A study of GaInP/GaAs interfaces: metallurgical coupling of successive quantum wells

We present a study of GaInP/GaAs interfaces by means of photoluminescence (PL) of multi quantum wells (MQW), embedded in GaInP, or asymmetric structures having an AlGaAs barrier GaInP/GaAs/AlGaAs. The PL energies of quantum wells were compared with calculations based on the transfer matrix envelope function approximation, well suited for asymmetric structures. GaInP/GaAs/AlGaAs MQW structures (GaInP grown first) are in reasonably good agreement with calculations. Reverse ones, AlGaAs/GaAs/GaInP, present a lower PL energy than calculated. But the agreement with theory is recovered on single quantum well samples, or in MQW when the GaInP thickness is increased up to 100 nm. We interpret this phenomenon as a diffusion of arsenic atoms from the next GaAs well through the GaInP barrier. Arsenic atoms exchange with phosphorus atoms at the GaInP-on-GaAs interface of the former well, leading to a small gap strained InGaAs region responsible for the lowering of PL energies.     

Photoluminescence and secondary ion mass spectroscopy characterization of GaAs-AlGaAs quantum wells grown on GaAs (1 0 0) substrates with different surface treatments

GaAs (1 0 0) substrates prepared in a quartz chamber under a H₂/As₄ flux, and then exposed to air were used for the subsequent growth of GaAs-AlGaAs single quantum wells by molecular beam epitaxy. The substrates prepared by this method showed atomically flat surfaces corroborated by atomic force microscopy analysis. Quantum wells grown directly on these substrates without a GaAs buffer layer exhibited narrow and intense photoluminescence peaks, an indication of a high quality material. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis showed oxygen and carbon traces on the first AlGaAs barrier layer grown after air exposure with no effects on the quantum wells optical emissions. From the results we conclude that the prepared GaAs surfaces are useful for the epitaxial growth of high quality quantum structures.     

GaAsN/AlAs/AlGaAs double barrier quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy as an alternative to infrared absorption below 4 μm

In this work, we report on the design, growth and characterization of GaAsN/AlAs/AlGaAs double barrier quantum well infrared detectors to achieve intraband absorption below 4 μm. Due to the high effective mass of N-dilute alloys, it is common for these N-containing double barrier quantum well structures to have more than one bound state within the quantum well, enabling the possibility of achieving multispectral absorption from these confined levels to the quasi-bound. Based on a transfer matrix calculation we will study the influence of the potential parameters, in particular the well width and the introduction of a GaAs spacer layer in between the N-well and the AlAs barriers. We will compare the case in which there are two confined levels with the case in which only one level is bound, like in the conventional AlGaAs/AlAs/GaAs structures. On the basis of the simulation, we have grown and characterized some N-containing double barrier detectors. Moreover, an optimization of the post-growth annealing treatments of the GaAsN quantum well structures has also been performed. Finally, room temperature absorption measurements of both as-grown and annealed samples are presented and analyzed.     

空间用GaInP/GaAs/In0.3Ga0.7 As(1 eV)倒装三结太阳电池研制

采用阶变缓冲层技术 (step-graded) 外延生长了具有更优带隙组合的倒装GaInP/GaAs/In_0.3Ga_0.7As(1.0 eV) 三结太阳电池材料, TEM和HRXRD测试表明晶格失配度为2%的In_0.3Ga_0.7As 底电池具有较低的穿透位错密度和较高的晶体质量, 达到太阳电池的制备要求. 通过键合、剥离等工艺制备了太阳电池芯片. 面积为 10.922 cm² 的太阳电池芯片在空间光谱条件下转换效率达到32.64% (AM0, 25 ℃), 比传统晶格匹配的 GaInP/GaAs/Ge(0.67 eV) 三结太阳电池的转换效率提高3个百分点. 关键词： 太阳电池 三结 倒装结构     

