双波泵浦非对称量子阱的光学整流效应

为了实现基于光整流方式的室温下宽调谐高效率太赫兹源,设计了一种适于双波长CO2激光器共振子带跃迁泵浦的双阱嵌套形非对称量子阱结构,结构组分为Al0.5Ga0.5As/Ga As/Al0.2Ga0.8As,采用密度矩阵及迭代方法计算了其二阶非线性光整流系数χo(2)表达式,在导带为抛物线形和非抛物线形两种条件下对χo(2)进行对比研究。计算结果表明,其偶极跃迁矩阵元随量子阱总阱宽的增大而逐渐减小。当固定量子阱总阱宽及其中一束泵浦光波长不变时,χo(2)随着另一束泵浦光波长的增加,呈现出先增大后减小的变化趋势。当深阱为7 nm、总阱宽为23 nm、两束泵浦光相等为10.64μm时,χo(2)达到最大值5.925×10-6m/V;随着总阱宽的增大,χo(2)曲线呈现"红移"现象,其原因为量子限制效应导致了不同阱宽条件下的量子阱能级值差不同,从而造成满足泵浦光光子能量与能级差共振条件的变化。导带为抛物线形和非抛物线形两种条件下的χo(2)的最大值对应泵浦光波长基本相同,χo(2)数值上的差异主要由跃迁矩阵元的不同导致。     

Photoluminescence studies of confined states in AlGaAs/GaAs asymmetric quantum well

In the recombination spectra of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures, a peculiar and asymmetric photoluminescence (PL) band F has previously been reported [Aloulou et al., Mater. Sci. Eng. B 96 (2002) 14] to be due to recombinations of confined electrons from the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at AlGaAs/GaAs interface in asymmetric quantum well (AQW). Detailed experiments are reported here on GaAs/Al_0.31Ga_0.69As/GaAs:δSi/Al_0.31Ga_0.69As/GaAs samples with different spacer layer thicknesses. We show that the band F is the superposition of two PL bands F′ and F″ associated, respectively, to AQW and a symmetric quantum well (SQW). In the low excitation regime, the F′ band present a blue shift (4.4 meV) followed by important red shift (16.5 meV) when increasing optical excitation intensity. The blue shift in energy is interpreted in terms of optical control of the 2DEG density in the AQW while the red shift is due to the narrowing of the band gaps caused by the local heating of the sample and band bending modification for relatively high-optical excitation intensity. Calculation performed using self-consistent resolution of the coupled Schrödinger–Poisson equations are included to support the interpretation of the experimental data.     

高性能透射式GaAs光电阴极量子效率拟合与结构研究

为了探索高性能透射式GaAs光电阴极的特征结构,对光电阴极量子效率公式进行了光谱反射率与短波截止限的修正,并利用修正后的公式对ITT透射式GaAs光电阴极量子效率(≈43%)曲线进行了拟合,得到拟合相对误差小于5%时的结构参数为:窗口层Ga_1-xAl_xAs的厚度介于0.3-0.5 μm,Al组分x值为0.7,发射层GaAs的厚度介于1.1-1.4 μm.另外,根据拟合结果讨论了均匀掺杂透射式GaAs光电阴极的优化结构参数,如果光电阴极具有0.4 μm厚的Ga_1-xAl_xAs(x=0.7)窗口层和1.1-1.5 μm厚的GaAs发射层,则积分灵敏度可以达到2350 μA/lm以上. 关键词： 透射式GaAs光电阴极 量子效率 积分灵敏度 光学性能     

Linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in inverse parabolic quantum wells under static external electric field

In the present theoretical study, the linear and third-order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients have been calculated in GaAs/Ga_1−x Al _x As inverse parabolic quantum wells (single and double) subjected to an external electric field. Our calculations are based on the potential morphing method in the effective mass approximation. The systematic theoretical investigation contains results with all possible combinations of the involved parameters, as quantum well width, quantum barrier width, Al concentration at each well center and magnitude of the external electric field. Our results indicate that in most cases investigated, the increase of the electric field blue-shifts the peak positions of the total absorption coefficient. In all cases studied it became apparent that the incident optical intensity considerably affects the total absorption coefficient.     

