Metamorphic InAs(Sb)/InGaAs/InAlAs nanoheterostructures grown on GaAs for efficient mid-IR emitters

High-efficiency semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes operating in the 3–5?μm mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range are currently of great demand for a wide variety of applications, in particular, gas sensing, noninvasive medical tests, IR spectroscopy etc. III-V compounds with a lattice constant of about 6.1?Å are traditionally used for this spectral range. The attractive idea to fabricate such emitters on GaAs substrates by using In(Ga,Al)As compounds is restricted by either the minimum operating wavelength of ～8?μm in case of pseudomorphic AlGaAs-based quantum cascade lasers or requires utilization of thick metamorphic In_xAl_1-xAs buffer layers (MBLs) playing a key role in reducing the density of threading dislocations (TDs) in an active region, which otherwise result in a strong decay of the quantum efficiency of such mid-IR emitters. In this review we present the results of careful investigations of employing the convex-graded In_xAl_1-xAs MBLs for fabrication by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates of In(Ga,Al)As heterostructures with a combined type-II/type-I InSb/InAs/InGaAs quantum well (QW) for efficient mid-IR emitters (3–3.6?μm). The issues of strain relaxation, elastic stress balance, efficiency of radiative and non-radiative recombination at T?=?10–300?K are discussed in relation to molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth conditions and designs of the structures. A wide complex of techniques including in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffractometry, reciprocal space mapping, selective area electron diffraction, as well as photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used to study in detail structural and optical properties of the metamorphic QW structures. Optimization of the growth conditions (the substrate temperature, the As₄/III ratio) and elastic strain profiles governed by variation of an inverse step in the In content profile between the MBL and the InAlAs virtual substrate results in decrease in the TD density (down to 3?×?10⁷ cm^?2), increase of the thickness of the low-TD-density near-surface MBL region to 250–300?nm, the extremely low surface roughness with the RMS value of 1.6–2.4?nm, measured by AFM, as well as rather high 3.5?μm-PL intensity at temperatures up to 300?K in such structures. The obtained results indicate that the metamorphic InSb/In(Ga,Al)As QW heterostructures of proper design, grown under the optimum MBE conditions, are very promising for fabricating the efficient mid-IR emitters on a GaAs platform.     

Nanostructured Crystals of Fluorite Phases Sr1 – xRxF2 + x (R Are Rare-Earth Elements) and Their Ordering. 13: Crystal Structure of SrF2 and Concentration Dependence of the Defect Structure of Nonstoichiometric Phase Sr1 – xLaxF2 + x As Grown (x = 0.11, 0.20, 0.32, 0.37, 0.47)

Crystallography Reports - The defect structure of as-grown SrF2 and nonstoichiometric phases Sr1 – xLaxF2 + x (x = 0.11, 0.20, 0.32, 0.37, 0.47) single...     

Shock waves in gas flows with nanoparticles

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The paper focuses on the analytical analysis of the propagation of a normal shock wave in an adiabatic gas flow with nanoparticles. A modified...     

Raman Scattering Enhancement Based on High-Pressure High-Temperature Diamonds†

Journal of Russian Laser Research - We discuss the use of high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) diamonds for the determination of trace amounts of various Raman active substances. The amount of the...     

A Comparison of Neutron Identification Methods in Inorganic ZnS-based Scintillators

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - The paper presents a comparison of three neutrons identifying methods in scintillators based on ZnS with 6Li and 10B: charge integration method, pulse gradient analysis,...     

Minimal Contact Circuits for a Sequence of Boolean Functions

Mathematical Notes -     

Scattering Indicatrix of Aqueous Hemoglobin Solutions

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - Aqueous solutions of human hemoglobin have been studied by the multi-angle static light scattering method. The tendency of sickle-shaped erythrocytes to aggregate...     

Growth of $${\text{N}}{{{\text{d}}}_{{{\text{1}}\; - \;y}}}{\text{Eu}}_{y}^{{{\text{2}} + }}{{{\text{F}}}_{{{\text{3}}\; - \;y}}}$$ Single Crystals with Tysonite-Type (LaF3) Structure and Investigation of the Concentration Dependence of Some Their Properties

Crystallography Reports - Nd1 – yEuyF3 – y crystals (y is the molar fraction of EuF2; 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.15) with a tysonite (LaF3) structure have...     

Spectroscopy of Zinc Oxide Thin Films near the Fundamental Absorption Edge

Optics and Spectroscopy - The optical absorption spectra of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films formed by reactive cathode sputtering are studied. The observed absorption of light in the region of photon...     

Formation and pharmacological activity of silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels obtained by biomimetic mineralization

The biomimetic sol—gel synthesis of silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels was carried out using silicon tetraglycerolate as a precursor. It was found that chitosan accelerates gel formation in weakly acidic media. In more acidic media, the kinetics of the process changes according to the curve with a maximum, which can be attributed to different mechanisms of silanol condensation before and after the isoelectric point. The investigated silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activity. The synthesized hybrid glycerohydrogels are promising materials for biomedical applications.