Long-wavelength light emission from InAs quantum dots covered by GaAsSb grown on GaAs substrates

We fabricated InAs quantum dots (QDs) with a GaAsSb strain-reducing layer (SRL) on a GaAs(0 0 1) substrate. The wavelength of emission from InAs QD is shown to be controllable by changing the composition and thickness of the SRL. An increase in photoluminescence intensity with increasing compositions of Sb and thickness of the GaAsSb SRL is also seen. The efficiency of radiative recombination was improved under both conditions because the InAs/GaAsSb/GaAs hetero-interface band structure more effectively suppressed carrier escape from the InAs QDs.     

Sb-mediated growth of high-density InAs quantum dots and GaAsSb embedding growth by MBE

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) with high-density were grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrates by antimony (Sb)-mediated molecular beam epitaxy technique using GaAsSb/GaAs buffer layer and InAsSb wetting layer (WL). In this Sb-mediated growth, many two-dimensional (2D) small islands were formed on those WL surfaces. These 2D islands provide high step density and suppress surface migration. As the results, high-density InAs QDs were achieved, and photoluminescence (PL) intensity increased. Furthermore, by introducing GaAsSb capping layer (CL), higher PL intensity at room temperature was obtained as compared with that InGaAs CL.     

Strong photoluminescence and laser operation of InAs quantum dots covered by a GaAsSb strain-reducing layer

GaAsSb strain-reducing layers (SRLs) are applied to cover InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs substrates. The compressive strain induced in InAs QDs is reduced due to the tensile strain induced by the GaAsSb SRL, resulting in a redshift of photoluminescence (PL) peaks of the InAs QDs. A strong PL signal around a wavelength of 1.3 μm was observed even at room temperature. A laser diode containing InAs QDs with GaAsSb SRLs in the active region was fabricated, which exhibits laser oscillation in pulsed operation at room temperature. These results indicate that GaAsSb SRLs have a high potential for fabricating high efficient InAs QDs laser diodes operating at long-wavelength regimes.     

基于间接跃迁模型的p+-GaAsSb费米能级研究

重p型掺杂GaAsSb广泛应用于InP HBT基区材料,重掺杂影响GaAsSb材料的带隙和费米能级等重要参数,这些参数对设计高性能HBT起着关键作用。本文通过间接跃迁模型研究了p⁺-GaAsSb材料的荧光性质,以及费米能级与Sb组分的关系。由于费米能级与空穴有效质量m_h和空穴态密度n_h存在函数关系,我们通过荧光测量并计算了空穴有效质量m_h和空穴态密度n_h,研究结果表明m_h和n_h共同主导了费米能级的变化。     

Carrier dynamics in type-II GaAsSb/GaAs quantum wells

Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of type-II GaAsSb/GaAs quantum wells are presented. The PL kinetics are determined by the dynamic band bending effect and the distribution of localized centers below the quantum well band gap. The dynamic band bending results from the spatially separated electron and hole distribution functions evolving in time. It strongly depends on the optical pump power density and causes temporal renormalization of the quantum well ground-state energy occurring a few nanoseconds after the optical pulse excitation. Moreover, it alters the optical transition oscillator strength. The measured PL lifetime is 4.5 ns. We point out the critical role of the charge transfer processes between the quantum well and localized centers, which accelerate the quantum well photoluminescence decay at low temperature. However, at elevated temperatures the thermally activated back transfer process slows down the quantum well photoluminescence kinetics. A three-level rate equation model is proposed to explain these observations.     

Fabrication and optical properties of self-assembled InAsSb/InP nanostructures on InP (001) substrate

This article presents a study on the growth and optical properties of self-assembled InAsSb/InP nanostructures on (001) InP substrate, which are potential candidate materials for making mid-infrared lasers. The surfactant effect of Sb atoms is found to play a crucial role in the formation of flat InAsSb quantum dashes with almost identical island width no matter the change of InAsSb deposition thickness. The critical thickness for the transition from two-dimensional plane growth to three-dimensional island growth is observed to be less than two monolayer. And the photoluminescence measurements on InAsSb quantum dashes with different nominal Sb composition well demonstrate the band-gap bowing effect induced by the incorporation of Sb atoms into InAs quantum dots. The photoluminescence linewidth of InAsSb quantum dashes also present unusual temperature behavior, which can be attributed to the narrow size distribution of InAsSb quantum dashes.     

