Effect of thermal annealing in the microstructural and the optical properties of uncapped InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs buffer layers

The effect of thermal annealing on self-assembled uncapped InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The TEM images showed that the lateral sizes and densities of the InAs QDs were not changed significantly up to 650 °C. When the InAs/GaAs QDs were annealed at 700 °C, while the lateral size of the InAs QDs increased, their density decreased. The InAs QDs disappeared at 800 °C. PL spectra showed that the peaks corresponding to the interband transitions of the InAs QDs shifted slightly toward the high-energy side, and the PL intensity decreased with increasing annealing temperature. These results indicate that the microstructural and the optical properties of self-assembled uncapped InAs/GaAs can be modified due to postgrowth thermal annealing.     

Photoreflectance study of energy level structure of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots emitting at 1.3 μm

Photoreflectance and photoluminescence measurements were performed on the ensemble of self assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots designed to emit at 1.3 μm. As many as six QDs-related optical transitions were observed in PR spectra, the energies of which were confirmed by high-excitation PL results. Numerical calculations allowed estimating the average size of the dots, which is larger than for standard InAs/GaAs QDs. This result is in agreement with structural data. Additionally, the energy level structure for such QDs was derived and compared with the electronic structure of standard InAs/GaAs dots. It was shown that the energy level structure of such large dots qualifies them for the active region of a laser emitting at 1.3 μm.     

Sb/As intermixing in self-assembled GaSb/GaAs type II quantum dot systems and control of their photoluminescence spectra

The intermixing of Sb and As atoms induced by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) was investigated for type II GaSb/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots (QD) formed by molecular beam epitaxy growth. Just as in InAs/GaAs QD systems, the intermixing induces a remarkable blueshift of the photoluminescence (PL) peak of QDs and reduces the inhomogeneous broadening of PL peaks for both QD ensemble and wetting layer (WL) as consequences of the weakening of quantum confinement. Contrary to InAs/GaAs QDs systems, however, the intermixing has led to a pronounced exponential increase in PL intensity for GaSb QDs with annealing temperature up to 875 °C. By analyzing the temperature dependence of PL for QDs annealed at 700, 750 and 800 °C, activation energies of PL quenching from QDs at high temperatures are 176.4, 146 and 73.9 meV. The decrease of QD activation energy with annealing temperatures indicates the reduction of hole localization energy in type II QDs due to the Sb/As intermixing. The activation energy for the WL PL was found to drastically decrease when annealed at 800 °C where the QD PL intensity surpassed WL.     

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the optical properties of InAs/(In)GaAs quantum dots with different areal density

The effects of rapid thermal annealing on the optical properties of InAs/(In)GaAs quantum dots (QDs) with different areal density were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) measurement. The annealing results in PL peak energy blue-shift which strongly depends on QD areal density and capping layer. It is noticeable that low-density QDs and/or InGaAs-capped QDs are more sensitive to the annealing. We attribute the larger energy blue-shift from these samples to enhanced strain-driven diffusion and/or defect-assisted diffusion.     

Photoluminescence and lasing properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition

Photoluminescence （PL） and lasing properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots （QDs） with different growth procedures prepared by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition are studied. PL measurements show that the low growth rate QD sample has a larger PL intensity and a narrower PL line width than the high growth rate sample. During rapid thermal annealing, however, the low growth rate sample shows a greater blueshift of PL peak wavelength. This is caused by the larger InAs layer thickness which results from the larger 2-3 dimensional transition critical layer thickness for the QDs in the low-growth-rate sample. A growth technique including growth interruption and in-situ annealing, named indium flush method, is used during the growth of GaAs cap layer, which can flatten the GaAs surface effectively. Though the method results in a blueshift of PL peak wavelength and a broadening of PL line width, it is essential for the fabrication of room temperature working QD lasers.     

Selective growth of stacked InAs quantum dots by using the templates formed by the Nano-Jet Probe

We have demonstrated the selective area growth of stacked self-assembled InAs quantum dot (QD) arrays in the desired regions on a substrate and confirmed the photoluminescence (PL) emission exhibited by them at room temperature. These InAs QDs are fabricated by the use of a specially designed atomic force microscope cantilever referred to as the Nano-Jet Probe (NJP). By using the NJP, two-dimensional arrays with ordered In nano-dots are fabricated in the desired square regions on a GaAs substrate and directly converted into InAs QD arrays through the subsequent annealing by the irradiation of As flux. By using the converted QD arrays as strain templates, self-organized InAs QDs are stacked. These stacked QDs exhibit the PL emission peak at a wavelength of 1.02 μm.     

