is different for electrons in the two lowest subbands which are separated only by 10 meV. Here a rapid and efficient transfer is observed. The scattering time is in the order of a picosecond at room temperature; it increases to values between 4 ps and 20 ps at 80 K. The data are interpreted with detailed model calculations taking into account phonon and impurity scattering. Both experimental and calculated data demonstrate the possibility of population inversion between excited states of quantum wells under optical or current electron injection.