Exciton dynamics in CdTe/CdZnTe quantum well

Exciton energy structure and population dynamics in a wide CdTe/CdZnTe quantum well are studied by spectrally-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. Multiple excitonic resonances in reflectance spectra are observed and identified by solving numerically three-dimensional Schrodinger equation. The dynamics of the pump-probe reflectivity signal is shown to be dominated by the photoinduced nonradiative broadening of the excitonic resonances, while pump-induced exciton energy shift and reduction of the oscillator strength appear to be negligible. This broadening is induced by the reservoir of dark excitons with large in-plane wave vector, which are coupled to the bright excitons' states. The dynamics of the pump-induced nonradiative broadening observed experimentally is characterized by three components: signal build up on the scale of tens of picoseconds (i) and bi-exponential decay on the scale of one nanosecond (ii) and ten nanoseconds (iii). Possible mechanisms of the reservoir population and depletion responsible for this behavior are discussed.