Modern opto-electronic devises are based on semiconductor hetero- structures employing the process of electron-hole pair annihilation. In particular polar materials enable to create a variety of classic and even quantum light sources. However, the key challenge – the inherent electrical crystal polarization of such materials – remains unsolved and thus deteriorates the electron-hole pair annihilation rate. The invention presented here introduces a new approach to adjusting those polarization effects. It marks the onset of an entire new class of ultra-fast and efficient devices based on any polar material.

Former research in this field had focused on less-polar crystal planes or even on the stabilization of unnatural phases, but never was able to gain industrial maturity. The new approach introduces a sequence of reverse interfaces to compensate for these polarization effects, while the natural polar crystal growth direction is maintained. This specific approach is provoking a boost in the performance of the device. This approach allows for an adaptation in all established industrial processes, while the polarization becomes adjustable, even below zero.

As a result, not only the radiative exciton decay rates are being significantly increased, even so the electric potential as a tunable parameter could be established. Hence we soon can expect the creation of, e.g. (quantum-) light sources based on polar heterostructures. The optical signatures of such light sources are decoupled from the detrimental effects of crystal polarization.