Studies on the prospects of GaInAs and GaInAsP for double-drift region heterostructure IMPATTs

Double heterojunctions having the material combinations InP/GaInAs/InP, GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs and InP/GaInAsP/InP have been studied to assess their potential for double-drift region (DDR) IMPATT diodes. An accurate and realistic computer simulation program has been framed and used for the dc and high-frequency analysis of the DDRs. The analysis is carried out both in IMPATT (IMPact Avalanche Transit Time) and MITATT (MIxed Tunnelling Avalanche Transit Time) modes. Our results indicate that the GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs DDR would provide the best mm-wave performance up to sufficiently high frequencies. Further, the performance of the DDR diodes is observed to deteriorate at high frequency of operation due to phase distortion introduced by tunnel injected current, which is found to be the least in the case of GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs DDR leading to the best performance of this DDR amongst the three.     

GaAs-InP异质材料的结构特性和光学特性研究

我们在低压金属有机汽相沉积(MOCVD)设备上采用两步升温法与金属有机源流量周期调制生长界面过渡层方法制备出GaAs-InP材料,并对此进行了X-射线衍射、低温光致发光谱(PL)和Raman谱分析,结果表明,GaAs外延层的位错密度低于用两步升温法得到的GaAs材料,PL谱峰较强,GaAs的特征激子峰和杂质相关的激子峰同时被测到。Raman谱PL谱的峰移表明GaAs外延层处于(100)双轴伸张应力下,应力大小随温度变化是由于GaAs、InP之间的热膨胀系数不同。     

Impurity effect on the creation of point-defects in GaAs and InP investigated by a slow positron beam

The impurity effect on the creation of point-defects in 60-keV Be⁺-ion implanted GaAs and InP has been studied by a slow positron beam. Vacancy-type defects introduced by ion implantation were observed in n-type GaAs. For p-type GaAs, however, this was not the case. This can be attributed to the recombination of vacancy-type defects with pre-existing interstitial defects in p-type GaAs. In the case of InP, the vacancy-type defects were created by ion implantation and increased with the implantation dose. However, no significant doping effect was observed in InP.     

GaAs/InP异质外延材料的光致发光研究

首次对MOCVD-LPE混合外延生长的GaAs/InP材料进行了光致发光测量及分析。结果显示出混合生长的GaAs发光强度明显高于MOCVD一次外延生长的GaAs的发光强度,并确认在16K温度下GaAs和InP有跃迁激子产生。观测到GaAs/InP样品近带边光致发光谱的半峰宽为8.4meV,显示了这种材料的高质量。     

Designing an all epitaxial 1,550 nm intra-cavity VCSEL using GaInAsN/AlGaInAs in the active region and AlGaAsSb/AlAsSb in top and bottom DBRs

In this paper, a 1,550 nm Intracavity structure vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) has been designed using quaternary compound QW/barrier materials of GaInAsN/AlGaInAs matched with InP substrate. This choice has been made instead of choosing widely used GaInAsP/InP and AlGaInAs/InP to gain some advantages. In addition to the introduction of new combination in the active region, a different compound semiconductor combination AlGaAsSb/AlAsSb has been used as the DBR material for achieving lattice matching and also for achieving higher refractive index contrast. Compared to widely used GaAs/AlGaAs DBR mirror system, which needed wafer fusion with the top and bottom sides of the active region at 1,550 nm, the chosen DBR of this design is advantageous. The active material compositions have been chosen to obtain a peak gain at 1,550 nm and all other compositions have been chosen to obtain close lattice match at the same time to obtain the desired bandgap at the desired layers. The end result of this design is a VCSEL based on InP substrate which is capable of producing 1,550 nm light output and which can be constructed using widely used epitaxial techniques because all of the layers are lattice matched.     

Far-infrared spectroscopy of impurities in semiconductors

Far-infrared spectroscopy of the electronic transitions between bound states of impurities provides a very high resolution technique for studying chemical shifts and thereby identifying residual contaminants. The use of photoconductivity generated within the sample itself, usually by the photothermal mechanism (“photothermal ionisation spectroscopy”), enables very high sensitivity to be achieved even with very thin films or ultrahigh-purity material. The current knowledge about the identity of the residual shallow donors in GaAs, InP, InAs and InSb obtained with this technique is reviewed. With high-purity materials the magneto-optical spectrum of the shallow donors can be particularly rich and more than fifty lines can be observed with both GaAs and InP.

Hydrostatic pressure provides a valuable additional experimental parameter in studies of impurities. Not only does the pressure-induced increase in mass improve the resolution of the “fine structure” due to different chemical species but additional states can be introduced into the forbidden energy gap. Results with both InSb and GaAs have shown that generally donors in direct-gap III-V materials may be expected to have three types of state: the familiar gamma-associated donors, localised states with A₁ symmetry which are normally resonant within the conduction band and metastable DX states.

