The effect of the excitation and of the temperature on the photoluminescence circular polarization of AlInAs/AlGaAs quantum dots

In this paper, we present a study of photoluminescence (PL) from AlInAs/AlGaAs quantum dots (QDs) structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Specifically, we describe the effects of the temperature and of the excitation density on the photoluminescence circular polarization. We have found that the circular polarization degree depends on temperature. On the other hand, the study of the excitation density dependent circular polarization PL degree shows that the last increases in the case of the sample of weak dot density. However, in the case of large dot density, it is almost constant in the excitation density range from 0.116 W cm⁻² to 9 W cm⁻².     

Intra-dot relaxation and dephasing rates from time-resolved photoluminescence from InAs quantum dot ensembles

An ensemble of InAs quantum dots with ground state transition energies centered at 1.216 eV and density 10¹¹dots/cm² has been studied by time-resolved photoluminescence (PL). The wavelength of the 100-fs excitation pulse was tuned through the ground (excited) state transitions, resulting in resonant (optical phonon sideband) PL. The decay of the PL was time resolved with a streak camera in the interval 1.5–3 ns to avoid scattered laser light. The intensity of the PL was recorded with its polarization both parallel with and perpendicular to the excitation polarization (along one of the crystal’s cleave axes); the ratio is 2.22 at low temperatures and low excitation. A phenomenological rate equation analysis is made, separating the excitations into two classes, one polarized along the excitation polarization and the other unpolarized (either that way immediately after the excitation pulse or scattered from the first class). Excellent fits to the data lead to the conclusion that both classes decay radiatively with a lifetime of 1 ns, and a transfer from the polarized to the unpolarized species takes place with a distribution time of 12 ns at low temperatures and low excitation, dropping rapidly toward zero for temperatures above 30 K and for intense excitation levels. The polarization of a coherently excited ground state exciton should dephase with a rate equal to the sum of the radiative rate plus the inverse of this distribution time.     

Enhancement of photoluminescence of the CdSe/CdS quantum dots on quartz substrates in the presence of silver nanoparticles

Multilayer systems consisting of layers of hybrid quantum dots are fabricated. The quantum dots with the CdSe/CdS core/shell structure are chemically synthesized and deposited on the surface of quartz glass that contains ion-synthesized silver nanoparticles in the near-surface region. Silver nanoparticles exhibit optical absorption owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance. Variations in the photoluminescence intensity of the layer related to an increase in the distance from the quartz surface with metal nanoparticles are studied. An increase in the photoluminescence intensity is observed under excitation in the spectral region of the plasmon absorption of silver nanoparticles. An optimal distance between the layers is determined to maximize the enhancement of the photoluminescence of quantum dots in the presence of the near field of metal nanoparticles.     

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence of semiconductor quantum dots upon indirect excitation in a SiO2 dielectric matrix

The processes of excitation and relaxation of confined excitons in semiconductor quantum dots upon indirect high-energy excitation have been considered. The temperature behavior of photoluminescence of quantum dots in a SiO₂ dielectric matrix has been described using a model accounting for the process of population of quantum-dot triplet states upon excitation transfer through mobile excitons of the matrix. Analytical expressions that take into account the two-stage and three-stage schemes of relaxation transitions have been obtained. The applicability of these expressions for analyzing fluorescence properties of semiconductor quantum dots has been demonstrated using the example of silicon and carbon nanoparticles in the thin-film SiO₂ matrix. It has been shown that the complex character of the temperature dependences of the photoluminescence upon indirect excitation can be an indication of a multistage relaxation of excited states of the matrix and quantum dots. The model concepts developed in this study allow one to predict the form of temperature dependences of the photoluminescence for different schemes of indirect excitation of quantum dots.

