Finite barrier width effects on exciton states and optical properties in wurtzite InGaN/GaN quantum well

Exciton states and optical properties in wurtzite (WZ) InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) are investigated theoretically, considering finite barrier width and built-in electric field effects. Numerical results show that when the barrier width increases, the ground-state exciton binding energy, the interband transition energy and the integrated absorption probability increase first and then they are insensitive to the variation of the barrier width. For any barrier width, the ground-state exciton binding energy and the integrated absorption probability have a maximum when the well width is 1 nm; moreover, the integrated absorption probability goes to zero when the well width is larger than 6 nm. In addition, the competition effects between the built-in electric field and quantum confinement are also investigated in the WZ InGaN/GaN QW.     

Electric field effects on optical properties in zinc-blende InGaN/GaN quantum dot

The effect of electric field on exciton states and optical properties in zinc-blende (ZB) InGaN/GaN quantum dot (QD) are investigated theoretically in the framework of effective-mass envelop function theory. Numerical results show that the electric field leads to a remarkable reduction of the ground-state exciton binding energy, interband transition energy, oscillator strength and linear optical susceptibility in InGaN/GaN QD. It is also found that the electric field effects on exciton states and optical properties are much more obvious in QD with large size. Moreover, the ground-state exciton binding energy and oscillator strength are more sensitive to the variation of indium composition in InGaN/GaN QD with small indium composition. Some numerical results are in agreement with the experimental measurements.     

Anomalous disorder-related phenomena in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well heterosystems

The influences of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) heterostructures with InGaN/GaN and GaN barriers on carrier confinement were investigated. The degree of disordering over a broad range of temperatures from 20 to 300 K was considered. The optical and electrical properties were strongly influenced by structural and compositional disordering of the InGaN/GaN MQW heterostructures. To compare the degree of disordering we examined the temperature dependence of the luminescence spectra and electrical conductance contingent on the Berthelot-type mechanisms in the InGaN/GaN MQW heterostructures. We further considered carrier transport in the InGaN/GaN disordered systems, probability of carrier tunneling, and activation energy of the transport mechanism for devices with InGaN/GaN and GaN barriers. The optical properties of InGaN/GaN disordered heterosystems can be interpreted from the features of the absorption spectra. The anomalous temperature-dependent characteristics of the disordered InGaN/GaN MQW structures were attributable to the enhancement of the exciton confinement.     

纤锌矿InGaN staggered量子阱中的激子态和光学性质

本文将基于有效质量近似下的变分法,理论研究了纤锌矿InGaN/GaN staggered 量子阱中的激子态和光学性质。数值结果显示了InGaN量子阱中的量子尺寸和staggered受限垒对束缚于量子阱中的激子态和光学性质有着明显地影响。当阱宽增加时,量子受限效应减弱,激子结合能降低, 带间发光波长增加。另一方面,当量子阱中staggered受限势增加时,量子受限效应增强,激子结合能升高,带间发光波长降低。本文的理论结果证明了可以通过调节staggered垒高和量子尺寸来调控纤锌矿InGaN staggered 量子阱中的激子态和光学性质。     

纤锌矿InGaN staggered量子阱中的激子态和光学性质

本文将基于有效质量近似下的变分法,理论研究了纤锌矿InGaN/GaN staggered量子阱中的激子态和光学性质.数值结果显示了InGaN量子阱中的量子尺寸和staggered受限垒对束缚于量子阱中的激子态和光学性质有着明显的影响.当阱宽增加时,量子受限效应减弱,激子结合能降低,带间发光波长增加.另一方面,当量子阱中staggered受限势增加时,量子受限效应增强,激子结合能升高,带间发光波长降低.本文的理论结果证明了可以通过调节staggered垒高和量子尺寸来调控纤锌矿InGaN staggered量子阱中的激子态和光学性质.     