Negatively charged shallow donor states (D^- states) and “molecular” combinations where the electrons are shared between two or more donor sites have been studied by infrared spectroscopy of III-V materials. These states are important precursors of the metal-insulator transition.

Recently there have been a number of studies of impurities within quantum wells and heterostructures. The dependence of impurity energy on distance from the well edge has been established and it has been shown that high concentrations of D^- states can be formed by remote deping of the structures.     

Sputtering of compound semiconductor surfaces. II. Compositional changes and radiation-induced topography and damage

Ion bombardment often leads to compositional changes in the surface layers of multicomponent targets. Such changes due to noble gas ion sputtering are discussed for InP and GaAs. The analyses show that the compositional change in InP (i.e., indium enrichment) is mainly due to preferential sputtering. In the case of GaAs. the changes are due to radiation-induced diffusion and segregation effects. Brief mention is made of compositional changes in a few other systems. The discussion on sputter-induced topography development deals mainly with InP because ion bombardment leads to dramatic topographical effects in this material. Ripple development on GaAs is also briefly discussed. Radiation damage has been well researched, and its mechanism and effects usually differ substantially when going from one semiconductor group to another. Bombardment-induced damage is briefly discussed for InP, GaAs, SiC, some II-VI semiconductors, and HgCdTe.     

High frequency characterisation of double drift region InP and GaAs diodes

Computer studies have been made on the high frequency characteristics of symmetrically doped flat profile double drift region (DDR) InP and GaAs impatts in the mm-wave (60–100 GHz) frequency band. The spatial distribution of high frequency negative resistance and reactance in the depletion layer of DDR devices and their admittance properties have been investigated. The results indicate that DDR InP impatts should have higher drift zone voltage drop, higher negative resistance and higher negative conductance compared to their GaAs counterparts designed for the same range of mm-wave frequencies. Furthermore, the negative resistance peak is larger in magnitude for InP impatts compared to that for GaAs impatts. It is thus observed that DDR InP impatts should be superior to their GaAs counterparts as regards mm-wave power generation with high conversion efficiency.     

Sputtering of A 3 B 5 materials (GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InP, and InSb) by 2-to 14-keV N 2 + ions

Investigations of the general characteristics and distinctive features of sputtering of A ³ B ⁵ materials (GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InP and InSb) under bombardment with N ₂ ⁺ ions have been carried out. From the experimental data, dependences of the sputtering yield of these materials on the incidence angle and ion energy have been obtained and the surface relief patterns produced by target etching have been studied. It has been shown that the dependence on energy of the sputtering yield for GaP, GaAs, and InP can be adequately described by the Haffa-Switkovski formula for binary materials and Yudin’s approximation for elemental targets. Sputtering of GaSb and InSb proceeds in the surface layer recrystallization mode, and the sputtering yield agrees with calculations based on Onderlinden’s model. From a comparison of the experimental and calculated dependences, the surface bonding energies have been determined.     

Dynamics of the cascade capture of electrons by charged donors in GaAs and InP

The times for the cascade capture of an electron by a charged impurity have been calculated for pulsed and stationary excitations of impurity photoconductivity in GaAs and InP. The characteristic capture times under pulsed and continuous excitations are shown to differ noticeably both from each other and from the value given by the Abakumov–Perel–Yassievich formula for a charged impurity concentration greater than 10¹⁰ cm^–3. The cause of this difference has been established. The Abakumov–Perel–Yassievich formula for the cascade capture cross section in the case of stationary excitation has been generalized. The dependences of the cascade capture rate on the charged impurity concentration in GaAs and InP have been found for three temperatures in the case of pulsed excitation.     

Studying the mechanism of ordered growth of InAs quantum dots on GaAs/InP

We study the mechanism of ordered growth of InAs quantum dots (islands) on a GaAs/InP substrate in theory and point out that the tensile strain can be used to control InAs/InP self-assembled quantum dots arrangement. Photoluminescence spectrum, and atomic force microscopy images have been investigated. In the experiment, ordered InAs islands have been obtained and the maximum density of quantum dots is 1.6×10¹⁰ cm⁻² at 4 monolayers InAs layer.     

硅纳米线尖端阵列的制备及其场发射性能研究

将银镜反应与金属催化化学刻蚀相结合,在室温附近成功地制备出了硅纳米线尖端阵列,其长度为4~7μm,中间部分的直径在100~300nm之间。该方法操作简单、高效、无毒、可控以及低成本,且不需要高温、复杂的设备,对环境也没有特殊要求。性能测试结果显示:该硅纳米材料能够有效实现电子发射,开启电场约为2.7V/μm(电流密度10μA/cm2处);硅纳米尖端阵列的场增强因子约为692,可应用在场发射器件之上。     

MITATT mode in DDR heterostructure Impatt

Large signal characterisation of double heterostructure DDR Impatt diode has been carried out in the millimeter-wave range considering the MITATT mode of operation. The structure of the device is p⁺-p₂-p₁-n₁-n₂-n⁺ where impact ionisation and tunneling takes place in the p₁-n₁ region. In this study we have considered two well-known heterostructures, e.g., InP/GaInAs/InP and InP/InGaAsP/InP and one nonconventional structure GaAs/InP/GaAs. The theoretical results of the performances of these devices as regards of output power, efficiency, and negative conductance revealed that the structures are quite promising as the source of power in the millimeter-wave range. The analysis may be used for other mm wave DDR heterostructure Impatts.     

