Influence of recombination center interaction on the photoluminescence of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

The photoluminescence of an electron inversion layer with a monolayer of carbon acceptors in GaAs was investigated at liquid helium temperatures. In the limit of high laser illumination the luminescence line approaches a hat shape, the expected form if the recombination center is a single isolated acceptor. At medium illumination the line takes on a trapezoidal form, and in the small illumination limit a triangular shape emerges. The line shape variations could be traced back to the interaction of the carbon acceptors which is ruled by the illumination strength. Acceptor-acceptor interactions spread the distribution of transition energies and initiate a transfer of oscillator strength. The triangular line shape at low illumination is a clear signature of an impurity band formed in the carbon monolayer.