Grid-pattern aligned InAs self-assembled quantum dots grown on InP substrate

We present a method to control the nucleation sites of InAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). Tensile-strained material, such as GaAs used here, was grown on InP substrates before InAs deposition. This thin GaAs layer can provide a surface with grid-pattern trenches which have the same function as atomic-steps and are promising for the formation of QDs with controlled nucleation sites. Atom force microscopy (AFM) measurement was performed and the AFM images indicate that the InAs islands grown with our technique are grid-pattern aligned and have good homogeneity and low size fluctuation. In addition, another kind of three-dimensional structure with larger size would coexist with normal QDs if a 30nm thick GaAs layer was deposited. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

InAs QDs on InP: polarization insensitive SOA and non-radiative Auger processes

An efficient mechanical and electronic axial approximation of the strained 8 × 8 Hamiltonian is proposed for zinc-blende nanostructures with a cylindrical shape on (100) substrates. Vertically stacked InAs/InP columnar quantum dots (CQDs) for polarization insensitive semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) in telecommunications applications are studied theoretically. Non-radiative Auger processes in InAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) are also investigated. It is shown that a multiband approach is necessary in both cases.     

InAs nanostructures on InP (001) substrate with the insertion of a superthin AlAs layer

An AlAs layer of two or three monolayers was inserted beneath the strained InAs layer in the fabrication of InAs nanostructure on the In_0.53Ga_0.47As and In_0.52Al_0.48As buffer layer lattice-matched to InP(001) substrate using molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of AlAs insertion on the InAs nanostructures were investigated and discussed.      

Continuous wavelength tuning of InAs quantum dots on InP (1 0 0) and (3 1 1)A substrates by chemical-beam epitaxy

The growth of InAs quantum dots (QDs) on InP (1 0 0) and (3 1 1)A substrates by chemical-beam epitaxy is studied. The InAs QDs are embedded in a GaInAsP layer lattice-matched to InP. We demonstrate an effective way to continuously tune the emission wavelength of InAs QDs grown on InP (1 0 0). With an ultra-thin GaAs layer inserted between the QD layer and the GaInAsP buffer, the peak wavelength from the InAs QDs can be continuously tuned from above 1.6 μm down to 1.5 μm at room temperature. The major role of the thin GaAs layer is to greatly suppress the As/P exchange during the deposition of InAs and subsequent growth interruption under arsenic flux, as well as to consume the segregated In layer floating on the GaInAsP buffer. Moreover, it is found that InP (3 1 1)A substrates are particularly promising for formation of uniform InAs QDs. The growth of InAs on InP (3 1 1)A consists of two stages: nanowire formation due to strain-driven growth instability and subsequent QD formation on top of the wires. The excellent size uniformity of the InAs QDs obtained on InP (3 1 1)A manifests itself in the narrow photoluminescence line width of 26 meV at 4.8 K.     

Analysis of room temperature PL spectra of InAs/GaAs/InP and InAs/InP self-assembled QDs: A five-band study

In this paper, room temperature PL spectra of InAs self-assembled dots grown on GaAs/InP and InP substrate are presented. For analyzing different positions of the PL peaks, we examine the strain tensor in these quantum dots (QDs) using a valence force field model, and use a five-band k·p formalism to find the electronic spectra. We find that the GaAs tensile-stained layer affects the position of room temperature PL peak. The redshift of PL peak of InAs/GaAs/InP QDs compared to that of InAs/InP QDs is explained theoretically.     

液滴外延下生长参数对InAs纳米结构形貌的影响

利用液滴外延法在GaAs(001)衬底表面制备InAs量子点,通过控制变量分别研究沉积速率、沉积量对In液滴在GaAs表面生长过程中的影响.使用原子力显微镜(Atomic Force Microscope, AFM)表征InAs纳米结构形貌,得出结论：(1)沉积速率主要通过影响In液滴成核率来控制液滴的密度,即随着沉积速率的增大,In原子在衬底表面的成核率增加,InAs量子点密度增加,实验符合生长动力学经典成核理论.(2)沉积量的改变主要影响液滴的熟化过程,即随着沉积量的增大,可参与生长的活跃的In原子增加,促进了液滴熟化,使得扩散坍塌的原子数量增加,导致在InAs纳米结构中出现多量子点现象.     

The emission wavelength tuning of InAs/InP quantum dots with thin GaAs, InGaAs, InP capping layers by MOCVD

InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown on InP substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The width and height of the dots were 50 and 5.8 nm, respectively on the average and an areal density of 3.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻² was observed by atomic force microscopy before the capping process. The influences of GaAs, In_0.53Ga_0.47As, and InP capping layers (5–10 ML thickness) on the InAs/InP QDs were studied. Insertion of a thin GaAs capping layer on the QDs led to a blue shift of up to 146 meV of the photoluminescence (PL) peak and an InGaAs capping layer on the QDs led to a red shift of 64 meV relative to the case when a conventional InP capping layer was used. We were able to tune the emission wavelength of the InAs QDs from 1.43 to 1.89 μm by using the GaAs and InGaAs capping layers. In addition, the full-width at half-maximum of the PL peak decreased from 79 to 26 meV by inserting a 7.5 ML GaAs layer. It is believed that this technique is useful in tailoring the optical properties of the InAs QDs at mid-infrared regime.     

