Interdiffusion of layers in PbSe-PbS epitaxial superlattices

X-ray diffraction methods are used to investigate the diffusional mixing of layers in PbSe-PbS superlattices. The interdiffusion coefficients of the layers are determined from the change in the intensity of satellite reflections. Two stages of diffusion are observed — fast (at the initial stages of anneals) and slow. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 9, 685–687 (10 November 1998)     

Influence of the thickness of CdTe and ZnTe layers on cathodoluminescence spectra of strained CdTe/ZnTe superlattices with quantum-dot layers

The influence of the thickness of ZnTe barrier layers on the cathodoluminescence spectra of strained CdTe/ZnTe superlattices containing layers of quantum dots with an average lateral size of approximately 3 nm has been investigated. In samples with thick barrier layers (30, 15 nm), the cathodoluminescence spectra of quantum dots exhibit one band with a maximum at E = 2.03 eV. It has been revealed that, at a barrier layer thickness of ∼3 nm, the luminescence band is split. However, at a ZnTe layer thickness of 1.5 nm, the luminescence spectrum also contains one band. The experimental results have been interpreted with allowance made for the influence of elastic biaxial strains on the energy states of light and heavy holes in the CdTe and ZnTe layers. For the CdTe/ZnTe heterostructure with quantum dots in which the thickness of the deposited CdTe layer is 1.5 monolayers and the thickness of the barrier layer is 100 monolayers, the cathodoluminescence spectrum contains 2LO-phonon replicas. This effect has been explained by the resonance between two-phonon LO states and the difference between the energy states in the electronic spectrum of wetting layer fragments.     

Electroluminescence study on electron hole plasma in strained SiGe epitaxial layers

The electroluminescence (EL) of thick fully strained SiGe layers is investigated in order to clarify the recombination mechanisms. In the investigated temperature range of 20–80 K and for SiGe thickness of 70–450 nm an electron–hole plasma (EHP) is observed even at low current densities of 1 Acm⁻². In SiGe-based quantum devices the EHP condition is expected to be attained at even lower injection levels. We used the band filling model for EHP to extract the renormalized gap of SiGe in dependence on the plasma density by performing a line shape analysis of EL spectra. The results were compared with the theoretical prediction. Based on this analysis as well as on measurements and modelling of the spectral photocurrent and the external quantum efficiency, we were able to evaluate parameters of recombination transitions for EHP in SiGe. Above 200 K there is an important contribution to EL from the silicon regions. For a better evaluation of the SiGe contribution, we compared EL of SiGe diodes with EL of pure silicon diodes.     

Electronic structure of strained Sin/Gen(001) superlattices

Using the empirical tight binding method we have investigated the electronic properties of the Si_n/Ge_n(001) strained superlattices as a function of the superlattice periodicity and the band misfit. For n ≥ 4 we have found that first and second conduction band states are localized in Si. The hole states localized in Ge appear for n ≥ 4. The difference between the direct and indirect band gaps is reduced from 2.01 eV for bulk Si to 0.01 eV for n=6 which can be considered to be quasi-direct. For the cases n=6 and n=8, the band gap might become direct for large values of band misfit.     

Excitons associated with miniband dispersion in (InGa)As---GaAs strained layer superlattices

Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy has been used to characterise miniband formation in (InGa)-As---GaAs superlattices with nominally 50 Å wide wells and barriers between 200 Å and 50 Å. The nominal composition of the alloy layers was 0.06. The observed exciton features are consistent with theoreical predictions of both parity allowed and forbidden transitions, at the mini-Brillouin zone centre and edge, including transitions associated with M₁ critical points in the superlattice bandstructure. Furthermore, as the GaAs thickness is varied we monitor changes in shape of the PLE spectra in the region of the first free electron to heavy-hole subband continuum, brought about by the electron-hole Coulomb interaction within the miniband. We also report PLE measurements on a structure which has been designed specifically to maximise the possibility of revealing a Δn = 0 exciton resonance below the saddle point.     

Atomic structures of two-dimensional strained InAs epitaxial layers on a GaAs(001) surface: in situ observation of quantum dot growth

Scanning tunneling microscopy and reflection high-energy electron diffraction under ultrahigh vacuum conditions were used to make an in situ study of atomic structures at the surface of an InAs/GaAs heterostructure grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. It was observed that the deposition of approximately 0.3 ML of indium on an arsenic-enriched GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surface leads to the formation of the 4 × 2 phase while the deposition of 0.6 ML indium leads to the appearance of a new 6 × 2 reconstruction. It is shown that layer-by-layer two-dimensional epitaxial growth of InAs on GaAs(001) as far as 13 monolayers can only be achieved if the growth front reproduces the 4 × 2 or 6 × 2 symmetry of the substrate and models of 4 × 2 and 6 × 2 reconstructions are proposed. Atomic-resolution images of faceted planes on the surface of three-dimensional islands in an InAs/GaAs(001) system were obtained for the first time and structural models of these were developed.     

Magnetic properties and domain structure of epitaxial (001) Fe/Pd superlattices

The magnetic properties of well-characterized (001)Fe/Pd superlattices prepared by molecular beam epitaxy are presented. The saturation magnetization is enhanced due to the polarization of the Pd interface, and analysis of hysteresis loops indicate low coercive fields, abrupt magnetic reversals, and ferromagnetic coupling between the Fe layers for all Pd thickness investigated (10–50 Å). It is also found that deposition on a stationary substrate can create a weak uniaxial in-plane anisotropy, which, for one of the two easy directions of Fe, causes a spontaneous rotation of the magnetization by 90° at low fields. This effect is clearly demonstrated by optical Kerr-effect imaging of the magnetic domain structure, and can be mistaken for antiferromagnetic coupling with very weak coupling fields. The strength of this uniaxial anisotropy is found to oscillate rapidly with Pd thickness, suggesting that it is very sensitive to the microstructure.     

Absorption measurements at high pressure (0–10kbar) on strained superlattices

Absorption data on strained GaAs_1?xP_x-GaAs superlattices (SL, 128-period, barrier size L_B≈75 Å, quantum-well size L_z≈75 Å, alloy composition x≈0.25) are presented in the range 0–10 kbars. The absorption curves obtained show no exciton show no exciton peaks such as seen in lattice- matched Al_xGa_1?xAs-GaAs SL's, and the pressure coefficient decreases from 11.5 meV/kbar to ≈ 10.5 meV/kbar in the wells and ≈6.5 meV/kbar at energies approaching and above the barrier energies. This behavior is attributed to the fluctuations in strain caused by the alloy disorder, and clustering, of the barriers.     

Ge self-diffusion in epitaxial Si(1)-(x)Ge(x) layers

Diffusion coefficients and activation energies have been determined for Ge diffusion in strain-relaxed Si(1)-(x)Ge(x) with x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.50. The activation energy drops from 4.7 eV in Si and Si(0.90)Ge(0.10) to 3.2 eV at x = 0.50. This value compares with the literature value for Ge self-diffusion in Ge, suggesting Ge-like diffusion already at x approximately equal to 0.5. The effect of strain on the diffusion was also studied showing a decrease in diffusion coefficient and an increase in activation energy upon going from compressive over relaxed to tensile strain.