A GaAs–InGaAs optoelectronic switch with multiple operation states

An optoelectronic switch with both n- and p-type delta-doped (-doped) quantum wells was investigated. The -doped structures formed potential wells for the carrier accumulation and potential barriers for the carrier injection. Being possessed of -doped sheets with different doping levels, the potential barriers were sequentially collapsed to produce a double negative-differential-resistance (NDR) phenomenon in the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the device, due to the carrier accumulation in the potential wells. The device also showed an optical function related to the barrier heights controllable by incident light.     

Photoluminescence due to exciton–exciton scattering in a GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well

We have investigated photoluminescence (PL) properties of a GaAs (20 nm)/AlAs (20 nm) multiple quantum well at 10 K under intense excitation conditions. It has been found that a PL band due to exciton–exciton scattering, the so-called P emission, is observed in addition to the biexciton PL under an excitation energy higher than the fundamental heavy-hole exciton by the energy of the longitudinal optical phonon. On the other hand, the P band could never be observed at an excitation energy much higher than the exciton energy, where a band-filling phenomenon appears in the PL spectrum. Furthermore, we confirmed the existence of optical gain leading to stimulated emission in the energy region of the P band using a variable-stripe-length method.     

Photoluminescence properties of exciton–exciton scattering in a GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well

We report on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of a GaAs (20 nm)/AlAs (20 nm) multiple quantum well under high-density-excitation conditions at excitation energies near the fundamental exciton energies. The biexciton-PL band is dominant in a relatively low-excitation-power region. The PL originating from exciton–exciton scattering, the so-called P emission, suddenly appears with an increase in excitation power. The excitation-energy dependence of the intensity of the P-PL band indicates that the excitation energy higher than the fundamental heavy-hole exciton by the energy of the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon is the most efficient for the P PL. This suggests that the LO-phonon scattering plays an important role in the relaxation process of excitons leading to the P PL. The appearance of the P-PL band remarkably suppresses the intensity of the biexciton-PL band; namely, the exciton–exciton scattering process prevents the formation of biexcitons. Furthermore, we have confirmed the existence of optical gain due to the exciton–exciton scattering process with use of a variable-stripe-length method.     

Effect of SiO2–metal–SiO2 plasmonic structures on InGaAs/GaAs quantum well intermixing

Dielectric–metal–dielectric sandwich structures have been fabricated on top of an InGaAs/GaAs single quantum well (QW) structure to enhance atomic interdiffusion across the QW interfaces at elevated temperature during rapid thermal annealing using a halogen lamp as the heating source. The QW intermixing enhancement is realized during rapid thermal annealing. By placing a properly designed SiO₂–Ag–SiO₂ structure on top of the QW sample, a blueshift in photoluminescence emission from 920 to 882 nm was observed, larger than that obtained in a SiO₂-capped QW annealed at the same condition. Finite-difference time-domain simulation and optical reflectance measurements showed that the enhanced QW intermixing is due to the plasmonic resonance-enhanced light absorption and suppressed light reflection from the SiO₂–Ag–SiO₂ structure.     

A digital-alloy AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflector for application to 1.3μm surface emitting laser diodes

A distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) utilizing the digital alloy Al_0.9Ga_0.1As was grown by using the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method for application in 1.3 μm optical communications and compared to the analog-alloy AlGaAs/GaAs DBR. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) image showed a highly abrupt boundary of AlAs and GaAs, which supports the formation of a digital-alloy Al_0.9Ga_0.1As layer. The measurement showed that the digital-alloy AlGaAs/GaAs DBR had similar reflection spectra with enhanced uniform distribution over the whole substrate surface compared to the analog-alloy one. In the digital-alloy Al_0.9Ga_0.1As/GaAs DBR cavity, the reflection dip position was measured at around 1273 nm and the standard deviation of the distribution of the reflection dip was 1.31 nm in wavelength over 1/4 of a three-inch wafer.     