Ultra-fast nonlinear response around 1.5 μm in 2D AlGaAs/AlOx photonic crystal

We report the fast switching capabilities of a two-dimensional Al_0.3Ga_0.7As photonic crystal slab around 1.5 μm. The slab is supported by an AlOx low-index thick layer that plays the role of an efficient heat sink. By pumping at 0.8 μm in the absorption of the Al_0.3Ga_0.7As quantum wells, the optical response is modified in the transparency region: a 200% change in the reflectivity is obtained with a total response time of 8ps.     

Optical study of erbium-doped La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14 single crystal

Single crystals of erbium-doped La₃Ga_5.5 Ta_0.5O₁₄, grown by the Czochralski method, have been investigated using methods of optical spectroscopy. Room-temperature absorption spectra were analysed in the framework of the Judd-Ofelt theory. Radiative transition rates, radiative lifetimes and luminescence branching ratios for luminescent levels of Er³⁺ have been evaluated and compared to measured luminescence intensities and lifetimes. The laser potential associated with the ⁴I_13/2-⁴I_15/2 transition near 1.55 μm has been assessed. It has been concluded that La₃Ga_5.5 Ta_0.5,O₁₄:Er crystal is an intermediate gain laser material exhibiting strong inhomogeneous broadening of absorption bands, advantageous for optical pumping with laser diodes.     

Specific features of the reflection of infrared radiation by crystalline dielectrics in a magnetic field

Magnetic-field-induced variations in the reflection spectra R(λ) of the crystalline dielectrics Al₂O₃, LiF, and MgO in the infrared band (λ = 2.5–25 μm) are investigated. It is found that the reflection spectra exhibit specific features in the neighborhood of wavelengths corresponding to the excitation of optical phonon modes in the above-mentioned crystals and that a magnetic field causes an appreciable variation in the reflectivity at these wavelengths. To qualitatively describe the effect of a magnetic field on the reflection of light, the magnetoreflection spectra ΔR/R are investigated. The spectra ΔR/R exhibit sharp peaks in the neighborhood of wavelengths at which the materials under investigation are characterized by minimal reflectivity. The values of ΔR/R for p-polarized infrared radiation in a magnetic field of about 12 kOe amount to about 0.5% for Al₂O₃ at λ ≈ 9.6 μm, 7% for LiF at λ ≈ 11.1 μm, and 0.07% for MgO at λ ≈ 11.7 μm.     

Effect of conduction band nonparabolicity on the optical properties in a single quantum well under hydrostatic pressure and electric field

The effect of conduction band nonparabolicity on the linear and nonlinear optical properties such as absorption coefficients, and changes in the refractive index are calculated in the Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/GaAs heterostructure-based symmetric rectangular quantum well under applied hydrostatic pressure and electric field. The electron envelope functions and energies are calculated in the effective mass equation including the conduction band nonparabolicity. The linear and nonlinear optical properties have been calculated in the density matrix formalism with two-level approximation. The conduction band nonparabolicity shifts the positions of the optical properties and decreases their strength compared to those without this correction. Both the optical properties are enhanced with the applied hydrostatic pressure. While the absorption coefficients are bleached under the combined effect of high pressure and electric field, the bleaching effect is reduced when nonparabolicity is included.     

First principles study on electronic and optical properties of Al<Subscript>x</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>N and In<Subscript>y</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>1−y</Subscript>N

The band structure, density of states of Al_xGa_1?xN and In_yGa_1?yN was performed by the first-principles method within the local density approximation. The calculated energy gaps of the AlN, Al_0.5Ga_0.5N, GaN, In_0.5Ga_0.5N and InN were 5.48, 4.23, 3.137, 1.274 and 0.504 eV, which were in agreement with the experimental result. The dielectric functions, absorption coefficient and loss function were calculated based on Kramers–Kronig relations. Further more, the relationships between electronic structure and optical properties were investigated theoretically. For Al_xGa_1?xN and In_yGa_1?yN materials, the micromechanism of the optical properties were explained.     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties in a semiconductor quantum well under intense laser radiation: Effects of applied electromagnetic fields