Exciton states in wurtzite InGaN/GaN quantum wells: Strong built-in electric field and interface optical-phonon effects

Considering the strong built-in electric field (BEF) effects and large exciton–phonon interactions, we investigate the exciton states confined in an InGaN/GaN single quantum well (QW) by using the Lee–Low–Pines variational method. We find that the exciton state modification caused by the exciton–phonon interactions is remarkable. The exciton energy shift due to exciton–phonon interactions increases monotonically if the well width increases. With increasing the In fraction, the exciton energy shift firstly increases to a maximum, then decreases. The BEF has a significant influence on the exciton states in a QW with large well width. The physical reasons have been analyzed in detail. Good agreement for the zero-phonon peak energies and the Huang–Rhys factor has been obtained between our numerical results and the corresponding experimental measurements.     

The donor bound exciton states in wurtzite GaN quantum dot

Based on the effective mass approximation, the donor bound exciton states in a wurtzite (WZ) GaN/AlGaN quantum dot (QD) are investigated by means of a variational method, including the strong built-in electric field effect due to the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations. Numerical results show that the donor bound exciton binding energy is highly dependent on the impurity position and QD size. In particular, we find that the donor bound exciton binding energy is insensitive to dot height when the impurity is located at the right boundary of the WZ GaN/AlGaN QD with large dot height.     

Hydrostatic pressure dependence of excitonic optical transitions in strained wurtzite GaN/AlN quantum disks

In the framework of the effective mass approximation, the effects of hydrostatic pressure on optical transitions associated with the excitons confined in strained wurtzite (WZ) GaN/AlN quantum disks (QDisks) with the confinement potential of finite depth are investigated by using a variational technique, with considering the influences of the built-in electric field (BEF) and the biaxial strain dependence of material parameters. The Schrödinger equation via the proper choice of the exciton trial wave function is solved. The behaviors of the excitonic optical transition are examined at different pressures for different QDisk sizes. In our calculations, the effective masses of electron and hole, dielectric constants, phonon frequencies, energy gaps, and piezoelectric polarizations are taken into account as functions of biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure. Numerical results show that the hydrostatic pressure and the QDisk size have a remarkable influence on exciton states. The calculated pressure coefficient of optical transition energy shows a negative value if the QDisk height L > 3.2 nm, in contrast with the positive pressure coefficient of the GaN band gap. The peculiar pressure behavior is related to the pressure-induced increase of the built-in electric field. For a fixed pressure, the optical transition energy has a red-shift if the QDisk height and radius increase and QDisk height has a more obvious influence on E_ph than QDisk radius. Furthermore, the relationship between the radiative decay time and hydrostatic pressure (QDisk height) is also investigated. It is found that the radiative decay time increases with pressure and the increment tendency is more prominent for the large height QDisks. The radiative decay time strongly increases by three orders of magnitude reaching microsecond order if the QDisk height increases from 1 nm to 3 nm.     

InGaN量子阱的微观特性

采用VASP程序包模拟计算InGaN量子阱的能带,精细展示了量子阱实空间能带结构。计算结果表明,In原子所在区域出现局域束缚态,导带底与价带顶的简并能级发生分裂,同时量子阱沿垂直结面方向存在分立的能级。此外,针对影响能带的In组分波动、能带弯曲等问题进行探讨,以准确描述其电子行为,从而深入系统地了解InGaN/GaN量子阱的电学光学等特性。     

Investigation of electron energy states in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells

Blue light emitting diodes (LED) consisting of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on sapphire. The width of the quantum wells (InGaN) was maintained in the range of 3–5 nm with a barrier of 10–15 nm of GaN. Various diagnostic techniques were employed for the characterization of the InGaN/GaN heterostructure. Carrier concentration depth profile from C–V measurements demonstrated the presence of MQWs. The higher value of built-in voltage (15 V) determined from C⁻²–V plot also supported the presence of MQWs as assumed to alter the space-charge region width and hence the intercept voltage. Arrhenius plots due to DLTS spectra from the device revealed at least four energy states (eV) 0.1, 0.12, 0.15 and 0.17, respectively in the quantum wells, with respect to the barrier. Further the photoluminescence spectrum showed an InGaN-based broad band centered at 2.9 eV and the GaN peak at 3.4 eV. A comparison of the PL spectrum with the literature helped to estimate the indium content in the QW (InGaN) and its width to be ∼13% and ∼3 nm, respectively. The results were consistent with the DLTS findings.     

