Phonon-assisted intersubband transitions in wurtzite GaN/In_xGa_1-xN quantum wells

A detailed numerical calculation on the phonon-assisted intersubband transition rates of electrons in wurtzite GaN/In_xGa_1-xN quantum wells is presented. The quantum-confined Stark effect induced by the built-in electric field and the ternary mixed crystal effect are considered. The electron states are obtained by iteratively solving the coupled Schrödinger and Poisson equations and the dispersion property of each type of phonon modes is considered in the derivation of Fermi's golden rule to evaluate the transition rates. It is indicated that the interface and half-space phonon scattering play an important role in the process of 1-2 radiative transition. The transition rate is also greatly reduced by the built-in electric field. The present work can be helpful for the structural design and simulation of new semiconductor lasers.