     

Polarization spectroscopy of positive and negative trions in an InAs quantum dot

Using polarization-sensitive photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, we study single InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots. The dots were embedded in an n-type, Schottky diode structure allowing for control of the charge state. We present here the exciton, singly charged exciton (positive and negative trions), and the twice negatively charged exciton. For non-resonant excitation below the wetting layer, we observed a large degree of polarization memory from the radiative recombination of both the positive and negative trions. In excitation spectra, through the p-shell, we have found several sharp resonances in the emission from the s-shell recombination of the dot in all charged states. Some of these excitation resonances exhibit strong coulomb shifts upon addition of charges into the quantum dot. One particular resonance of the negatively charged trion was found to exhibit a fine structure doublet under circular polarization. This observation is explained in terms of resonant absorption into the triplet states of the negative trion.     

Optical properties of 1.3 μm room temperature emitting InAs quantum dots covered by In0.4Ga0.6As/GaAs hetero-capping layer

Room temperature 1.3 μm emitting InAs quantum dots (QDs) covered by an In_0.4Ga_0.6As/GaAs strain reducing layer (SRL) have been fabricated by solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) using the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. The sample used has been investigated by temperature and excitation power dependent photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) experiments. Three emission peaks are apparent in the low temperature PL spectrum. We have found, through PLE measurement, a single quantum dot ground state and the corresponding first excited state with relatively large energy spacing. This attribute has been confirmed by TRPL measurements which allow comparison of the dynamics of the ground state with that of the excited states. Optical transitions related to the InGaAs quantum well have been also identified. Over the whole temperature range, the PL intensity is found to exhibit an anomalous increase with increasing temperatures up to 100 K and then followed by a drop by three orders of magnitude. Carrier’s activation energy out of the quantum dots is found to be close to the energy difference between each two subsequent transition energies. PACS 68.65.Ac; 68.65.Hb; 78.67.Hc     

Metal enhanced photoluminescence of near-infrared CdTexSe1−x quantum dots

High-quality alloyed near-infrared CdTe_xSe_1?x quantum dots were synthesized by a modified organometallic method. The emission wavelength of the alloyed quantum dots were turned from visible to near-infrared range by changing the composition of the precursor. The photoluminescence intensity of the alloyed quantum dots was further enhanced by coupling through localized surface plasmons from Au nanoparticles. The alloyed CdTeSe quantum dots coupled with Au nanoparticles exhibited a 4 times photoluminescence enhancement than that of bare CdTeSe quantum dots by turning the localized surface plasmons resonant absorption of Au nanoparticles consistent to the excitation wavelength. This method will be beneficial for the potential applications in the biological imaging and detection.     

调制掺杂ZnSe/BeTe Ⅱ型量子阱结构中的内秉电场和新型带电激子

报道了调制掺杂的ZnSe/BeTe/ZnSe Ⅱ型量子阱(type-Ⅱ QW)在低温(2—5 K)条件下的光致发光(PL),光致发光激发(PLE)和磁性光致发光(magneto-PL)光谱的实验结果.　观察到非掺杂样品的PL有两个很强的主发光峰而掺杂样品只有一个的奇异发光.　PL直线偏振度和PLE的测量结果都表明了这些空间间接型跃迁PL是来自两个异质结界面的贡献,非掺杂样品的两个主发光峰的分离则是起因于QW结构中的内秉电场(built-in electric field).在平行于QW生长方向的强磁场中, 关键词： 光致发光 二维电子气 带电激子 Ⅱ型量子阱     

Electronic excitation energy transfer between CdS quantum dots and carbon nanotubes

Stationary and transient photoluminescence of CdS quantum dots deposited on silicon substrates and carbon nanotubes is investigated. The photoluminescence spectrum of quantum dots on a silicon substrate is dominated by a band originating from electron transitions between the quantum-confinement levels in the dots. When the quantum dots are deposited on carbon nanotubes, the intensity of this band decreases significantly. Furthermore, the kinetics of the photoluminescence decay becomes faster, which brings evidence of an additional channel for the quantum-dot deexcitation. The analysis of the experimental data demonstrates that the Förster energy transfer from CdS quantum dots to carbon nanotubes is most probably responsible for this channel. The efficiency of this process exceeds 60%.     

