The mechanism of Auger recombination in type‐II heterostructures is studied theoretically. It is shown that the Auger recombination rate is a power function of temperature rather than an exponential function as in bulk materials. The feasibility of suppression of the Auger recombination process in the type‐II heterostructures is demonstrated. The possibility of controlling the Auger recombination rate is shown to be very important for development of optoelectronic devices with improved characteristics. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.