Nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor quantum wires

Nonlinear optical transmission at discrete frequencies (bleaching bands) has been observed in CdSe and GaAs quantum wires crystallized in chrysotile asbestos nanotubes with average diameter ≈ 6 nm and in nanocrystals of CdS (crystallized in the transparent molecular filter—mica with empty channels of designed diameter). The induced decrease of absorption in quantum wires has been explained by filling of the size-quantized energy bands with nonequilibrium carriers (saturation effect) and by the phase-space filling of excitons.     

Optical properties of excitons in semiconductor (InP)-insulator quantum wires

Features in the spectra of absorption, luminescence, and luminescence efficiency obtained under sample excitation with differently polarized laser radiation, and the nonlinear dependence of the luminescence intensity on the excitation level are explained as due to excitonic transitions in semiconductor (InP)-insulator (chrysotile asbestos) quantum wires. The measured excitonic-transition energies in the quantum wires are in quantitative agreement with calculations. The calculations took into account both the size quantization in a quasi-one-dimensional structure and the “dielectric enhancement” of excitons (the noticeable increase of the exciton binding energy and of the excitonic-transition oscillator strength associated with the increased attraction between the electron and the hole due to the large difference between the dielectric permittivities of the semiconductor and the dielectric matrix).     

Dielectric enhancement of excitons in semiconducting quantum wires

The energy of the exciton ground state in a semiconducting cylindrical quantum wire surrounded by a dielectric has been calculated using a variational technique accounting for the effect of dielectric enhancement. The effect of dielectric enhancement in such a system has been clearly demonstrated. Exciton parameters have been calculated for an intercalated leadiodide-based quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor and GaAs wires in asbestos nanotubes. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 274–282 (January 1997)     

Quantum wire heterostructure for optoelectronic applications

Quantum wire (QWR) heterostructures suitable for optoelectronic applications should meet a number of requirements, including defect free interfaces, large subband separation, long carrier lifetime, efficient carrier capture. The structural and opticl properties of GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/GaAs quantum wire (QWR) heterostructures grown by organometallic chemical vapor deposition on nonplanr substrates, which satisfy many of these criteria, are described. These crescent-shaped QWRs are formed in situ during epitaxial growth resulting in virtually defect free interfaces. Effective wire widths as small as 10nm have been achieved, corresponding to electron subband separations greater than K_BT at room temperature. The enhanced density of states at the QWR subbands manifests itself in higher optical absorption and emission as visualized in photoluminescence (PL), PL excitation, amplified spontaneous emission and lasing spectra of these structures. Effective carrier capture into the wires via connected quantum well regions, which is important for enhancing the otherwise extremely small capture cross section of these wires, has also been observed. Room temperature operation of GaAs/AlGaAs and strained InGaAs/GaAs QWR lasers with threshold currents as low as 0.6mA has been demonstrated.     

Intersubband optical transitions in one dimensional quantum wire structures

One dimensional (1D) quantum wire structures are emerging as the new generation of semiconductor nanostructures offering exciting physical properties which have significant potential for novel device applications. These structures have been the subject of intensive investigation recently including extensive theoretical and experimental studies of their interband optical properties. In this work we present the results of our study of the intersubband optical transitions in 1D semiconductor quantum wires. The crescent shaped quantum wire structures used for this research were grown on non-planar GaAs substrates. The intersubband transition energy spectra, the selection rules, and the two dimensional envelope wavefunctions were theoretically investigated by using our new LENS (local envelope states) expansion. We present recent experimental results on modulation doped V-groove quantum wires, including PL, PLE, TEM, CL, and infrared polarization resolved spectroscopy. We have observed a very unusual absorption lineshape at the far-infrared wavelengths that we assigned to phonon assisted Fano resonance in a modulation doped quantum wire structure.     

Linear and nonlinear excitonic absorption in semiconducting quantum wires crystallized in a dielectric matrix

Spectra of linear and nonlinear absorption of GaAs and CdSe semiconducting quantum wires crystallized in a transparent dielectric matrix (inside chrysotile-asbestos nanotubes) have been measured. Their features are interpreted in terms of excitonic transitions and filling of the exciton phase space in the quantum wires. The theoretical model presented here has allowed us to calculate the energies of excitonic transitions that are in qualitative agreement with experimental data. The calculated exciton binding energies in quantum wires are a factor of several tens higher than in bulk semiconductors. The cause of this increase in the exciton binding energy is not only the size quantization, but also the “dielectric enhancement,” i.e., stronger attraction between electrons and holes owing to the large difference between permittivities of the semiconductor and dielectric matrix. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 700–710 (August 1998)     

Manifestation of outgoing resonance in stokes and anti-stokes spectra of ZnTe and ZnMgTe quantum wires

The spectra of resonant light scattering by ZnTe quantum wires have been measured at excitation energies of 2.18–2.72 eV. The quantum wires have been grown on Si(100) and GaAs(100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The effect of outgoing resonance with the electron transition energy E ₀ on the intensity of phonon lines of the Stokes spectrum and on the intensity ratio of the Stokes and anti-Stokes spectral lines has been studied. The energy E ₀ has been determined in ZnTe and ZnMgTe quantum wires from the edge luminescence spectra.     