Diagnostics of height distribution of InAs/GaAs quantum dot arrays by means of carbon tetrachloride treatment in vapor phase epitaxy conditions

A technique for determination of InAs quantum dots bimodal distribution has been developed. This technique is based on vapor-chemical etching of quantum dot arrays coated with thin GaAs layers and on combined investigation of the morphology and photoluminescence spectra of etched quantum-size structures. It has been shown that, in some growth modes of quantum-size heterostructures by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy, bimodal arrays of large and small quantum dots are formed. The surface concentration of large and small dots has been established to be about 2 × 10⁹ and 3 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻², respectively.     

Micro-photoluminescence of GaN quantum dots embedded in 100 nm wide cylindrical AlN pillars

Individual pillars were etched from a sample embedding a single plane of GaN/AlN quantum dots, deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on a sapphire substrate. Pillars with diameters ranging from 0.1 to 5 μm were fabricated by electron-beam lithography and SiCl₄ reactive ion etching. The PL from a single pillar could be measured by using a confocal microscope, with a spatial resolution of 600 nm. We report an intense PL signal from pillar diameters as small as 0.1 μm at room temperature. By increasing the power of the excitation laser from 0.05 to 200 μW, we induced a blue-shift of the PL energy peak from 2.38 to 2.86 eV, accompanied by a substantial broadening of the PL line. This is explained by the photo-induced screening of the internal electric field, which is close to 10 MV/cm in GaN/AlN heterostructures. Finally we report and tentatively explain a photodarkening effect, i.e., the progressive decrease of the PL intensity over two orders of magnitude, after one hour of continuous laser excitation. However, this effect does not seem to be correlated to the etching process.     

垒掺In提高InGaN/GaN多量子阱发光特性

利用金属有机物化学气相淀积技术在蓝宝石衬底上生长InGaN/GaN多量子阱结构.对多量子阱垒层掺In和非掺In进行了比较研究，结果表明，垒掺In 的样品界面质量变差，但明显增加了光致发光谱的峰值强度和积分强度，带边峰与黄光峰强度之比增大，降低了表面粗糙度.利用这两种结构制备了相应的发光二极管(LED)样品.通过电荧光测量可知，垒掺In的LED比非掺In的LED有较高的发光强度和相对均匀的波长，这主要是由于垒掺In后降低了阱与垒之间晶格失配的应力，从而降低了极化电场，提高了辐射复合效率. 关键词： InGaN/GaN多量子阱 X射线双晶衍射 原子力显微镜 光致发光     

Electron radiation effects on InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers

The InAs/GaAs quantum dot laser diodes and corresponding quantum dot samples are irradiated by 1 MeV electron. The laser performance and quantum dot photoluminescence intensity at room temperature are enhanced over a fluence range of 4 × 10¹³ cm^?2. The radiation-induced defects increase the efficiency of carrier transfer to the quantum dots, which results in the improvement of photoluminescence performance under low level displacement damage. The contact resistant of quantum dot lasers decreases because the ohmic contact is also improved by electron irradiation.     

等离子体增强InAs单量子点荧光辐射的研究

通过测量光致发光(PL)谱、PL时间分辨光谱及不同激发功率下PL发光强度,研究了低温(5 K)下等离子体对InAs单量子点PL光谱的增强效应.采用电子束蒸发镀膜技术在InAs量子点样品表面淀积了5 nm厚度的金膜,形成纳米金岛膜结构.实验发现,金岛膜有利于量子点样品发光强度的增加,最大PL强度增加了约5倍,其主要物理机理是金岛膜纳米结构提高了量子点PL光谱的收集效率.     

Trap elimination and reduction of size dispersion due to aging in CdS<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Se<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> quantum dots

Quantum Dots of CdS _x Se_1−x embedded in borosilicate glass matrix have been grown using Double-Step annealing method. Optical characterization of the quantum dots has been done through the combinative analysis of optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy at room temperature. Decreasing trend of photoluminescence intensity with aging has been observed and is attributed to trap elimination. The changes in particle size, size distribution, number of quantum dots, volume fraction, trap related phenomenon and Gibbs free energy of quantum dots, has been explained on the basis of the diffusion-controlled growth process, which continues with passage of time. For a typical case, it was found that after 24 months of aging, the average radii increased from 3.05 to 3.12 nm with the increase in number of quantum dots by 190% and the size-dispersion decreased from 10.8% to 9.9%. For this sample, the initial size range of the quantum dots was 2.85 to 3.18 nm. After that no significant change was found in these parameters for the next 12 months. This shows that the system attains almost a stable nature after 24 months of aging. It was also observed that the size-dispersion in quantum dots reduces with the increase in annealing duration, but at the cost of quantum confinement effect. Therefore, a trade off optimization has to be done between the size-dispersion and the quantum confinement.     