Exciton states and optical transitions in InGaN/GaN quantum dot nanowire heterostructures: Strong built-in electric field and dielectric mismatch effects

Considering the strong built-in electric field (BEF), dielectric-constant mismatch and 3D confinement of the electron and hole, the exciton states and interband optical transitions in [0 0 0 1]-oriented Ga-rich wurtzite In_xGa_1−xN/GaN strained quantum dot (QD) nanowire heterostructures are investigated theoretically using a variational approach under the effective mass approximation. We find that the strong BEF gives rise to an obvious reduction of the effective band gap of QDs and leads to a remarkable electron-hole spatial separation. The BEF, QD height and radius, and dielectric mismatch effects have a significant influence on exciton binding energy, electron interband optical transitions, and the radiative decay time. Our calculations show that the radiative decay time of the redshifted transitions is large and increases almost exponentially when the QD height increases, which is in good agreement with the previous experimental and theoretical results.     

氮化物半导体耦合量子阱中非线性光整流特性:压电效应与自发极化效应

考虑了由于压电与自发极化引起的强内电场效应,基于密度矩阵与久期处理方法,理论考察了纤锌矿氮化物半导体耦合量子阱体系的非线性光整流特性。根据已经成功建立的耦合量子阱的内建电场模型,精确求解了体系的电子本征态。以典型的GaN/InxGa1-xN纤锌矿氮化物耦合量子阱为例进行了数值计算,结果发现共振光整流系数达到了10-6m/V的量级(体系的偶极矩阵元大小超过了2nm),这比同样尺寸的单氮化物量子阱的相应值高一个数量级。而且,计算还发现光整流系数对耦合量子阱的结构与掺杂组分呈现非单调的依赖关系,这一特性被归结为体系的强内建电场与量子尺寸效应对载流子受限特性的强烈竞争。计算结果还表明,通过选择小尺寸阱宽与垒宽的耦合量子阱,适当降低掺杂组分,可在氮化物耦合量子阱中获得较强的光整流效应。     

Quantum confined carrier transition in a GaN/InGaN/GaN single quantum well bounded by AlGaN barriers

We investigated the carrier transition properties of the GaN/InGaN/GaN single quantum well bounded by AlGaN barriers. In order to confirm the carrier transition coming from the single quantum well, the single quantum well layer was etched by reactive ion etching method. The structural property of the samples was characterized by high resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. In micro-photoluminescence measurements, it is clearly shown that the donor bound exciton transition of the single quantum well sample was redshifted compared to the etched one due to strain. Moreover, a lot of peaks were observed below the GaN band gap energy due to carrier localization in the InGaN/GaN single quantum well, including carrier localization center and quantum confined states. The excitation power dependence and time resolved photoluminescence spectra were investigated to characterize the optical transition of the single quantum well.     

Exciton states in zinc-blende InGaN/GaN quantum dot

Within the framework of effective-mass approximation, exciton states confined in zinc-blende(ZB) InGaN/GaN quantum dot(QD) are investigated by means of a variational approach, considering finite band offsets. The ground-state exciton binding energy and the interband emission energy are investigated as functions of QD structural parameters in detail. Numerical results show clearly that both the QD size and In content of InGaN have a significant influence on the exciton states and interband optical transitions in the ZB InGaN/GaN QD.     

Detecting spatially localized excitons in InGaN quantum well structures with a micro-photoluminescence technique

Spatially localized excitons are observed in InGaN quantum well structures at 4 K by using a micro-photoluminescence (PL) technique. By combining PL and nano-lithographic techniques, we are able to detect PL signals with a 0.2 μm spatial resolution. A sharp PL line (linewidth of <0.4 meV) is clearly obtained, which originates from a single localized exciton induced by a quantum dot like a local potential minimum position. Sharp PL spectra detected in three QWs with different indium compositions confirm that there are exciton localization effects in quantum wells in the blue-green (about 2.60 eV, 477 nm) to purple (about 3.05 eV, 406 nm) regions.     