In this work we are studying the intense laser effects on the electron-related linear and nonlinear optical properties in GaAs–Ga_1?xAl_xAs quantum wells under applied electric and magnetic fields. The calculated quantities include linear optical absorption coefficient and relative change of the refractive index, as well as their corresponding third-order nonlinear corrections. The nonlinear optical rectification and the second and third harmonic generation coefficients are also reported. The DC applied electric field is oriented along the hererostructure growth direction whereas the magnetic field is taken in-plane. The calculations make use of the density matrix formalism to express the different orders of the dielectric susceptibility. Additionally, the model includes the effective mass and parabolic band approximations. The intense laser effects upon the system enter through the Floquet method that modifies the confinement potential associated to the heterostructure. The results correspond to several configurations of the dimensions of the quantum well, the applied electric and magnetic fields, and the incident intense laser radiation. They suggest that the nonlinear optical absorption and optical rectification are nonmonotone functions of the dimensions of the heterostructure and of the external perturbations considered in this work.     

Linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes in a quantum box with finite confining potential

In this work, both the intersubband optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes are calculated exactly in a quantum box. Analytical expressions for the linear and nonlinear intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are obtained by using the compact-density matrix approach. Numerical results are presented for typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1−x As quantum box system. The linear, third-order nonlinear and total absorption and refractive index changes are investigated as a function of the incident optical intensity and structure parameters such as box-edge length and stoichiometric ratio. Our results show that both the incident optical intensity and the structure parameters have a great effect on the total absorption and refractive index changes.     

The effects of pressure and hydrogenic donor impurity on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a GaAs/GaAlAs nanowire superlattice

The combined effects of hydrostatic pressure, presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity are investigated on the linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes of a GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_xAs nanowire superlattice. The wave functions and corresponding eigenvalues are calculated using finite difference method in the framework of effective mass approximation. Analytical expressions for the linear and third order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are obtained by means of compact-density matrix formalism. The linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficient and refractive index changes are presented as a function of photon energy for different values of hydrostatic pressure, incident photon intensity and relaxation time in the presence and absence of hydrogenic donor impurity. It is found that the linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficients, refractive index changes and resonance energy are quite sensitive to the presence of impurity and applied hydrostatic pressure. Moreover, the saturation in optical spectrum and relaxation time can be adjusted by increasing pressure in presence of impurity whereas the effect of hydrostatic pressure is negligible in the case of absence of hydrogenic impurity.     

Influence of Ga(Al)As substrates on surface morphology and critical thickness of InGaAs quantum dots

Influence of Ga(Al)As substrates on surface morphology of InGaAs quantum dots and critical thickness of In_0.5Ga_0.5As film grown by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. The In_0.5Ga_0.5As quantum dots are grown on (001) surfaces of GaAs and Al_0.25Ga_0.75 A at 450 °C, scanning tunneling microscope images show that the size of quantum dots varied slightly for 10 ML of In_0.5Ga_0.5As grown on GaAs and Al_0.25Ga_0.75As surfaces. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is used to monitor the growth of 4 monolayers (ML) In_0.5Ga_0.5As on Al_0.25Ga_0.75As and GaAs surfaces during deposition. The critical thickness is theoretically calculated by adding energy caused by surface roughness and heat from substrate. The calculations show that the critical thickness of In_0.5Ga_0.5As grown on GaAs and Al_0.25Ga_0.75As are 3.2 ML and 3.8 ML, respectively. The theoretical calculation agrees with the experimental results.     

Terahertz oscillator with vertical radiation extraction

A model of a laser that uses the GaAs/Al_yGa_{1 −y} As lattice nonlinearity to lase in the terahertz range is proposed. The laser mixes two-frequency near-IR oscillations in a vertical (i.e., arranged across the structure layers) Bragg cavity. The cw output at a wavelength of 10 μm may reach 0.5 to 5 μW.     

Study of optical properties in a cubic quantum dot

In this paper, the effect of hydrostatic pressure on both the intersubband optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes is studied for typical GaAs/Al _x  Ga_1?x As cubic quantum dot. We use analytical expressions for the linear and third-order nonlinear intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes obtained by the compact-density matrix formalism. The linear, third-order nonlinear, and total intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are calculated at different pressures as a function of the photon energy with known values of box length (L), the incident optical intensity (I), and Al concentration (x). According to the results obtained from the present work, we have found that the pressure plays an important role in the intersubband optical absorption coefficient and refractive index changes in a cubic quantum dot.     

