Symmetry of the Top Valence Band States in GaN/AlGaN Quantum Wells and its Influence on the Polarization of Emitted Light

We show theoretically that for narrow GaN/AlGaN quantum wells, lattice matched to GaN substrate/buffer and grown along the (0001) crystallographic direction the topmost valence subband symmetry depends critically on such parameters as quantum well thickness and barrier composition. This effect determines polarization of the emitted light. It is noted that the symmetry of the topmost valence band level is sensitive to the values of the $D_3$ and $D_4$ deformation potentials and can be employed in verification of existing literature values of these parameters.