Efficiency enhancement of InGaN based blue light emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN multilayer barriers

The advantages of InGaN based light-emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN multilayer barriers are studied.It is found that the structure with InGaN/GaN multilayer barriers shows improved light output power,lower current leakage,and less efficiency droop over its conventional InGaN/GaN counterparts.Based on the numerical simulation and analysis,these improvements on the electrical and the optical characteristics are mainly attributed to the alleviation of the electrostatic field in the quantum wells(QWs) when the InGaN/GaN multilayer barriers are used.     

具有三角形InGaN/GaN多量子阱的高内量子效率的蓝光LED(英文)

对InGaN量子阱LED的内量子效率进行了优化研究。分别对发光光谱、量子阱中的载流子浓度、能带分布、静电场和内量子效应进行了理论分析。对具有不同量子阱数量的InGaN/GaN LED进行了理论数值比对研究。研究结果表明,对于传统结构的LED而言,2个量子阱的结构相对于5个和7个量子阱具有更好的光学性能。同时还研究了具有三角形量子阱结构的LED,研究结果显示,三角形多量子阱结构具有较高的电致发光强度、更高的内量子效率和更好的发光效率,所有的优点都归因于较高的电子-空穴波函数重叠率和低的Stark效应所产生的较高的载流子输入效率和复合发光效率。     

纤锌矿In_(0.19)Ga_(0.81)N/GaN量子阱中光学声子和内建电场对束缚极化子结合能的影响

用改进的Lee-Low-Pines变分方法研究纤锌矿In0.19Ga0.81N/GaN量子阱结构中束缚极化子能量和结合能等问题,给出基态结合能、不同支长波光学声子对能量和结合能的贡献随阱宽和杂质中心位置变化的数值结果.在数值计算中包括了该体系中声子频率的各向异性和内建电场对能量和结合能的影响、以及电子和杂质中心与长波光学声子的相互作用.研究结果表明,In0.19Ga0.81N/GaN量子阱材料中光学声子和内建电场对束缚极化子能量和结合能的贡献很大,它们都引起能量和结合能降低.结合能随着阱宽的增大而单调减小,窄阱中减小的速度快,而宽阱中减小的速度慢.不同支声子对能量和结合能的贡献随着阱宽的变化规律不同.没有内建电场时,窄阱中,定域声子贡献小于界面和半空间声子贡献,而宽阱中,定域声子贡献大于界面和半空间声子贡献.有内建电场时,定域声子贡献变小,而界面和半空间声子贡献变大,声子总贡献也有明显变化.在In0.19Ga0.81N/GaN量子阱中,光学声子对束缚极化子能量和结合能的贡献比GaAs/Al0.19Ga0.81As量子阱中的相应贡献(约3.2—1.8和1.6—0.3 meV)约大一个数量级.阱宽(d=8 nm)不变时,在In0.19Ga0.81N/GaN量子阱中结合能随着杂质中心位置Z0的变大而减小,并减小的速度变快.随着Z0的增大,界面和半空间光学声子对结合能的贡献缓慢减小,而定域光学声子的贡献缓慢增大.     

Hydrogenic impurity states in wurtzite GaN/AlGaN coupled quantum dots

The ground-state binding energy of a hydrogenic donor impurity in wurtzite (WZ) GaN/AlGaN coupled quantum dots (QDs) is calculated by means of a variational method, considering the strong built-in electric fields caused by the piezoelectricity and spontaneous polarizations. The strong built-in electric fields induce an asymmetrical distribution of the ground-state binding energy with respect to the center of the coupled QDs. If the impurity is located at the low dot, the ground-state binding energy is insensitive to the interdot barrier width of WZ GaN/AlGaN coupled QDs.