不同盖层对InAs/GaAs量子点结构和光学性质的影响

利用金属有机化合物气相沉积设备生长了不同盖层结构的InAs/GaAs量子点,采用原子力显微镜和光致发光光谱仪对量子点的结构和光学性质进行了研究.量子点层之间的盖层由一个低温层和一个高温层组成.对不同材料结构的低温盖层的对比研究表明,In组分渐变的InGaAs低温盖层有利于改善量子点均匀性、减少结合岛数目、提高光致发光强度;当组分渐变InGaAs低温盖层厚度由6.8 nm增加到12 nm,发光波长从1256.0 nm红移到1314.4 nm.另外,还对不同材料结构的高温盖层进行了对比分析,发现高温盖层采用In组分渐变的InGaAs材料有利于光致发光谱强度的提高. 关键词： 半导体量子点 盖层 组分渐变     

Growth and optical properties of Ge/Si quantum dots formed on patterned SiO2/Si(0 0 1) substrates

Single and stacked layers of Ge/Si quantum dots were grown in SiO₂ windows patterned by electron-beam lithography on oxidized Si (0 0 1) substrates. The growth of a silicon buffer layer prior to Ge deposition is found to be an additional parameter for adjusting the Ge-dot nucleation process. We show that the silicon buffer layer evolves towards [1 1 3]-faceted pyramids, which reduces the area of the topmost (0 0 1) surface available for Ge nucleation. By controlling the top facet area of the Si buffer layers, only one dot per circular window and a high cooperative arrangement of dots on a striped window can be achieved. In stacked layers, the dot homogeneity can be improved through the adjustment of the Ge deposited amount in the upper layers. The optical properties of these structures measured by photoluminescence spectroscopy are also reported. In comparison with self-assembled quantum dots, we observed, both in single and stacked layers, the absence of the wetting-layer component and an energy blue shift, confirming therefore the dot formation by selective growth.     

Optical transition pathways in type-II Ga(As)Sb quantum dots

We present results of room temperature photoreflectance (PR) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown GaAsSb/GaAs quantum dot structures: one with an In_0.14Ga_0.86As capping quantum well and one without it. PL was used to determine the structures’ ground-state transition energies. This result was employed in an 8-band k·p Hamiltonian to achieve a band structure of the structures, which have different electron confinement. The dot emission energies suggest a large amount of As incorporation into the dots, which is due to enhanced adatom mixing at a higher than normal growth temperature of 510 °C. Our calculations indicate a dot composition of 25-50% Sb gives the best fit to experiment. This uncertainty in composition arises due to the fact that different bowing parameters of the ternary alloy could be applied in the calculations. The theoretical analysis accounts well for the main feature in the PR spectra of both samples.     

双层堆垛长波长InAs/GaAs量子点发光性质研究

研究了双层堆垛InAs/GaAs/InAs自组织量子点的生长和光致发光(PL)的物理性质。通过优化InAs淀积量、中间GaAs层厚度以及InAs量子点生长温度等生长条件,获得了室温光致发光1391～1438nm的高质量InAs量子点。研究发现对量子点GaAs间隔层实施原位退火、采用Sb辅助生长InGaAs盖层等方法可以增强高密度(2×1010 cm-2)InAs量子点的发光强度,减小光谱线宽,改善均匀性和红移发光波长。     

Photoluminescence saturation in InGaAs/GaAs single quantum wells

Saturation of the photoluminescence associated with the 11H transition in the InGaAs single quantum wells is observed under high intensity optical excitation. At the onset of saturation, a spill-over of the photoluminescence occurs into the GaAs cladding layers as the excitation intensity is increased. The measurements are used to determine a limiting value of the quantum efficiency of the quantum-well associated photoluminescence.     

Structural and optical properties of self-assembled GaN/AlN quantum dots

This paper reviews our studies of wurtzite GaN/AlN quantum dots grown by MBE via the Stranski–Krastanow mode. High resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that dots are dislocation free, without any evidence of interdiffusion effects. They form arrays of truncated hexagonal pyramids (height of 4 nm and base diameter of 15 nm), nucleating next to threading dislocations on top of a wetting layer, and exhibiting vertical correlation between different quantum dot layers. The existence of polarization and piezoelectric fields of several MV/cm is demonstrated by photoluminescence and decay time measurements. Nevertheless quantum dots are found to be the most efficient emitters in nitrides at room temperature.     

Thermal processing of GaAsSb/GaAs low-dimensional strained-layer structures

Strained 100 Å GaAsSb quantum wells in GaAs, grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy have been subjected to thermal anneals up to a temperature of 950°C and for times varying from a few seconds to several minutes. The interdiffusion on the group V sublattice has been monitored using photoluminescence of the ground state emissions from the quantum well. We have made measurements on undoped and both p and n, Be and Si, doped structures. The intermixing is observed to be strongly non-linear. Doping is found to reduce the interdiffusion.     

Recombination processes in structures with GaN/ALN quantum dots

Mechanisms of the generation and the radiative and nonradiative recombination of carriers in structures with GaN quantum dots in the AlN matrix are studied experimentally and theoretically. Absorption, stationary and nonstationary photoluminescence of quantum dots at different temperatures are investigated. It is found that the photoluminescence intensity considerably decreases with the temperature while the photoluminescence kinetics weakly depends on the temperature. The photoluminescence kinetics is shown to be determined by radiative recombination inside quantum dots. A mechanism of nonradiative recombination is proposed, according to which the main reason for the thermal quenching of photoluminescence is nonradiative recombination of charge carriers, generated by optical transitions between quantum dots and wetting layer states.     