Dichroism in transmission of light by an array of self-assembled GaAs quantum wires on a nanofaceted A(311) surface

Dichroism in the transmission of light (the dependence of the transmittance on the direction of polarization of light) is revealed in corrugated GaAs/AlAs superlattices grown on a nanofaceted A(311) surface. It is assumed that the observed effect is associated with the structural anisotropy, i.e., with the formation of an array of GaAs quantum wires. This inference is confirmed by high-resolution electron microscopy. The GaAs/AlAs superlattices containing quantum wires also exhibit polarization anisotropy of the photoluminescence observed in the yellow-red spectral range.     

Electron Transport in Tellurium Nanowires

The temperature and magnetic field dependences of the voltage-current characteristics of tellurium nanowires manufactured via the insertion of tellurium into chrysotile asbestos pores from a melt have been measured. The measurements have been performed within a broad range of temperatures and magnetic fields. The results of such measurements are analyzed by means of their comparison with the predictions of theoretical models developed for the case of one-dimensional structures. The obtained dependences are concluded to most closely correspond to Luttinger liquid theory predictions. This result agrees with the concepts that the major mechanism of current in such one-dimensional wires does not depend on the material inserted into pores, but depends only on the dimension of conducting wires.     

用MOCVD方法生长的GaAs/GaAsP量子线及其特性

本实验采用普通的光刻和湿法腐蚀技术,将GaAs基片刻蚀成具有W形沟槽样的非平面结构,基片表面为(100)面,沟槽的侧斜面为(111)B面.在此基片上用低压MOCVD设备外延生长了GaAs/GaAsP多层膜,通过扫描电镜和微区拉曼光谱,研究它们的生长特性,发现GaAs和GaAsP的生长速率与基片的晶向及基片上的生长位置有关.根据这一生长特性,选择合适的W形沟道形状,用常规的量子阱外延方式,在W形沟道中央顶部突起的线条状平面上形成宝塔形生长,从而在尖端长出量子线.低温荧光光谱中观察到相应的能量峰,从而证实量子线的存在.     

磁场中耦合量子线的三阶非线性光学吸收率

本文研究了磁场中耦合量子线的三阶非线性光学吸收率,并且利用密度矩阵算符理论导出了三阶非线性光学吸收率的解析表达式.最后,以GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs耦合量子线为例作了数值计算,并绘出了三阶非线性光学吸收率与磁场B,光子能量h-ω以及间隔D之间的依赖关系.     

Raman scattering and hot luminescence spectra of Zn1 − x Mn x Te quantum wires

The Raman scattering and luminescence spectra of Zn_{1 − x} Mn _x Te (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) quantum wires have been investigated. The quantum wires have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on the (100)GaAs substrate with Au used as a catalyst. The spectrum of optical phonons in ZnMnTe quantum wires varies with a variation in x in accordance with an intermediate (between one- and two-mode) type of transformation. The optical phonon spectrum has been analyzed in terms of the microscopic theory. It has been demonstrated that the experimental data can be brought in accord with the theory by properly modifying the calculated density of phonon states for ZnTe. The spatial confinement has been found to affect the electronic states in Zn_{1 − x} Mn _x Te quantum wires.     

Selective growth of GaAs quantum dots and vertical quantum wires in two-dimensional V-grooves

We propose and demonstrate a novel technique for the fabrication of quantum dot (QD) structures using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The GaAs quantum dots are grown at the bottom of the two-dimensional V-groove (2DVG) structures which are composed of (1 1 1)A and (1 1 1)B-facets on GaAs(1 0 0). The 2DVG is formed by MOCVD selective growth on a SiO₂ patterned substrate. It should be noted that the 2DVGs cannot be formed by a chemical wet etching technique because the facet's anisotropy of etching ratios are different. By changing the growth condition, we can obtain GaAs QD structures which have a size of less than 10 nm, and vertical GaAs quantum wires (V-QWRs) in 2DVGs. We have observed photoluminescence from each structure. We have also demonstrated stacking of GaAs QDs in the 2DVG on GaAs (1 0 0).     

