  We discuss the interplay between electronic correlations and an underlying
superlattice structure in determining the period of charge density waves
(CDW's), by considering a one-dimensional Hubbard model with a repeated
(non-random) pattern of repulsive (U>0) and free (U=0) sites. Density matrix
renormalization group diagonalization of finite systems (up to 120 sites) is
used to calculate the charge-density correlation function and structure factor
in the ground state. The modulation period can still be predicted through
effective Fermi wavevectors, k_F*, and densities, and we have found that it is
much more sensitive to electron (or hole) doping, both because of the narrow
range of densities needed to go from q*=0 to \pi, but also due to sharp
2k_F*-4k_F* transitions; these features render CDW's more versatile for actual
applications in heterostructures than in homogeneous systems.
