Active region design of a terahertz GaN/ Al0.15Ga0.85N quantum cascade laser

We propose the idea of developing THz quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with GaN-based quantum well (QW) structures with significant advantages over the currently demonstrated THz lasers in the GaAs-based material system. While the ultrafast longitudinal optical (LO) phonon scattering in AlGaN/GaN QWs can be used for the rapid depopulation of the lower laser state, the large LO-phonon energy (∼90 meV) can effectively reduce the thermal population of the lasing states at higher temperatures. Our analysis of one particular structure has shown that a relatively low threshold current density of 832 A/cm² can provide a threshold optical gain of 50/cm at room temperature. We have also found that the characteristic temperature in this structure is as high as 136 K.     

Photoluminescence linewidth broadening due to alloy/thickness fluctuation of CdxZn1 − xSe/ZnSe triple quantum wells

Photoluminescence (PL) linewidth broadening of Cd_xZn_{1 − x}Se/ZnSe triple quantum wells, grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), has been investigated. Various quantum well (QW) samples have been prepared with different QW thickness and composition (Cd-composition). Measured and calculated PL linewidth are compared. Both composition and thickness fluctuations are considered for the calculation with the parameters such as the volume of exciton, nominal thickness and composition of QWs. Surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to estimate the interface roughness. Results show that when Cd-composition increases additional linewidth broadening due to Zn/Cd interdiffusion is enhanced.     

InGaAsP分别限制量子阱激光器

长波长InGaAsP量子阱激光器,以其低阈值、窄光谱线宽和高的调制频带宽等优良特性而成为大容量通信的基础。为此,我们利用低压MOVCD技术生长了1.62μm和1.3μm的InGaAsP材料,测得其77K光荧光(PL)谱线半峰高宽分别为18.7meV和28meV.利用X射线双晶衍射测得两种材料的晶格失配度不大于1×10^-3.并生长了四个不同阱宽的InGaAsP/InP量子阱结构,测得77K温度下的PL谱,分析了阱宽对发光波长及半峰宽的影响,并提出在量子阱激光器中减小界面层影响的方法。在此基础上,生长了分别限制量子阱激光器结构,并利用质子轰击制备出条形结构激光器,测得其最低阈值电流为100mA.直流工作光谱峰值波长为1.52μm左右,单面输出外微分量子效率约为36%.     

LP—MOCVD研制InGaAs/InP应变量子阱LD

本文指出在LP-MOCVD生长过程中,采用量子阱有源区和上限制层不同的生长温度以及生长非掺杂过渡层等技术能有效地控制InGaAs/InP量子阱激光器的p-n结结位,给出了采用DEZn和H₂S做掺杂源在InP材料中p型和n型杂质溶度和p-n结控制的条件,并研制出有源区阱层InGaAs与InP存在0.5%压缩应变量子阱激光器,这一结构LD实现室温脉冲激射,得到峰值功率为106mW以上,阈值电流密度为2.6kA/cm².     

Dual-blue light-emitting diode based on strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN quantum wells

Strain-compensated InGaN quantum well (QW) active region employing tensile AlGaN barrier is analyzed. Its spectral stability and efficiency droop for dual-blue light-emitting diode (LED) are improved compared with those of the conventional InGaN/GaN QW dual-blue LED based on stacking structure of two In_0.18Ga_0.82N/GaN QWs and two In_0.12Ga_0.88N/GaN QWs on the same sapphire substrate. It is found that the optimal performance is achieved when the Al composition of strain-compensated AlGaN layer is 0.12 in blue QW and 0.21 in blue-violet QW. The improvement performance can be attributed to the strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN QW that can provide a better carrier confinement and effectively reduce leakage current.     

A theoretical investigation of the band alignment of type-I direct band gap dilute nitride phosphide alloy of GaN_xAs_yP_(1-x-y)/GaP quantum wells on GaP substrates

The GaP-based dilute nitride direct band gap material Ga（NAsP） is gaining importance due to the monolithic integra- tion of laser diodes on Si microprocessors. The major advantage of this newly proposed laser material system is the small lattice mismatch between GaP and Si. However, the large threshold current density of these promising laser diodes on Si substrates shows that the carrier leakage plays an important role in Ga（NAsP）/GaP QW lasers. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the band alignment in this laser material system. In this paper, we present a theoretical investigation to optimize the band alignment of type-I direct band gap GaNxAsyP1-x-y/GaP QWs on GaP substrates. We examine the effect of nitrogen （N） concentration on the band offset ratios and band offset energies. We also provide a comparison of the band alignment of type-I direct band gap GaNxAsyP1-x-y/GaP QWs with that of the GaNxAsyP1-x-y/Al2Ga1-2P QWs on GaP substrates. Our theoretical calculations indicate that the incorporations of N into the well and AI into the barrier improve the band alignment compared to that of the GaAsP/GaP QW laser heterostructures.     