Optical properties of polymethine molecules incorporated into a macroscopic set of parallel nanotubes

The structural properties of polymethine molecules incorporated into nanofibers of chrysotile asbestos have been studied by absorption-spectroscopy methods. These experiments have shown that, in chrysotile nanotubes, monomeric, all-trans- and cis-isomers, dimers and J aggregates can be observed. Upon incorporation of a dye from weakly concentrated solutions, monomeric forms of polymethine molecules, extended chromophores of which are oriented along parallel asbestos nanotubes, are predominantly observed. The hybrid material under investigation may be of interest for applied problems.     

Thermal conductivity of crystalline chrysotile asbestos

The thermal conductivity of crystalline chrysotile asbestos made up of hollow tubular Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄ filaments is measured in the range 5–300 K. The paper discusses the possibility of using this material in studies of the thermal conductivity of thin filaments of metals and semiconductors incorporated into the channels of crystalline chrysotile asbestos tubes.     

Interface phenomena and optical properties of structurally confined InP quantum wire ensembles

Three-dimensional regular ensembles of InP quantum wires have been produced in channels of porous dielectric matrices by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. These matrices differ both in the diameter of the channels (0.7, 3, and 8 nm) and in their spatial arrangement. The InP layer thickness does not exceed two-three monolayers. A comparative study of Raman, optical absorption, and photoluminescence spectra revealed the dependence of the optical properties of these quantum wires on interface effects, namely, atomic interaction in the wires, wire-matrix, and wire-wire interactions. It is shown that the wire-matrix interaction distorts the InP lattice, broadens the wire electronic density-of-states spectrum in the vicinity of the fundamental gap, and redistributes the relaxation of photoinduced excitations among states belonging to the wire itself and to defects in the matrix bound to the wire. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 727–734 (April 1997)     

Photoemission from InAs/GaAs quantum dots decorated with cesium adatoms

An array of non-overgrown InAs/GaAs quantum dots has been decorated with adsorbed metal atoms in situ in ultrahigh vacuum. Their electron and photoemission properties have been studied. The radical modification of the spectra of the threshold emission from the quantum dots with increasing cesium coating has been found. Two photoemission channels have been established; they are characterized by considerably different intensities, spectral locations, and widths of the selective bands. It has been shown that the decoration of the quantum dots makes it possible to control the electronic structure and quantum yield of photoemission, the nature of which is related to the excitation of the electronic states of the GaAs substrate and InAs/GaAs quantum dots.     

Optical emission from the one-dimensional electron gas in narrow modulation-doped GaAs/(InGa)As/(AlGa)As quantum wires fabricated by lateral top barrier modulation

We report on the fabrication and photoluminescence characterisation of n-type doped quantum wires, which are based on a modulation-doped GaAs/(InGa)As/(AlGa)As quantum well structure, as used in inverted high electron mobility transistors. Lateral patterning was performed by electron beam lithography followed by a selective wet etch process to remove the n-type doped GaAs top barrier between the wire regions. The removal of the top barrier was verified by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Spatially indirect emission from the one-dimensional (ID) electron gas formed in the quantum wires is observed in low-temperature photoluminescence, even for the narrowest geometrical wire width of 23 nm. The emission shows a blue-shift for wire widths below 100 nm, which amounts to up to 60 meV for the narrowest wires.PACS: 78.66.Fd, 73.20.Dx, 78.55.Cr     

Biexciton gain and the Mott transition in GaAs quantum wires

Optical gain and the Mott transition in GaAs quantum wires were studied via simultaneous measurements of absorption and photoluminescence (PL). We observed well-separated PL peaks assigned to excitons (X) and biexcitons (XX) even at densities where optical gain existed. A sharp optical gain first appeared when the XX peak overtook the X peak, indicating the gain origin of biexciton-exciton population inversion. The XX peak eventually changed to a broad peak of plasma, and a broad gain due to plasma was observed as the Mott transition was completed.     

Optical coherent transient effects in a magnetized semiconductor quantum wire

Effects of an external magnetic field on free induction decay (FID) and the Stark effect in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wires have been investigated analytically. Our results show that both FID and the Stark effect become enhanced due to the presence of a magnetic field. We have also seen that the magnetic field plays an important role in wider wires while in thinner wires, the geometric confinement dominates over the magnetic effects. The results are found to be in good qualitative agreement with that available in the literature.