All‐optical modulation based on silicon quantum dot doped SiOx:Si‐QD waveguide

All‐optical modulation based on silicon quantum dot doped SiO_x:Si‐QD waveguide is demonstrated. By shrinking the Si‐QD size from 4.3 nm to 1.7 nm in SiO_x matrix (SiO_x:Si‐QD) waveguide, the free‐carrier absorption (FCA) cross section of the Si‐QD is decreased to 8 × 10⁻¹⁸ cm² by enlarging the electron/hole effective masses, which shortens the PL and Auger lifetime to 83 ns and 16.5 ps, respectively. The FCA loss is conversely increased from 0.03 cm⁻¹ to 1.5 cm⁻¹ with the Si‐QD size enlarged from 1.7 nm to 4.3 nm due to the enhanced FCA cross section and the increased free‐carrier density in large Si‐QDs. Both the FCA and free‐carrier relaxation processes of Si‐QDs are shortened as the radiative recombination rate is enlarged by electron–hole momentum overlapping under strong quantum confinement effect. The all‐optical return‐to‐zero on‐off keying (RZ‐OOK) modulation is performed by using the SiO_x:Si‐QD waveguides, providing the transmission bit rate of the inversed RZ‐OOK data stream conversion from 0.2 to 2 Mbit/s by shrinking the Si‐QD size from 4.3 to 1.7 nm.     

Light Trapping and Down‐Shifting Effect of Periodically Nanopatterned Si‐Quantum‐Dot‐Based Structures for Enhanced Photovoltaic Properties

Periodically nanopatterned Si structures have been prepared by using a nanosphere lithography technique. The formed nanopatterned structures exhibit good anti‐reflection and enhanced optical absorption characteristics. The mean surface reflectance weighted by AM1.5 solar spectrum (300–1200 nm) is as low as 5%. By depositing Si quantum dot/SiO₂ multilayers (MLs) on the nanopatterned Si substrate, the optical absorption is higher than 90%, which is significantly improved compared with the same multilayers deposited on flat Si substrate. Furthermore, the prototype n‐Si/Si quantum dot/SiO₂ MLs/p‐Si heterojunction solar cells has been fabricated, and it is found that the external quantum efficiency is obviously enhanced for nanopatterned cell in a wide spectral range compared with the flat cell. The corresponding short‐circuit current density is increased from 25.5 mA cm^?2 for flat cell to 29.0 mA cm^?2 for nano‐patterned one. The improvement of cell performance can be attributed both to the reduced light loss and the down‐shifting effect of Si quantum dots/SiO₂ MLs by forming periodically nanopatterned structures.     

Water‐Dispersible Silicon‐Quantum‐Dot‐Containing Micelles Self‐Assembled from an Amphiphilic Polymer

The dispersion of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) in water has not been established as well as that in organic solvents. It is now demonstrated that the excellent dispersion of Si QDs in water with photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields (QYs) comparable to those for hydrophobic Si QDs can be realized by combining the processes of hydrosilylation and self‐assembly. Hydrogen‐passivated Si QDs are initially hydrosilylated with 1‐dodecence. The toluene solution of the resulting dodecyl‐passivated Si QDs is mixed with the water solution of the amphiphilic polymer of Pluronic F127 to form an emulsion. Dodecyl‐passivated Si QDs are encapsulated in the micelles self‐assembled from F127 in the emulsion. The size of the Si‐QD‐containing micelles may be tuned in the range from 10 to 100 nm. Although self‐assembly in the emulsion causes the PL QY of Si QDs to decrease, after a few days of storage in ambient conditions, Si QDs encapsulated in the water‐dispersible micelles exhibit recovered PL QYs of ≈24% at the PL wavelength of ≈680 nm. The intensity of the PL from Si QDs encapsulated in the water‐dispersible micelles is >90% of the original value after 60 min ultraviolet illumination, indicating excellent photostability.     