Light-emitting properties of GaAs/InGaAs quantum wells with a GaAs barrier δ-doped with Mn atoms

The structural, electric, and luminescence properties of quantum-confined InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures, modified by δ-Mn doping of the GaAs barrier, have been investigated. The structures were prepared by combination of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and laser sputtering of solid targets. The structures had a high crystal quality and pronounced electroluminescence intensity. The Mn content in the δ-doped layer, providing enhanced electroluminescence intensity and reduced operating currents of light-emitting diodes, was experimentally determined.     

InP-based InGaAs/InA1GaAs digital alloy quantum well laser structure at 2μm

The structural and optical characteristics of InP-based compressively strained InGaAs quantum wells have been significantly improved by using gas source molecular beam epitaxy grown InAs/Ino.53Ga0.47As digital alloy triangular well layers and tensile Ino.53Ga0.47As/InAiGaAs digital alloy barrier layers. The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope characterisations indicate that the digital alloy structures present favourable lattice quality. Photo- luminescence （PL） and electroluminescence （EL） measurements show that the use of digital alloy barriers offers better optical characteristics than that of conventional random alloy barriers. A significantly improved PL signal of around 2.1μm at 300 K and an EL signal of around 1.95μm at 100 K have been obtained.     

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.     

Properties of InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells with a δ〈Mn〉-doped layer in GaAs

A method of formation of two-dimensional structures containing a δ〈Mn〉-doped layer in GaAs and an In_xGa_1?x As quantum well (QW) separated by a GaAs spacer of thickness d = 4–6 nm is developed using laser evaporation of a metallic target during MOS hydride epitaxy. It is shown that, up to room temperature, these structures have ferromagnetic properties most likely caused by MnAs clusters. At low temperatures (T _m ～ 30 K), the anomalous Hall effect is revealed to occur. This effect is related to hole scattering by Mn ions in GaAs and to the magnetic exchange between these ions and QW holes, which determines the spin polarization of the holes. The behavior of the negative magnetoresistance of these structures at low temperatures indicates the key role of quantum interference effects.     

1.55-μm InGaAs/InGaAlAs MQW vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with InGaAlAs/InP distributed Bragg reflectors

High-performance InGaAs/InGaAlAs multiple-quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with InGaAlAs/InP distributed Bragg reflectors are proposed for operation at the wavelength of . The lasers have good heat diffusion characteristic, large index contrast in DBRs, and weak temperature sensitivity. They could be fabricated either by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth. The laser light-current characteristics indicate that a suitable reflectivity of the DBR on the light output side in a laser makes its output power increase greatly and its lasing threshold current reduce significantly, and that a small VCSEL could output the power around its maximum for the output mirror at the reflectivity varying in a broader range than a large VCSEL does.     

Metamorphic growth of 1.55 μm InGaAs/InGaAsP multiple quantum wells laser structures on GaAs substrates

We fabricate a Ga As-based In Ga As/In Ga As P multiple quantum wells(MQWs) laser at 1.55 μm. Using two-step growth method and thermal cyclic annealing, a thin low-temperature In P layer and a thick In P buffer layer are grown on Ga As substrates by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition technology. Then, highquality MQWs laser structures are grown on the In P buffer layer. Under quasi-continuous wave(QCW) condition, a threshold current of 476 m A and slope efficiency of 0.15 m W/m A are achieved for a broad area device with 50 μm wide strip and 500 μm long cavity at room-temperature. The peak wavelength of emission spectrum is1549.5 nm at 700 m A. The device is operating for more than 2000 h at room-temperature and 600 mA.     

Nonlinear properties in InxGa1 − xAs/GaAs multiple quantum well laser structures

In this paper we investigated nonlinear properties and lasing in In_xGa_1 − xAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition. A systematic study, performed by high excitation photoluminescence measurements as a function of excitation intensity, allowed us to identify the minimum well width for observing stimulated emission from well states. We also determined the threshold for stimulated emission for well and barrier lasing. Radiative recombination energies are identified by using theoretical data obtained in the effective mass approximation, including boundary conditions and strain.     