Molecular beam epitaxy growth and characterization of self-assembled InAs quantum dots on (1 0 0) InAlAs/InP substrates

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) on In_0.52Al_0.48As layer lattice matched to (1 0 0) InP substrates have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). TEM observations indicate that defect-free InAs QDs can be grown to obtain emissions over the technologically important 1.3–1.55 μm region. The PL peak positions for the QDs shift to low energy as the InAs coverage increases, corresponding to increase in QD size. The room temperature PL peak at 1.58 μm was observed from defect-free InAs QDs with average dot height of 3.6 nm.     

Ab initio-based approach to the reconstruction on InAs(111)A wetting layer grown on GaAs substrate

The surface reconstructions on InAs(111)A wetting layer grown on GaAs substrate are investigated by our ab initio-based approach incorporating the chemical potentials of In atom and As molecules in the vapor phase as functions of temperature and beam equivalent pressure. The calculated results imply that the most stable surface structure of InAs with/without lattice constraint from the substrate is the In-vacancy surface under conventional growth conditions. The In-vacancy surface is dramatically stabilized on the wetting layer, since the atoms around the In-vacancy are easily displaced to effectively lower the strain energy due to the lattice constraint from the GaAs substrate. Distinctive feature between InAs(111)A surfaces with and without lattice constraint is found in the stable adsorption sites. In adatoms favor the In-vacancy site on the InAs without lattice constraint in contrast to the interstitial sites on the InAs wetting layer. These results suggest that the surface structure and adsorption-desorption behavior on the wetting layer are crucial for investigating the growth processes of nanostructures such as quantum dots and stacking fault tetrahedrons.     

Raman studies of InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As single quantum wells grown on InP substrate by M.B.E.

We analyzed using the Raman technique a series of single quantum wells of InAs/In _0.53Ga_0.47As at different thicknesses of InAs layer grown on a (100) InP substrate by MBE. These high lattice mismatch systems are particularly interesting for potential applications in the mid-IR wavelength range. The well thickness was between 6 and 12 monolayers. The In _0.53 Ga_0.47As grown on an InAs layer is subject to a tensile biaxial strain and the InAs to a compressive one. In the Raman spectra we observed an intense narrow line corresponding to the LO phonon of the InAs layer between a GaAs-like LO mode and a smaller InAs-like LO phonon typical of In_0.53Ga_0.47As. With the increase of the well thickness the experimental energy shift of the LO phonon of the InAs layer decreases, indicating a smaller strain, whereas the GaAs-like LO phonon of the alloy remains constant and the intensity ratio of these two modes becames smaller. The dominant and sharp features of the InAs LO and GaAs-like LO characterize the good quality of our structures. With the increase of the InAs layer thickness we also observed the appearance and the intensity rise of a weak peak around the frequency of the InAs TO mode. This peak could be associated with the TO mode that is forbidden in our scattering geometry. We believe that this is indicative of a slight deterioration of the structural perfection of the sample with the increase of the well thickness. To our knowledge, this is the first study of vibrational properties of InAs/In _0.53 Ga_0.47As single quantum wells grown on InP substrates.     

Fe-contacts on InAs(100) and InP(100) characterised by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy

We have grown 4 nm thin films of ⁵⁷Fe on InAs(100) and InP(100) surfaces by use of MBE and studied the samples by ⁵⁷Fe conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy. In the case of InAs, the Mössbauer spectrum showed a sextet due to α-Fe and a further magnetically split component with slightly smaller hyperfine field, which is attributed to interface components. This result indicates that there is a relatively sharp interface between Fe and InAs. On the contrary, the spectrum of the InP sample showed a sextet with very broad lines and a smaller average hyperfine field. This suggests a strong chemical reaction between iron and the substrate, which results in the formation of a poorly crystalline phase.     

Electronic and optical properties of InAs/InP self-assembled quantum dots on patterned substrates

We present atomistic theory of electronic and optical properties of a single InAs quantum dot grown on a pyramidal InP nanotemplate. The shape and size of the dot is assumed to follow the nanotemplate shape and size. The electron and valence hole single particle states are calculated using atomistic effective–bond–orbital model with second nearest-neighbor interactions. The electronic calculations are coupled to separately calculated strain distribution via Bir–Pikus Hamiltonian. The optical properties of InAs dots embedded in InP pyramids are calculated by solving the many-exciton Hamiltonian for interacting electron and hole complexes using the configuration–interaction method. The effect of quantum-dot geometry on the optical spectra is investigated by a comparison between dots of different shapes.     

Photoreflectance spectroscopy of self-organized InAs/InP(0 0 1) quantum sticks emitting at 1.55 μm

Photoreflectance (PR) measurements are performed as a function of temperature on self-organized InAs/InP(0 0 1) quantum sticks (QSs) grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. With a very weak excitation power, three PR transition energies are arising and associated with the ground state and two excited states, respectively, in good agreement with both photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation measurements. The temperature dependence of the PR transition energies is in good agreement with the Bose-Einstein behavior.From PL analysis of these InAs/InP QSs, the ground state was assumed to be partially filled because of the residual n-type doping of the InP barrier layers. The PR spectra analysis allows us to further confirm this assumption, considering mainly the relative PR intensity of the different transitions, as well as the Franz Keldysh oscillations (FKO) above the InP bandgap.     

Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy of InAs quantum dots on InP with various InAlGaAs barrier thicknesses

The Optical characteristics of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embeded in InAlGaAs on InP have been investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and time-resolved PL. Four different QD samples are grown by using molecular beam epitaxy, and all the QD samples have five-stacked InAs quantum dot layers with a different InAlGaAs barrier thickness. The PL yield from InAs QDs was increased with an increase in the thickness of the InAlGaAs barrier, and the emission peak positions of all InAs QD samples were measured around 1.5 μm at room temperature. The decay time of the carrier in InAs QDs is decreased abruptly in the QD sample with the 5 nm InAlGaAs barrier. This feature is explained by the tunneling and coupling effect in the vertical direction and probably defect generation.     

Emission wavelength engineering of InAs/InP(001) quantum wires

In this work we have studied the dependence of the optical properties of self-assembled InAs quantum wires (QWr) grown on InP(001) on the growth temperature of the InP cap layer, as a mean for controlling the InAs QWr size. Our main result is that we can tune the emission wavelength of InAs QWr either at 1.3 m or 1.55 m at room temperature. We suggest that the role of growth temperature is to modify the As/P exchange at the InAs QWr/InP cap layer interface and consequently the amount of InAs involved in the nanostructure. In this way, due to the enhancement of the As/P exchange, the higher the growth temperature of the cap layer, the smaller in height the InAs quantum wires. Accordingly, the emission wavelength is blue shifted with InP cap layer growth temperature as the electron and hole ground state moves towards higher energies. Optical studies related to the dynamics of carrier recombination and light emission quenching with temperature are also included.Received: 16 December 2003, Published online: 3 August 2004PACS: 81.16.Dn Self-assembly - 78.67.Lt Quantum wires - 81.07.Vb Quantum wires     

Annealing effect on InAs islands on GaAs(0 0 1) substrates studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

Post-annealing effects on InAs islands grown on GaAs(0 0 1) surfaces have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) connected to molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). It is found that for islands grown by 1.6 ML InAs deposition at 450 °C, post-annealing at 450 °C in an As₄ atmosphere causes dissolving of the InAs islands. In contrast, for larger islands obtained by 2.0 ML InAs deposition at 450 °C, the post-annealing leads to coarsening of the islands. The result can be explained in terms of a critical nucleus in heterogeneous nucleation.     

Structural characterization of self-organized nanostructures

Self-organized nano-objects fabricated in different semiconductor systems are currently at the focus of scientific interest because of their unique electronic properties. Transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy have been used to study the InAs quantum dots grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on GaAs and InP substrates. Optimal imaging conditions for visualization of quantum dots were established. Size, shape, and stability of the equilibrium island arrays were analyzed with respect to the growth conditions. Both decrease and increase of the As pressure compared to the optimal value were shown to destroy the regular arrangement of the islands. Energy benefit due to the strain relaxation in the InAs islands is likely to be the driving force for their formation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 849–851 (May 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Nanoelectronic devices---resonant tunnelling diodes grown on InP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy with peak to valley current ratio of 17 at room temperature

This paper reports that InAs/In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As/AlAs resonant tunnelling diodes have been grown on InP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Peak to valley current ratio of these devices is 17 at 300K. A peak current density of 3kA/cm$^{2}$ has been obtained for diodes with AlAs barriers of ten monolayers, and an In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As well of eight monolayers with four monolayers of InAs insert layer. The effects of growth interruption for smoothing potential barrier interfaces have been investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscope.     

Optical properties of Si-doped InAs/InP quantum dots

InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown on InP substrates by low pressure-metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Disilane (Si₂H₆) was used as an n-type dopant. The positions of Si doping were varied: buffer layer, capping layer, modulation doping, and QD itself. Surface treatment of InP by Si₂H₆ was also performed to see the effect of Si on InAs QD. Photoluminescence (PL) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize optical and structural properties of QDs, respectively. It was found that the PL peak positions varied from 0.73 to 0.88 eV with the position of Si doping. PL peak blue shift in modulation doped sample was explained in terms of state filling effect. It was found that Si doping at QD itself was the most effective way to obtain the strongest integrated PL intensity without degrading the QD size distribution.     

MBE生长的In_(1-x-y)Ga_xAl_yAs/InP四元混晶的拉曼散射

ＭＢＥ生长的Ｉｎ１－ｘ－ｙＧａｘＡｌｙＡｓ／ＩｎＰ四元混晶的拉曼散射韩和相汪兆平李国华徐士杰刘南竹朱作明（中国科学院半导体研究所半导体超晶格国家重点实验室北京１０００８３）ＯｐｔｉｃａｌＰｈｏｎｏｎＲａｍａｎＳｃａｔｅｒｉｎｇｆｒｏｍＩｎ１－ｘ－ｙＧ...