Assessing Carrier Recombination Processes in Type‐II SiGe/Si(001) Quantum Dots

In this work, it is shown how different carrier recombination paths significantly broaden the photoluminescence (PL) emission bandwidth observed in type‐II self‐assembled SiGe/Si(001) quantum dots (QDs). QDs grown by molecular beam epitaxy with very homogeneous size distribution, onion‐shaped composition profile, and Si capping layer thicknesses varying from 0 to 1100 nm are utilized to assess the optical carrier‐recombination paths. By using high‐energy photons for PL excitation, electron‐hole pairs can be selectively generated either above or below the QD layer and, thus, clearly access two radiative carrier recombination channels. Fitting the charge carrier capture‐, loss‐ and recombination‐dynamics to PL time‐decay curves measured for different experimental configurations allows to obtain quantitative information of carrier capture‐, excitonic‐emission‐, and Auger‐recombination rates in this type‐II nano‐system.     

导纳谱研究两类Si基量子阱基态子能级的性质

用导纳谱技术研究了两类Si基量子阱样品基态子能级的性质.基于量子阱中载流子的热激发模型，从导纳谱中得到的激发能值被认为是阱中重空穴基态位置到阱顶的距离.对于SiGe合金和Si形成的组分量子阱，主要研究了退火对重空穴基态子能级的影响.发现样品的退火温度为800℃时，随退火时间延长，激发能增加.对此现象的解释是，由于Si,Ge互扩散，导致界面展宽，量子限制效应降低，重空穴基态位置下降，从而激发能增加.900℃下退火，由于扩散系数增大和应变弛豫加强，激发能值单调下降，量子限制效应引起的变化被掩盖.对于B高浓度超 关键词：     

Potential‐inserted quantum well design for quantum cascade terahertz lasers

We report on a new design of terahertz quantum cascade laser based on a single, potential‐inserted quantum well active region. The quantum well properties are engineered through single monolayer InAs inserts. The modeling is based on atomistic, spds* tight‐binding calculations, and performances are compared to that of the classical three‐well design. We obtain a 100% increase of the oscillator strength per unit length, while maintaining a high, nearly temperature‐independent contrast between phonon‐induced relaxation times of the upper and lower lasing states. The improved performances are expected to allow THz lasing at room temperature.     

Erbium in silicon–germanium quantum wells

Strained Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells have been doped with erbium by implantation. A comparison is made with strained Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells and relaxed Si_1−xGe_x, with x between 10% and 25%, doped with erbium during MBE growth. The erbium concentration was between 1×10¹⁸ and 5×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ throughout the active regions. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence studies indicate that good regrowth can been achieved after full amorphisation by implantation of the strained quantum wells. The erbium luminescence is more intense in the Si_1−xGe_x/Si layers, but erbium-implanted samples containing Si_1−xGe_x exhibit defect luminescence in the region of 0.9–1.0 eV. These defects are also present when Si_1−xGe_x/Si quantum wells are implanted with an amorphising dose of silicon, and then regrown. They are attributed to small germanium-rich platelets, rather than to erbium-related defects. Electroluminescence is presented from a forward biased erbium-implanted Si_0.87Ge_0.13/Si structure at a drive current density of only 1.8 mA/cm².     

BEC Dynamics in a Double‐Well with Interferometric Feedback

The feedback control scheme for a Bose‐Einstein condensate (BEC) in a double‐well trapping potential located in one arm of Mach‐Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is investigated. The off‐resonant light beam performs the phase probing in one of the wells, thus creating information about the number of atoms in this well. The parameters of the trapping potential are controlled via a feedback loop based on the measured output of the MZI. The problem is analyzed in the framework of master equations for hybrid quantum‐classical systems. Significant modifications of the stationary distribution of atoms over the wells are predicted. These distributions can effectively be controlled by the tunable phase shift in the other arm of the MZI.     

Effects of Mg doping in the quantum barriers on the efficiency droop of GaN based light emitting diodes

The effects of Mg doping in the quantum barriers(QBs) on the efficiency droop of GaN based light emitting diodes(LEDs) were investigated through a duel wavelength method. Barrier Mg doping would lead to the enhanced hole transportation and reduced polarization field in the quantum wells(QWs), both may reduce the efficiency droop. However,heavy Mg doping in the QBs would strongly deteriorate the crystal quality of the QWs grown after the doped QB. When increasing the injection current, the carriers would escape from the QWs between n-GaN and the doped QB and recombine non-radiatively in the QWs grown after the doped QB, leading to a serious efficiency droop.     