1.3-μm InAs/GaAs quantum dots grown on Si substrates

We compare the effect of InGaAs/GaAs strained-layer superlattice(SLS) with that of GaAs thick buffer layer(TBL)serving as a dislocation filter layer. The InGaAs/GaAs SLS is found to be more effective than GaAs TBL in blocking the propagation of threading dislocations, which are generated at the interface between the GaAs buffer layer and the Si substrate. Through testing and analysis, we conclude that the weaker photoluminescence for quantum dots(QDs) on Si substrate is caused by the quality of capping In_(0.15)Ga_(0.85)As and upper GaAs. We also find that the periodic misfits at the interface are related to the initial stress release of GaAs islands, which guarantees that the upper layers are stress-free.     

GaAs1-xSbx/GaAs单量子阱的光学特性研究

用选择激发光荧光研究了分子束外延生长的GaAsSb/GaAs单量子阱的光学性质，第一次同时观察到空间直接(Ⅰ类)和间接(Ⅱ类)跃迁.它们表现出不同的特性：Ⅰ类跃迁具有局域化特性，其发光能量不随激发光能量而变；Ⅱ类发光的能量位置随激发功率的增大而蓝移，也随激发光能量的增加而蓝移，复合发光发生在位于异质结GaAs一侧的电子和GaAsSb中的空穴之间，实验结果可以很好地用电荷分离造成的能带弯曲模型来解释，这也是空间间接跃迁的典型特性.还用光荧光的激发强度关系和时间分辨光谱进一步论证了GaAsSb/GaAs能带排 关键词： GaAsSb/GaAs 选择激发 Ⅱ类跃迁     

Wetting layers effect on InAs/GaAs quantum dots

FEM combining with the K·P theory is adopted to systematically investigate the effect of wetting layers on the strain-stress profiles and electronic structures of self-organized InAs quantum dot. Four different kinds of quantum dots are introduced at the same height and aspect ratio. We found that 0.5 nm wetting layer is an appropriate thickness for InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Strain shift down about 3%∼4.5% for the cases with WL (0.5 nm) and without WL in four shapes of quantum dots. For band edge energy, wetting layers expand the potential energy gap width. When WL thickness is more than 0.8 nm, the band edge energy profiles cannot vary regularly. The electron energy is affected while for heavy hole this impact on the energy is limited. Wetting layers for the influence of the electronic structure is obviously than the heavy hole. Consequently, the electron probability density function spread from buffer to wetting layer while the center of hole's function moves from QDs internal to wetting layer when introduce WLs. When WLs thickness is larger than 0.8 nm, the electronic structures of quantum dots have changed obviously. This will affect the instrument's performance which relies on the quantum dots' optical properties.     

Enhancement of photoluminescence of the CdSe/CdS quantum dots on quartz substrates in the presence of silver nanoparticles

Multilayer systems consisting of layers of hybrid quantum dots are fabricated. The quantum dots with the CdSe/CdS core/shell structure are chemically synthesized and deposited on the surface of quartz glass that contains ion-synthesized silver nanoparticles in the near-surface region. Silver nanoparticles exhibit optical absorption owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance. Variations in the photoluminescence intensity of the layer related to an increase in the distance from the quartz surface with metal nanoparticles are studied. An increase in the photoluminescence intensity is observed under excitation in the spectral region of the plasmon absorption of silver nanoparticles. An optimal distance between the layers is determined to maximize the enhancement of the photoluminescence of quantum dots in the presence of the near field of metal nanoparticles.     

Investigation of populated InAs/GaAs quantum dots by photoluminescence and photoreflectance

We studied self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots by contrasting photoluminescence and photoreflectance spectra from 10 K to room temperature. The photoluminescence spectral profiles comprise contributions from four equally separated energy levels of InAs quantum dots. The emission profiles involving ground state and excited states have different temperature evolution. Abnormal spectral narrowing occurred above 200 K. In the photoreflectance spectra, major features corresponding to the InAs wetting layer and GaAs layers were observed. Temperature dependences of spectral intensities of these spectral features indicate that they originate from different photon-induced modulation mechanisms. Considering interband transitions of quantum dots were observed in photoluminescence spectra and those of wetting layer were observed in photoreflectance profiles, we propose that quantum dot states of the system are occupied up to the fourth energy level which is below the wetting layer quantum state.     

Solution processed microcavity structures with embedded quantum dots

The authors report the fabrication of a one-dimensional microcavity structure embedded with colloidal CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots using solution processing. The microcavity structures were fabricated by spin coating alternating layers of polymers of different refractive indices (poly-vinylcarbazole—PVK, and poly-acrylic acid—PAA) to form the distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). Greater than 90% reflectivity was obtained using ten periods of the structure. The one-dimensional microcavity was formed by sandwiching a λ/n thick defect layer between two such DBRs. The emission of the quantum dots from the microcavity structure demonstrated directionality following the cavity mode dispersion and spectral narrowing. Room temperature time-resolved photoluminescence measurements carried out on this structure showed significant reduction in the photoluminescence decay time which is attributed primarily to nonradiative mechanism originating in the presence of the PVK host matrix. The photoluminescence decay time of the quantum dots was found to be 1000 ps while for the quantum dots embedded in the polymer host and the microcavity were 400 and 150 ps, respectively.