Non-destructive characterisation of (Ga,In,Al,As,P)-based ternary multilayer structures using spectroscopic ellipsometry

Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to measure compositions and layer thicknesses of two-, three- and four-layer structures consisting of Al_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs and In_0.53Ga_0.47As/Al_0.48In_0.52As/InP materials. A simple procedure has been developed to obtain Al_0.48In_0.52As dielectric functions by scaling InP values. Very good agreement has been obtained with destructive techniques.     

InGaAs(P)/InP MQW mixing by Zn diffusion,Ge and S implantation for optoelectronic applications

There is a growing interest in impurity-induced layer disordering for the technologically important InGaAs(P)/InP system. More complicated than in the AlGaAs/GaAs ternary system, which concerns only interdiffusion of group III atoms, interdiffusion in this quaternary system can occur for both group III (Ga,In) and group V (P,As) atoms, which may or may not result in a strain-free alloy lattice-matched to InP, a major concern for device applications. After a brief review on the thermal stability of InP/ InGaAs quantum well structures, we show that Zn diffusion at moderate temperature leads to intermixing on the group III sublattice, only, with subsequent lattice mismatch. On the other hand, either Ge or S implantation of InGaAs/InP quantum wells results in intermixing involving both the group III and the group V sublattice and approximating the lattice-matched condition.     

Numerical study on gain and optical properties of AlGaInAs, InGaNAs, and InGaAsP material systems for 1.3-μm semiconductor lasers

In reference to real devices fabricated in laboratories, the optical properties of AlGaInAs, InGaNAs, and InGaAsP semiconductor material systems for 1.3-μm semiconductor lasers are systematically studied. Simulation results show that both the AlGaInAs/InP and InGaNAs/GaAs material systems have better gain performance and smaller transparency carrier density than the InGaAsP/InP material system. For the AlGaInAs/InP material system, the characteristic temperature is improved by using compensating tensile strain in barrier. Specifically, for a 250-μm-long short-cavity AlGaInAs/InP laser, when the barrier is with a compensating tensile strain of 0.39%, the characteristic temperatures in 290-330 K and 330-350 K can be enhanced to 121.7 K and 58.9 K, respectively. For the InGaNAs/GaAs material system, simulation results suggest that the laser performance can be significantly improved when the laser is with strain-compensated GaNAs barriers.     

Investigation of thermal processes in single crystals irradiated with high-energy heavy ions

The thermal processes arising in InP and GaAs single crystals irradiated with high-energy heavy ions are investigated with the help of a thermal peak model. Numerical simulation is used to estimate the sizes of regions where the melting process can occur and the structural changes arising in the irradiated materials are observed.     

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.     

Small-signal modulation characteristics for 1.5 μm lattice-matched InGaNAs/GaAs and InGaAs/InP quantum well lasers

The small-signal modulation characteristics of 1.5 m lattice-matched InGaNAs/GaAs and InGaAs/InP quantum well lasers and their temperature dependence have been calculated. It is found that the maximum bandwidth of the InGaNAs/GaAs quantum well lasers is about 2.3 times larger than that of the InGaAs/InP quantum well lasers due to the high differential gain which results from the large electron effective mass in the dilute nitride system. The slope efficiency for the 3 dB bandwidth as a function of optical density is twice as large for InGaNAs/GaAs as for InGaAs/InP quantum well lasers.     

Spin–orbit coupling effects on the in-plane optical anisotropy of semiconductor quantum wells

We theoretically study the influence of the spin–orbit coupling(SOC) on the in-plane optical anisotropy(IPOA) induced by in-plane uniaxial strain and interface asymmetry in(001) GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells(QWs) with different well width. It is found that the SOC has more significant impact on the IPOA for the transition of the first valence subband of heavy hole to the first conduction band(1H1E) than that of 1L1E. The reason has been discussed. The IPOA of(001) InGaAs/InP QWs has been measured by reflectance difference spectroscopy, whose amplitude is about one order larger than that of GaAs/AlGaAs QWs. The anisotropic interface potential parameters of InGaAs/InP QWs are also determined. The influence of the SOC effect on the IPOA of InGaAs/InP QWs when the QWs are under tensile, compressive or zero biaxial strain are also investigated in theory. Our results demonstrate that the SOC has significant effect on the IPOA especially for semiconductor QWs with small well width, and therefore cannot be ignored.