Linear and nonlinear intersubband optical absorption in double triangular quantum wells

The linear and the third-order nonlinear optical absorptions in the asymmetric double triangular quantum wells (DTQWs) are investigated theoretically. The dependence of the optical absorption on the right-well width of the DTQWs is studied, and the influence of the applied electric field on the optical absorption is also taken into account. The analytical expressions of the linear and the nonlinear optical absorption coefficients are obtained by using the compact density-matrix approach and the iterative method. The numerical calculations are presented for the typical GaAs/Al_xGa_1?xAs asymmetric DTQWs. The results show that the linear as well as the nonlinear optical absorption coefficients are not a monotonous function of the right-well width, but have complex relationships with it. Moreover, the calculated results also reveal that applying an electric field to the DTQWs with a thinner right-well can enhance the linear optical absorption but has no prominent influence on the nonlinear optical absorption. In addition, the total optical absorption is strongly dependent on the incident optical intensity.     

Energy band modulation of GaAs/Al0.26Ga0.74As quantum well in 3D self-assembled nanomembranes

In this study, we investigate the modulation of energy band in 3D self-assembled nanomembranes containing GaAs/Al_0.26Ga_0.74As quantum wells (QWs). Photoluminescence (PL) characterizations demonstrate that the self-assembled structures have different optical transition properties and the modulation of the energy band is thus realized. Detailed spectral analyses disclose that the small strain change in structures with different curvatures cannot cause remarkable change in energy bands in Al_0.26Ga_0.74As layer. On the other hand, the optical transitions of GaAs QW layer is influenced by the strain evolution in term of light emission intensity. We also find the first order Stark effect in rolled-up nanomembrane with diameter of 150 μm, which is closely connected with the coupling effect between the deformation potential and the piezoelectric potential. Our work may pave a way for the fabrication of high performance rolled-QW infrared photo-detectors.     

The effects of the intense laser and magnetic fields on the group velocity of light in GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As near-surface quantum well

In the present work, we investigated the simultaneous effects of intense non-resonant laser and external magnetic fields on the electronic structure and the nonlinear optical properties (the light absorption, the refractive index and the group velocity) of GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As near-surface quantum well. The calculations were performed within the compact density-matrix formalism under the steady state conditions with the use of the effective mass approximation. The obtained results show that the electronic structure and, consequently, the optical properties are sensitive to the dressed well induced asymmetry and the effects of the magnetic field. By changing the intensities of the magnetic and laser fields, we can obtain the control of the group velocity, without the need for the growth of many different samples.     

Electron ionization rate in III–V ternary semiconductors

Theoretical calculations are presented for the ionization rate of electrons in III–V ternary semiconductor compounds considering alloy scattering and carrier-carrier interaction, in addition to optical phonon scattering and ionization scattering. However, alloy scattering is found to be a weak interaction. Fairly good agreement is obtained for Ga_1–x In _x As withx=0.14 and 0.53 with the experimental results and for Ga_0.5 Al_0.5 As with the existing theoretical result which used an indirect method. The alloy scattering potential has been taken in the form of energy band-gap difference. The calculations can be used for any ternary semi-conductor.     

Comparison of optical properties between Wurtzite and zinc-blende Ga0.75Al0.25N

In order to compare optical properties of Wurtzite and zinc-blende Ga_0.75Al_0.25N and lay a foundation for preparation of Ga_0.75Al_0.25N photocathodes, absorption coefficient, complex refractive index, dielectric function, reflectivity and loss function of Ga_0.75Al_0.25N in two forms are calculated using first principle based on density functional theory. Results show that zinc-blende Ga_0.75Al_0.25N owns smaller band gap than Wurtzite Ga_0.75Al_0.25N, and its conduction band is more broad. The optical properties differences of two structures mainly occur at the range of 8.6–26.0 eV. The peaks of imaginary dielectric function and absorption curves are at higher energy point for zinc-blende Ga_0.75Al_0.25N. The highest absorption of Wurtzite Ga_0.75Al_0.25N is 351386.171/cm at 11.05 eV, which is smaller than zinc-blende of 437809.895/cm at 13.84 eV. The average reflectivity of Wurtzite Ga_0.75Al_0.25N is lower than that of zinc-blende Ga_0.75Al_0.25N. The results are conductive for designing component structures of Ga_0.75Al_0.25N photocathodes.