Microstructural and optical properties of multiple closely stacked InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot arrays

The microstructural and the optical properties of multiple closely stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) arrays were investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The AFM and the TEM images showed that high-quality vertically stacked InAs QD self-assembled arrays were embedded in the GaAs barriers. The PL peak position corresponding to the interband transitions from the ground electronic subband to the ground heavy-hole band (E₁-HH₁) of the InAs/GaAs QDs shifted to higher energy with increasing GaAs spacer thickness. The activation energy of the electrons confined in the InAs QDs increased with decreasing with GaAs spacer thickness due to the coupling effect. The present results can help to improve the understanding of the microstructural and the optical in multiple closely stafcked InAs/GaAs QD arrays.     

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.     

Formation process for and strain effect in InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs substrates by using molecular beam epitaxy

Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were used to investigate the dependences of the formation process and the strain on the As/In ratio and the substrate temperature of InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs substrates by using molecular beam epitaxy. The thickness of the InAs wetting layer and the shape and the size of the InAs QDs were significantly affected by the As/In ratio and the substrate temperature. The strains in the InAs layer and the GaAs substrate were studied by using RHEED patterns. The magnitude in strain of the InAs QDs formed at a low substrate temperature was larger than that in InAs QDs grown at high substrate temperature. The present results can help to improve the understanding of the formation process and the strain effect in InAs QDs.     

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.     

Mn-including InAs quantum dots fabricated by Mn implantation

Mn-including InAs quantum dots (QDs) were fabricated by Mn-ion implantation and subsequent annealing. The optical, compositional, and structural properties of the treated samples were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) results indicate that Mn ions diffused from the bulk GaAs into the InAs QDs during annealing, and the diffusion appears to be driven by the strain in the InAs QDs. The temperature dependence of the PL of Mn-including InAs QD samples exhibits QDs PL characteristics. At the same time, the heavy Mn-including InAs QD samples have ferromagnetic properties and high T_c.     

Interband transitions and electronic properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots embedded in AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs modulation-doped heterostructures

Reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and double-crystal X-ray curves showed that high-quality InAs quantum dot (QD) arrays inserted into GaAs barriers were embedded in an Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/GaAs heterostructure. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the InAs/GaAs QDs showed that the exciton peak corresponding interband transition from the ground electronic subband to the ground heavy-hole subband (E₁-HH₁) was dominantly observed and that the peak position and the full width at half maximum corresponding to the interband transitions of the PL spectrum were dependent on the temperature. The activation energy of the electrons confined in the InAs/GaAs QDs was 115 meV. The electronic subband energy and the energy wave function of the Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/GaAs heterostructures were calculated by using a self-consistent method. The electronic subband energies in the InAs/GaAs QDs were calculated by using a three-dimensional spatial plane wave method, and the value of the calculated (E₁-HH₁) transition in the InAs/GaAs QDs was in reasonable agreement with that obtained from the PL measurement.     

Optical properties of 1.3-μm InAs/GaAs quantum dots grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

The optical properties of self-assembled InAs quantum dots （QDs） on GaAs substrate grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition （MOCVD） are reported. Photoluminescence （PL） measurements prove the good optical quality of InAs QDs, which axe achieved using lower growth temperature and higher InAs coverage. At room temperature, the ground state peak wavelength of PL spectrum and full-width at half-maximum （FWHM） are 1305 nm and 30 meV, respectively, which are obtained as the QDs are finally capped with 5-nm In0.06Ga0.94As strain-reducing layer （SRL）. The PL spectra exhibit two emission peaks at 1305 and 1198 nm, which correspond to the ground state （GS） and the excited state （ES） of the QDs, respectively.     

Growth and characterization of InAs quantum dots with low-density and long emission wavelength

The growth parameters affecting the deposition of self-assembled InAs quantum dots （QDs） on GaAs substrate by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition （MOCVD） are reported. The low-density InAs QDs （- 5 × 10^8cm^-2） are achieved using high growth temperature and low InAs coverage. Photoluminescence （PL） measurements show the good optical quality of low-density QDs. At room temperature, the ground state peak wavelength of PL spectrum and full-width at half-maximum （FWHM） are 1361 nm and 23 meV （35 nm）, respectively, which are obtained as the GaAs capping layer grown using triethylgallium （TEG） and tertiallybutylarsine （TBA）. The PL spectra exhibit three emission peaks at 1361, 1280, and 1204 nm, which correspond to the ground state, the first excited state, and the second excited state of the ODs, respectively.     