单负材料组成一维光子晶体双量子阱结构的共振模

通过传输矩阵方法, 计算模拟了两种单负材料组成一维光子晶体双量子阱结构的透射谱. 研究发现: 由于双量子阱结构双阱之间的相互耦合作用, 共振模发生双重劈裂, 共振峰之间的距离可以通过调节双阱之间的耦合强度控制, 共振模的品质因子可以通过调节外部障碍光子晶体的周期数控制. 并且, 共振模受入射角和光偏振模式的影响都比较小, 适合全方向滤波. 当考虑两种单负材料不同损耗的影响时, 研究结果表明, 电损耗对低频处的共振模影响大, 而磁损耗对高频和低频处的共振模影响都比较大.     

Heralded Universal Quantum Gate and Entangler Assisted by Imperfect Double‐Sided Quantum‐Dot‐Microcavity Systems

Efficient ways are presented to accomplish photonic controlled‐phase‐flip gate and entangler with the assistance of imperfect double‐sided quantum‐dot‐microcavity systems, but without ancillary qubits. Compact quantum circuits for implementing entanglement swapping between photon pairs and electron pairs are then designed. Unity fidelities of the schemes can be achieved, and physical imperfections in the construction processes are detected by single‐photon detectors. Also, the efficiencies of the schemes can be further improved by repeating the operation processes when the undesired performances are detected. The evaluations show that the schemes are possible with current experiment parameters.     

Optimum Quantum Yield of the Light Emission from 2 to 10 nm Hydrosilylated Silicon Quantum Dots

Optimizing the light‐emitting efficiency of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) has been recently intensified by the demand of the practical use of Si QDs in a variety of fields such as optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and bioimaging. It is imperative that an understanding of the optimum light‐emitting efficiency of Si QDs should be obtained to guide the design of the synthesis and processing of Si QDs. Here an investigation is presented on the characteristics of the photoluminescence (PL) from hydrosilylated Si QDs in a rather broad size region (≈2–10 nm), which enables an effective mass approximation model to be developed, which can very well describe the dependence of the PL energy on the QD size for Si QDs in the whole quantum‐confinement regime, and demonstrates that an optimum PL quantum yield (QY) appears at a specific QD size for Si QDs. The optimum PL QY results from the interplay between quantum‐confinement effect and surface effect. The current work has important implications for the surface engineering of Si QDs. To optimize the light‐emission efficiency of Si QDs, the surface of Si QDs must be engineered to minimize the formation of defects such as dangling bonds at the QD surface and build an energy barrier that can effectively prevent carriers in Si QDs from tunneling out.     

Droop improvement in blue InGaN light-emitting diodes with GaN/InGaN superlattice barriers

GaN/InGaN superlattice barriers are used in InGaN-based light-emitting diodes （LEDs）. The electrostatic field in the quantum wells, electron hole wavefunction overlap, carrier concentration, spontaneous emission spectrum, light-current performance curve, and internal quantum efficiency are numerically investigated using the APSYS simulation software. It is found that the structure with GaN/InGaN superlattice barriers shows improved light output power, and lower current leakage and efficiency droop. According to our numerical simulation and analysis, these improvements in the electrical and optical characteristics are mainly attributed to the alleviation of the electrostatic field in the active region.     

InGaN/GaN laser diode characterization and quantum well number effect

The effect of quantum well number on the quantum efficiency and temperature characteristics of In- GaN/GaN laser diodes （LDs） is determined and investigated. The 3-nm-thick In0.13Ca0.87N wells and two 6-am-thick GaN barriers are selected as an active region for Fabry-Perot （FP） cavity waveguide edge emitting LD. The internal quantum efficiency and internal optical loss coefficient are extracted through the simulation software for single, double, and triple InGaN/GaN quantum wells. The effects of device temperature on the laser threshold current, external differential quantum efficiency （DQE）, and output wavelength are also investigated. The external quantum efficiency and characteristic temperature are improved significantly when the quantum well number is two. It is indicated that the laser structures with many quantum wells will suffer from the inhomogeneity of the carrier density within the quantum well itself which affects the LD performance.     