Growth and optical characterization of dense arrays of site-controlled quantum dots grown in inverted pyramids

We report on the growth and optical properties of dense arrays of single GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dot (QD) heterostructures with pitches as small as 300 nm. The samples were grown by organometallic chemical vapor deposition in dense inverted pyramids on {1 1 1}B GaAs substrate pre-patterned using electron beam lithography and wet chemical etching. The growth conditions such as deoxidation and growth temperatures, growth rates, and V/III ratio, had to be chosen quite differently from those employed with micron-size pyramids. Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectra of the samples show distinct luminescence from the QDs with a linewidth of less than 1 meV and uniform emission energy for an ensemble of 900 QDs. The possibility of incorporating such QD arrays inside optical microcavity structures is also discussed.     

Effect of the spacer growth temperature on the electrophysical and structural properties of PHEMTs

The effect of the growth temperature of an AlGaAs spacer on mobility μ_e of the 2D electron gas in pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs structures with one-sided δ doping by silicon is studied The structures are optimized so that conduction over the doped layer is absent. In such structures, mobility μ_e increases by 53 and 69% at T = 300 and 77 K, respectively, as the growth temperature of the spacer rises from 590 to 610°C with other parameters and growth conditions fixed. Photoluminescence and X-ray diffraction analyses show that the mobility increases because the AlGaAs spacer crystal structure is improved and the AlGaAs/InGaAs interface becomes sharper.     

Influence of thin AlAs layer insertion on intersubband optical transitions in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum- well structures

In this work, we demonstrate the thin AlAs layer insertion into GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) structures and its influence in energy transition in the frequency range of mid-infrared. To realize the more accurate calculation, the graded interface model of QW structures is integrated into our self-consistent solving of Schrodinger and Poisson equations to obtain the energy level and envelope wave functions of QW. We find the thin AlAs layer inserted at various positions in the well can obviously tune intersubband optical transitions. The corresponding tuning range can be 50 meV. We find that the thicker AlAs layer (2 monolayers) can provide wider tuning range and larger oscillator strength between subbands 1 and 3, compared with the thinner one (1 monolayer). Our results suggest that thin semiconductor layer may be an idea optimization design for the quantum well terahertz lasers which are based on optical pumping with mid-infrared lasers.     

Photoreflectance study of InAs ultrathin layer embedded in Si-delta-doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

Photoreflectance and photoluminescence studies were performed to characterize InAs ultrathin layer embedded in Si-delta-doped GaAs/AlGaAs high electron mobility transistors. These structures were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy on (1 0 0) oriented GaAs substrates with different silicon-delta-doped layer densities. Interband energy transitions in the InAs ultrathin layer quantum well were observed below the GaAs band gap in the photoreflectance spectra, and assigned to electron-heavy-hole (E_e-hh) and electron-light-hole (E_e-lh) fundamental transitions. These transitions were shifted to lower energy with increasing silicon-δ-doping density. This effect is in good agreement with our theoretical results based on a self-consistent solution of the coupled Schrödinger and Poisson equations and was explained by increased escape of photogenerated carriers and enhanced Quantum Confined Stark Effect in the Si-delta-doped InAs/GaAs QW. In the photoreflectance spectra, not only the channel well interband energy transitions were observed, but also features associated with the GaAs and AlGaAs bulk layers located at about 1.427 and 1.8 eV, respectively. By analyzing the Franz-Keldysh Oscillations observed in the spectral characteristics of Si-δ-doped samples, we have determined the internal electric field introduced by ionized Si-δ-doped centers. We have observed an increase in the electric field in the InAs ultrathin layer with increasing silicon content. The results are explained in terms of doping dependent ionized impurities densities and surface charges.     

Reduction in relaxation time due to ionized impurities in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structures

Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements in δ -doped GaAs/AlGaAs on the quantum well structures are performed to study effects of ionized impurities relaxation process of photoexcited carriers. It is theoretically shown that a thin quantum well with a δ -doping layer inserted in the barrier layer of double quantum wells enhances the impurity scattering rate significantly. Photoluminescence decay time in the δ -doped samples is found to decrease compared with the undoped samples.     