Time- and frequency-domain measurements of carrier lifetimes in GaN epilayers

Results on time-resolved study of GaN photoluminescence (PL) in a power density range from 0.5 mW/cm² under CW excitation by ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) to 1 GW/cm² under pulsed excitation by YAG:Nd laser in the temperature range from 8 to 300 K are presented. Measurements of PL response in the frequency domain by using amplitude-modulated emission of a UV LED as well as time-resolved PL measurements using a streak camera and light-induced transient grating technique have been used in the study. Yellow luminescence (YL) intensity increases with increasing temperature up to 120 K and faster components in YL decay switch to slower components with increasing temperature under UV LED excitation. At low carrier densities, the trapping decreases the carrier lifetime below 250 ps, while the carrier lifetime in the same GaN sample under excitation ensuring saturation of the traps equals 2 ns.     

Recombination processes in structures with GaN/ALN quantum dots

Mechanisms of the generation and the radiative and nonradiative recombination of carriers in structures with GaN quantum dots in the AlN matrix are studied experimentally and theoretically. Absorption, stationary and nonstationary photoluminescence of quantum dots at different temperatures are investigated. It is found that the photoluminescence intensity considerably decreases with the temperature while the photoluminescence kinetics weakly depends on the temperature. The photoluminescence kinetics is shown to be determined by radiative recombination inside quantum dots. A mechanism of nonradiative recombination is proposed, according to which the main reason for the thermal quenching of photoluminescence is nonradiative recombination of charge carriers, generated by optical transitions between quantum dots and wetting layer states.     

Mg掺杂的AlxGa1-xN/GaN超晶格紫外峰的性质

观测了不同Mg含量的Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN超晶格(SLs)样品在不同退火温度和激发强度下的光致发光(PL)光谱。结合霍尔测量,分析了其紫外发射(UVL)峰的起源及相关影响因素。实验发现:同一样品在N₂气氛中高温退火,UVL峰强随退火温度的升高,先增至饱和继而急剧下降,峰位红移;而在相同退火条件下,随着掺杂Mg的流量增加,样品空穴浓度下降,峰强减弱,峰位红移。结果表明:UVL峰是来自于易热分解的浅施主(V_NH)与浅受主(Mg_Ga)之间的跃迁,并受到深施主(Mg_GaV_N)与浅受主(Mg_Ga)自补偿效应的影响。实验上随着PL光谱激发强度的增强,UVL峰位约有260 meV的蓝移,结合超晶格极化场下的能带模型分析,认为这是极化效应导致的锯齿状能带中,V_NH与Mg_Ga之间跃迁方式的改变引起的现象。     

Two-photon excitation of confined biexcitons in CuCl quantum dots

We have studied direct creation processes of confined biexcitons in CuCl quantum dots by polarization-dependent resonant two-photon excitation spectroscopy. The two-photon absorption band for the lowest state of the biexciton (total angular momentum J=0) which appears on the lower energy side of confined exciton band was identified from the analysis of the polarization dependence of the photoluminescence excitation spectrum of the biexciton. Furthermore, the two-photon excitation process for the excited state of the biexciton (J=2) was also found with polarization dependence different from the J=0 biexciton state.     

Polarized fine structure in the photoluminescence excitation spectrum of a negatively charged quantum dot

We report polarized photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of the negative trion in single charge-tunable quantum dots. The spectrum exhibits a p-shell resonance with polarized fine structure arising from the direct excitation of the electron spin triplet states. The energy splitting arises from the axially symmetric electron-hole exchange interaction. The magnitude and sign of the polarization are understood from the spin character of the triplet states and a small amount of quantum dot asymmetry, which mixes the wave functions through asymmetric e-e and e-h exchange interactions.