Enhanced performance of GaN-based light-emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN superlattice barriers

GaN-based multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with conventional and superlattice barriers have been investigated numerically. Simulation results demonstrate using InGaN/GaN superlattices as barriers can effectively enhance performances of the GaN-Based LEDs, mainly owing to the improvement of hole injection and transport among the MQW active region. Meanwhile, the improved electron capture decreases the electron leakage and alleviates the efficiency droop. The weak polarization field induced by the superlattice structure strengthens the intensity of the emission spectrum and leads to a blue-shift relative to the conventional one.     

高功率垂直外腔面发射半导体激光器增益设计及制备

垂直外腔面发射半导体激光器(vertical external cavity surface emitting laser, VECSEL)兼具高功率与良好的光束质量,是半导体激光器领域的持续研究热点之一.本文开展了光抽运VECSEL最核心的多量子阱增益区设计,对量子阱增益光谱及其峰值增益与载流子浓度及温度等关系进行系统的理论优化,并对5种不同势垒构型的量子阱增益特性进行对比,证实采用双侧GaAsP应变补偿的发光区具有更理想的增益特性.对MOCVD生长的VECSEL进行器件制备,实现了VECSEL在抽运功率为35 W时输出功率达到9.82 W,并且功率曲线仍然没有饱和;通过变化外腔镜的反射率, VECSEL的激光波长随抽运功率的漂移系数由0.216 nm/W降低至0.16 nm/W,证实外腔镜反射率会影响VECSEL增益芯片内部热效应,从而影响VECSEL激光输出功率.所制备VECSEL在两正交方向上的发散角分别为9.2°和9.0°,激光光斑呈现良好的圆形对称性.     

Fabrication of three‐dimensional photonic crystals in quantum‐dot‐based materials

Controlling spontaneous emission (SE) is of fundamental importance to a diverse range of photonic applications including but not limited to quantum optics, low power displays, solar energy harvesting and optical communications. Characterized by photonic bandgap (PBG) property, three‐dimensional (3D) photonic crystals (PCs) have emerged as a promising synthetic material, which can manipulate photons in much the same way as a semiconductor does to electrons. Emission tunable nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) are ideal point sources to be embedded into 3D PCs towards active devices. The challenge however lies in the combination of QDs with 3D PCs without degradation of their emission properties. Polymer materials stand out for this purpose due to their flexibility of incorporating active materials. Combining the versatile multi‐photon 3D micro‐fabrication techniques, active 3D PCs have been fabricated in polymer‐QD composites with demonstrated control of SE from QDs. With this milestone novel miniaturized photonic devices can thus be envisaged.     

A High‐Efficiency All‐Fiber Laser Operated in High‐Order Mode using Ring‐Core Yb‐Doped Fiber

An all‐fiber laser generating a cylindrical vector beam is proposed and demonstrated using a home‐made ring‐core Yb‐doped fiber (RC‐YDF). In the RC‐YDF, not only annular doping but also ring‐type beam pump is realized. This is believed to be the first report describing the realization of annular doping and ring‐type beam pump in active fiber simultaneously, which can enhance the efficiency for high‐order mode oscillation. This laser operates in the high‐order mode stably with a slope efficiency of as high as 55.7%. Cylindrical vector modes can be obtained easily through adjusting the polarization controller. This work may have great potential for providing high‐efficiency and high‐power cylindrical vector beam and vortex beam sources.     

Spin‐Polarized Symmetric Electron‐Hole Quantum Bilayers: Finite width Effect

In this paper, the effect of finite width on ground‐state properties of a spin‐polarized symmetric electron‐hole quantum bilayers (EHBL) system is investigated at zero temperature. The quantum self‐consistent mean‐field approximation of Singwi, Tosi, Land and Sjölander (qSTLS) is adopted to explore intra‐ and interlayer properties such as the pair‐correlation function, the static density susceptibility, the local‐field corrections and the ground‐state energy. Interestingly, we noticed that due to the inclusion of finite width, the critical density for the onset of Wigner crystal (WC) phase is now lowered as compared to the recent spin‐polarized EHBL system without finite width and unpolarized EHBL system with finite width. Further, spin‐polarization effect is seem to introduce a marked change in the ground‐state energy of EHBL system as compared to that of unpolarized system. Results of ground‐state energy are also compared with the recent EHBL system without finite width (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)