Room temperature polarized photoreflectance and photoluminescence characterization of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistor structures

We have characterized the properties of three AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor structures with two different well widths fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on (0 0 1) GaAs substrates with different threading dislocation densities using room temperature photoreflectance (PR) and photoluminescence (PL). The samples were denoted as A, B and C with well widths of 140, 160 and 160 Å, respectively. Samples A and B were grown on substrates with lower threading dislocation densities. For samples B and C, the well width exceeds the pseudomorphic limit so that there is some strain relaxation and related misfit dislocations, as determined from X-ray measurements. In order to detect the anisotropic strain of the misfit dislocations related to strain relaxation, the PR measurements were performed for incident light polarized along [1 1 0] and directions. Evidence for the influence of the strain relaxation upon the relaxed channel was provided by the observed anisotropy of the polarized PR features and reduction of the intensity of PL signals in the InGaAs channel layer. The lowest lying intersubband transition has been confirmed by a comparison of the PR and PL spectra. Signals have been observed from every region of the sample making it possible to evaluate the In and Al compositions, channel width and two-dimensional electron gas density as well as the properties of the GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well buffer layer.     

Structural and optical properties of a catalyst-free GaAs/AlGaAs core–shell nano/microwire grown on (1 1 1)Si substrate

Heterostructure in the catalyst-free GaAs nanowire grown on the Si substrate was studied for the application of optical devices in the next generation. We fabricated AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) structure on the side facet of the catalyst-free GaAs nanowire grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The cathode luminescence (CL) measurement showed that the uniform GaAs quantum well was formed between AlGaAs shell layers. On the basis of this structure, we also grew the thick AlGaAs shell layers (∼700 nm) on GaAs nanowires, and observed whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonant in the thick AlGaAs hexagonal structure.     

界面生长中断对GaAs (111)衬底上 AlGaAs/GaAs量子阱电子自旋寿命的影响

用固源分子束外延技术(SSMBE)在GaAs(111)衬底上,采用不同的界面中断时间生长了多组AlGaAs/GaAs多量子阱样品(MQWs),通过室温发光光谱和时间分辨克尔旋转谱(TRKR)研究了界面生长中断对发光光谱半峰全宽(FWHM)和量子阱中电子自旋弛豫时间(自旋寿命)的影响,发现了自旋寿命随着界面生长中断时间的增加呈现先减小后增加的趋势,此变化趋势与荧光光谱半峰全宽表征的材料质量随中断时间的变化一致,适当的界面生长中断时间能有效的增加GaAs (111)衬底上AlGaAs/GaAs 多量子阱中电子自旋寿命。     

GaAs/AlGaAs量子点阵的制备及其荧光特性

采用电子束曝光和反应离子刻蚀的工艺,将GaAs/AlGaAs量子阱外延材料制成量子点阵,其光荧光谱显示出蓝移,并且蓝移量随着量子点直径尺寸的减少而增大。     

2D-1D coupling in cleaved edge overgrowth

We study the scattering properties of an interface between a one-dimensional (1D) wire and a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. Experiments were conducted in the highly controlled geometry provided by molecular bean epitaxy overgrowth onto the cleaved edge of a high quality GaAs /AlGaAs quantum well. Such structures allow for the creation of variable length 1D-2D coupling sections. We find ballistic 1D electron transport through these interaction regions with a mean free path as long as 6 &mgr;m. Our results explain the origin of the puzzling nonuniversal conductance quantization observed previously in such 1D wires.     

Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence characterization of buried InGaP/GaAs heterointerfaces

As a new approach for contactless and non-destructive characterization method of buried multi-layer heterointerfaces, acceleration voltage-dependence of cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra is investigated for various InGaP/GaAs multi-layer heterostructures. The plot of CL intensity vs. acceleration voltage for a multi-layer heterostructure is defined as the cathodoluminescence in-depth spectrum (CLIS). Experimental CLIS spectra on InGaP/GaAs single heterostructures and quantum well structures grown on GaAs by MOVPE and by GSMBE using TBP as the P source demonstrate that CLIS technique is very powerful to obtain depth-resolved information on multi-layer heterostructures.     

快速热处理对应变InGaAs/GaAs单量子阱激光二极管电子发射和DX中心的影响

研究分子束外延(MBE)生长的应变In0.2Ga0.8AsGaAs折射率梯度变化异质结单量子阱激光二极管的快速热处理(RTA)效应.结果表明,RTA移除了InGaAsGaAs界面非辐射中心,提高77K光致发光效率和有源层电子发射.同时Al和Ga原子互扩散,也增加了AlGaAs波导层DX中心浓度.RTA处理后样品电流冲击老化实验证明DX中心浓度呈现出相应的增加.这表明DX中心可能是激光二极管性能退化的原因之一. 关键词： 量子阱 快速热处理 电子发射 DX中心     

Calculation of subband breadth of GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice

From the view of electron waving, taking account of the electron wave reflections at the interface between the well and the potential barrier layer we discuss the electronic states above the barriers in a GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice. We present a new method on calculating the breadth of the subband and the calculated breadth of GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice is in good agreement with experimental results.     

Silicon doping effects on optical properties of InAs ultrathin layer embedded in GaAs/AlGaAs:δSi high electron mobility transistors structures

Micro-Raman scattering measurements were used to study the silicon delta-doped layer density variation effect on InAs ultrathin layer embedded in silicon-delta-doped GaAs/AlGaAs high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) structures properties. These structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates with different silicon (Si) delta-doped layer densities. Two coupled plasmon–longitudinal optical (LO) phonon modes (L− and L+) were observed in the micro-Raman spectra of the Si-delta-doped samples, and both their wave numbers and intensities were dependent on the silicon delta-doped layer density. There is evidence to suggest that the increase of the Si doping level results in the increase of exciton–phonon scattering which is mainly due to the incorporation of Si and the increase of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the InAs/GaAs interface. From fitting the temperature-dependence of full width at half maximum (FWHM) of quantum well’s photoluminescence peak (P₁) by the exciton–photon coupling model, it was found that the interaction between exciton and phonon in Si-delta-doped quantum wells was higher than that in the undoped sample. This result was confirmed as resulting from the increase of plasmon–phonon scattering which is attributed to the increase of free carriers donated from implanted Si dopant. The self-consistent Poisson–Schrödinger model calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental results, where the 2DEG densities increase linearly with increasing the Si-delta-doped layer density.     

Catastrophic degradation of pulsed lasers based on AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with electron-beam pumping

Catastrophic degradation of pulsed lasers based on InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs structures with different design of the active domain with transverse pumping by the electron beam at T = 300 K is studied. In lasers based on structures with a InGaAs single quantum well and with seven quantum wells, the maximal values of pulsed power are 70–90 and 10–20 W, respectively.     

GaAlAs／GaAs量子阱结构的光致发光研究

阐述了用ＭＯＣＶＤ生长的ＧａＡｌＡｓ／ＧａＡｓ梯度折射率分别限制量子阱结构及其光学性质。样品经高分辨率光致发光（ＰＬ）测试显示,在１０Ｋ下对于８ｎｍ的单量子阱,通过激发产生的荧光谱半峰宽（ＦＷＨＭ）为６．２ｎｍ,同时具有较高的强度。表明量子阱结构具有陡峭的界面;另外还观察到,Ｘ（ｅ－ｈｈ）峰值位置相对于激发能级的移动。测试结果表明,样品质量符合设计要求,结果令人满意。