Negative characteristic temperature of GaN-based blue laser diode investigated by numerical simulation

GaN-based blue laser diodes (LDs) may exhibit anomalous temperature characteristics such as a very high or negative characteristic temperature (T ₀). In this work, the temperature characteristics of blue LDs having InGaN double quantum-well (QW) active region are investigated using numerical simulation. It is found that the T ₀ is greatly influenced by the n-type doped barrier between the QWs and a negative T ₀ can be observed for the LD structure with a heavily doped barrier. The negative T ₀ of InGaN blue LDs is mainly attributed to the decrease of the Auger recombination rate at the p-side QW with increasing temperature as a result of the thermally enhanced hole transport from the p-side to the n-side QW.     

Simulation of influence ternary AlGaN and quaternary AlInGaN blocking layers on temperature characteristic of double quantum well violet InGaN laser diodes

Although of the potential advantages of quaternary AlInGaN as a blocking layer (BL) in double quantum well (QW) violet InGaN laser diode (LD), simulation results indicated that the temperature characteristic (T_o value) of the LD with a quaternary AlInGaN BL is lower than the T_o value of the LD with a conventional ternary AlGaN BL, whereas the T_o value of the LD with quaternary AlInGaN BL is 180 K and the T_o value with ternary AlGaN BL it is 194 K. This is due to the enhance carrier holes distribution between the double QWs with using the quaternary BL.     

Potentials induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well

The potential induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well (QW) is investigated by means of the perturbation theory. We consider the interactions of an electron with both bulklike confined longitudinal optical (LO) phonons and four branches of interface optical (IO) phonons. The spatial distributionV _i(z) of the induced potential for QW structures with different heterolayer compositions and different well widths is calculated in detail. The numerical results show that the heterolayer composition of the QW plays an important role in determining the shape ofV _i(z) and that the existence of IO-phonons is important to the electronic states in QWs.     

Exciton effects on the refractive index and optical absorption in wurtzite quantum wells via a fractional-dimensional space approach

The optical refractive index changes and absorption coefficients of quantum wells (QWs) are theoretically investigated with considering exciton effects within the framework of the fractional-dimensional space approach. The exciton wave functions and bound energies are obtained as a function of spatial dimensionality, and the dimension increases with the well width increasing. Then optical properties are obtained by using the compact-density matrix approach and an iterative method. Numerical results are presented for wurtzite ZnO/Mg_xZn_1−xO QWs. The calculated results show that the changes of refractive index and absorption coefficients are greatly enhanced due to the quantum confinement of exciton. And the smaller the QW width (dimension) is, the larger influence of exciton on the optical properties will be. Furthermore, the exciton effects make the resonant peaks move to a lower energy. In addition, the optical properties are related to the QW width, the incident optical intensity and carrier density.     

Built-in electric field effect on the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorptions in InGaN strained single quantum wells

Considering the strong built-in electric field (BEF) induced by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations and the intrasubband relaxation, we investigate the linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorptions in In_xGa_1-xN/Al_yGa_1-yN strained single quantum wells (QWs) by means of the density matrix formalism. Our numerical results show that the strong BEF is on the order of MV/cm, which can be modulated effectively by the In composition in the QW. This electric field greatly increases the electron energy difference between the ground and the first excited states. The electron wave functions are also significantly localized in the QW due to the BEF. The intersubband optical absorption peak sensitively depends on the compositions of In in the well layer and Al in the barrier layers. The intersubband absorption coefficient can be remarkably modified by the electron concentration and the incident optical intensity. The group-III nitride semiconductor QWs are suitable candidate for infrared photodetectors and near-infrared laser amplifiers.     

Energy levels in doped SiGe quantum well studied by admittance spectroscopy

SiGe/Si quantum wells (QWs) with different Boron doping concentrations were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on p-type Si(1 0 0) substrate. The activation energies of the heavily holes in ground states of QWs, which correspond to the energy differences between the heavy hole ground states and Si valence band, were measured by admittance spectroscopy. It is found that the activation energy in a heavily doped QW increases with doping concentration, which can be understood by the band alignment changes due to the doping in the QWs. Also, it is found that the activation energy in a QW with a doping concentration of 2 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ becomes larger after annealing at a temperature of 685 °C, which is attributed to more Boron atoms activation in the QW by annealing.     

Exciton and intracenter luminescence in Cd<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>Te/Cd<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Te quantum-well structures

Exciton luminescence and intracenter luminescence (IL) of Mn²⁺ ions in Cd_0.6Mn_0.4Te/Cd_0.5Mg_0.5Te structures with quantum wells (QWs) 7, 13, and 26 monolayers thick were studied. It was established that in QWs the intensity of exciton luminescence with respect to that of IL is a few orders of magnitude higher than that in bulk crystals. The spectral position of manganese IL profile changes noticeably in going from a bulk crystal to a QW of the same composition. The nonexponential parts of the IL decay curves are determined by excitation migration and the cooperative upconversion process, whose contribution is high under strong excitation and efficient migration. At 77 K, the IL decay constant τ within the exponential region increases with decreasing QW thickness. The decay constant τ in a QW, unlike in a bulk Cd_0.5Mn_0.5Te crystal, decreases substantially under cooling from 77 to 4 K.     