Broadband light emitting from multilayer-stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots

We report the effect of the GaAs spacer layer thickness on the photoluminescence(PL) spectral bandwidth of InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots(QDs).A PL spectral bandwidth of 158 nm is achieved with a five-layer stack of InAs QDs which has a 11-nm thick GaAs spacer layer.We investigate the optical and the structural properties of the multilayer-stacked InAs/GaAs QDs with different GaAs spacer layer thicknesses.The results show that the spacer thickness is a key parameter affecting the multi-stacked InAs/GaAs QDs for wide-spectrum emission.     

Effects of Si-doped GaAs layer on optical properties of InAs quantum dots

We have investigated the optical properties of InAs self-assembled quantum dots (SAQDs) with the Si-doped GaAs barrier layer. Two types of samples are fabricated according to the position of the Si-doped GaAs layer. For type A samples the Si-doped GaAs layer is grown below the QDs, whereas for type B samples the Si-doped GaAs layer is grown above the QDs. For both types of samples the excited-state emissions caused by state filling are observed in photoluminescence (PL) spectra at high excitation power densities. The bandgap renormalization of QDs can be found from the shift of the PL peak energy. Particularly, for type A samples the Si atoms act as nucleation centers during the growth of InAs QDs on the Si-doped GaAs layer and affect the density and the size of the QDs. The Si-doped GaAs layer in type A samples has more effects on the properties of QDs, such as state filling and bandgap renormalization than those of type B samples.     

Anomalous photoluminescence of InAs quantum dots implanted by Mn ions

The photoluminescence (PL) of Mn-implanted quantum dot (QD) samples after rapid annealing is studied. It is found that the blue shift of the PL peak of the QDs, introduced by the rapid annealing, decreases abnormally as the implantation dose increases. This anomaly is probably related to the migration of Mn atoms to the InAs QDs during annealing, which leads to strain relaxation when Mn atoms enter InAs QDs or to the suppression of the inter-diffusion of In and Ga atoms when Mn atoms surround QDs. Both effects will suppress the blue shift of the QD PL peaks. The temperature dependence of the PL intensity of the heavily implanted QDs confirms the existence of defect traps around the QDs.     

Photoluminescence scanning on InAs/InGaAs quantum dot structures

The photoluminescence spectra of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded into four types of In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs (x = 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) multi quantum well MBE structures have been investigated at 300 K in dependence on the QD position on the wafer. PL mapping was performed with 325 nm HeCd laser (35 mW) focused down to 200 μm (110 W/cm²) as the excitation source. The structures with x = 0.15 In/Ga composition in the In_xGa_1−xAs capping layer exhibited the maximum photoluminescence intensity. Strong inhomogeneity of the PL intensity is observed by mapping samples with the In/Ga composition of x ≥ 0.20-0.25. The reduction of the PL intensity is accompanied by a gradual “blue” shift of the luminescence maximum at 300 K as follows from the quantum dot PL mapping. The mechanism of this effect has been analyzed. PL peak shifts versus capping layer composition are discussed as well.     

Effect of deposition period on structural and optical properties of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots formed by InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices

Structural and optical properties of In_0.5Ga_0.5As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown at 510 °C by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy technique are studied as a function of n repeated deposition of 1-ML-thick InAs and 1-ML-thick GaAs. Cross-sectional images reveal that the QDs are formed by single large QDs rather than closely stacked InAs QDs and their shape is trapezoidal. In the image, existence of wetting layers is not clear. In 300 K-photoluminescence (PL) spectra of InGaAs QDs (n=5), 4 peaks are resolved. Origin of each peak transition is discussed. Finally, it was found that the PL linewidths of atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) QDs were weakly sensitive to cryostat temperatures (16–300 K). This is attributed to the nature of ALE QDs; higher uniformity and weaker wetting effect compared to SK QDs.     

不同组分InxGa1-xAs(0≤x≤0.3)覆盖层对自组织InAs量子点的影响

研究了不同In组分的In_xGa_1-xAs(0≤x≤0.3)覆盖层对自组织InAs量子点的结构及发光特性的影响.透射电子显微镜和原子力显微镜表明,InAs量子点在InGaAs做盖层时所受应力较GaAs盖层时有所减小,并且x＝0.3时,InGaAs在InAs量子点上继续成岛.随x值的增大,量子点的光荧光峰红移,但随温度的变化发光峰峰位变化不明显.理论分析表明InAs量子点所受应力及其均匀性的变化分别是导致上述现象的主要原因. 关键词： 量子点 盖层 应力 红移