Optimization of GaInNAs quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser emitting at 2.33 μm

In the present paper, a comprehensive computer simulation is used to determine optimal structure of the InP-based GaInNAs quantum-well (QW) active region and to investigate a possibility of reaching room-temperature (RT) continuous-wave (CW) single-fundamental-mode 2.33-μm operation of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with such an active region. From among various considered InP-based active regions, the one with the Ga_0.15In_0.85N_0.015As_0.985/Al_0.138Ga_0.332In_0.530As QW, i.e. with barriers lattice matched to InP, seems to be optimal for the 2.33-μm VCSEL performance. Its QW material is chosen for the required long-wavelength emission whereas its barrier is expected to ensure promising laser performance at room and higher temperatures. The latter is mostly connected with the QW conduction band offset equal in the above active region to as much as 413 meV, which is much larger than those of its possible lattice matched to InP competitors, e.g. 276 meV for the Ga_0.47In_0.53As barrier and 346 meV for the Ga_0.327In_0.673As_0.71P_0.29 one. Our simulation reveals that from among various considered structures, a VCSEL with a 4-μm-diameter tunnel junction and two 6-nm Ga_0.15In_0.85N_0.015As_0.985/Al_0.138Ga_0.332In_0.530As QWs exhibits the lowest calculated threshold current of 0.88 mA. Its promising RT CW performance suggests that it may represent a very interesting alternative to GaSb-based VCSELs.     

Effective barriers induced by confined carriers in space charge spectroscopy of Si/Ge quantum wells

Results are presented concerning the characterization of p-Si/Si_1-xGe_x/Si quantum wells (QW) by space charge spectroscopy. Analysis of potential barriers at the QW enables us to determine the valence band offset from such measurements. Admittance spectroscopy data of QWs with 30 nm undoped spacers, acceptor concentration N_A of about 10¹⁷cm^-3 in the cap and buffer layers, x=0.25 and a QW thickness in the range from 1 to 5 nm are in fair agreement with the proposed theoretical model. A decrease of the effective potential barriers due to hole tunneling via shallow acceptor states in the barrier is experimentally confirmed for 5 nm QW structures without spacers.     

Modeling and experimental study of 780–808-nm AlGaAs/GaAs injection lasers with electron superlattice barriers

Electron superlattice barriers (ESBs) were used in AlGaAs/GaAs injection lasers to improve the electron confinement of the active layer by Bragg reflection of electron waves. The design of a separate-confinement heterostructure (SCH) laser with ESBs operating at 780–808 nm was optimized. Conventional SCH and SCH-ESB were prepared by low-pressure MOCVD epitaxy. Oxide stripe lasers with stripe widths of 100 and 200µm were prepared. The threshold current density of 0.3 kA/cm² and the characteristic temperature constantT ₀=220 K were measured at a wavelength of 808 nm for SCH-ESB lasers with an active-layer thickness of 40 nm and a resonator length of 0.4–0.5 mm. For conventional SCH lasers with the same geometry, a threshold current density of 0.42 kA/cm² andT ₀=160 K were obtained. Experimental results on the low-temperature photoluminescence characterizing ESB regions are presented and are compared with the calculated miniband energy spectrum of the superlattice structure. The leakage currents for ordinary SCH and SCH-ESB lasers were analyzed. Experimental verification of a reduction in the leakage current for SCH-ESB lasers was obtained.     

Analysis of thermal performance of InGaP/InGaAlP quantum wells for high-power red laser diodes

The effect of quantum well (QW) strain on the thermal performance of InGaP/InGaAlP lasers emitting at around 635 nm is investigated theoretically. It is found that compressively-strained QWs offer superior thermal performance due to an increased barrier height for electrons, leading to a reduced electron leakage. The theoretical predictions are supported by experimental data from red-emitting laser diodes with an improved characteristic temperature T ₀.     

Potentials induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well

The potential induced by the electron-optical-phonon interaction in a quantum well (QW) is investigated by means of the perturbation theory. We consider the interactions of an electron with both bulklike confined longitudinal optical (LO) phonons and four branches of interface optical (IO) phonons. The spatial distributionV _i(z) of the induced potential for QW structures with different heterolayer compositions and different well widths is calculated in detail. The numerical results show that the heterolayer composition of the QW plays an important role in determining the shape ofV _i(z) and that the existence of IO-phonons is important to the electronic states in QWs.     

Axial distribution of coupling coefficient of distributed feedback laser diode

An axial distributed coupling coefficient (ADCC) distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode (LD), in which the coupling coefficient (K_c) has been distributed axially on both sides of the phase shift region (PSR), is proposed to increase the efficiency of QW-DFB LD. The results are compared with that obtained from QW DCC–DFB LD. The present work proposes a new criteria for coupling distribution to decrease the spatial hole-burning (SHB) effect on the single mode (SM) operation.