Growth of strain-compensated InGaAs/GaAsP multiple quantum wells by MOVPE

InGaAs/GaAsP strain-compensated multiple quantum wells (SCMQWs) and strained InGaAs/GaAsmultiple quantum wells (MQWs) were grown on GaAs substrates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy(MOVPE). The results of double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD) revealed that strain relief had beenpartly accommodated by the misfit dislocation formation in the strained MQW material. It led to thatthe full width half maximums (FWHMs) of superlattice satellite peaks are broader than those of SCMQWstructures, and there was no detectable room temperature photoluminecence(RT-PL)for the strained     

Photovoltaic spectra of undoped GaAsAl0.25Ga0.75As multiple quantum well structures: Correlation with photoluminescence

The photovoltaic spectra of molecular beam epitaxy GaAsAl_0.25Ga_0.75As multiple quantum wells in the vicinity of the n=1 sub-bandgap region and their correlation with the corresponding photoluminescence spectra have been studied in the temperature range 2–297K. Photovoltaic and photoluminescence spectra are found to agree for the transition of the n=1 heavy- and light-hole excitons. The photovoltaic spectra in the Schottky-barrier configuration show as the relative maxima and minima at the corresponding exciton photoluminescence lines. A possible model of the observed coincidence of photoluminescence and photovoltage is discussed.     

Diode-pumped distributed-feedback dye laser with an organic–inorganic microcavity

We present a diode-pumped microcavity dye laser composed of a top organic reflector and a bottom inorganic reflector. The top organic reflector consists of alternate thin films of cellulose acetate and poly(N-vinylcarbazole) doped with coumarin 540A to construct a distributed-feedback (DFB) resonator. Pumped directly by an InGaN-based blue laser diode (LD) with a pulse duration of 4 ns, the microcavity dye laser exhibited a single-mode oscillation at 563 nm with a threshold pump LD power of 290 mW/pulse. The emission of the microcavity dye laser was measured through an optical fiber, resulting in a peak power of 2.5 mW for a pump LD power of 320 mW. PACS  42.55.Mv; 42.55.Sa; 42.55.Xi     

Anomalous spin–orbit coupling in high-density two-dimensional electron gas confined in InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well

We study the magnetotransport property of a high-density two-dimensional electron gas confined in InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well. Both beating pattern in the Shubnikov–de Hass oscillation of resistivity and weak antilocalization effect are observed. From these two effects, Rashba spin-splitting energy is extracted. The extracted Rashba spin-splitting energy shows a nonmonotonic dependence on Fermi wave vector, contrary to the prevailing linear Rashba model. This anomalous behavior can be attributed to the nonlinear Rashba spin-splitting mechanism [Yang et al., Phys. Rev. B 74 (2006) 193314].     

Dependence of “Reststrahlen” bands in far-infrared reflectivity on configuration of GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well heterostructures

Far infrared reflectivity measurements are performed on a series of GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well (MQW) heterostructures with systematically varied thicknesses of the constituent layers. In addition to the artificial anisotropy we observe two distinct bulk-like Reststrahlen regions. The widths of the GaAs-like and the AlAs-like Reststrahlen bands strongly depend on the relative thicknesses of the constituent layers of the MQW heterostructures, in excellent agreement with the predictions of the effective-medium theory.Prof. Aldo Cingolani passed away just before the publication of this article. We would like to dedicate this paper to his memory     

Electroluminescent device based on AlxGa1−xAs–GaAs quantum well nanostructures

AlGaAs–GaAs based quantum well nanopillar arrays are fabricated by using the UV lithography and the chlorine based reactive ion etching. The nanostructure is fabricated so as to get the confinement of carriers within the i-GaAs quantum well layer of 9 nm thick sandwiched between two barrier layers of Al_0.33Ga_0.67As of 11 nm thick in order to induce the possible light emission from the quantum well region. The size of pillars is obtained from SEM analysis. The number of pillars available within the 1 m² mesa size is found to be around 400 having the pillar size between 10 and 50 nm. Electroluminesence (EL) is detected from the nanopillars when applying a forward bias voltage of 1.3 V and the emitted light is observed at around 830 nm.     

InP-based InGaAs/InAlGaAs digital alloy quantum well laser structure at 2 μm

The structural and optical characteristics of InP-based compressively strained InGaAs quantum wells have been significantly improved by using gas source molecular beam epitaxy grown InAs/In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As digital alloy triangular well layers and tensile In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As/InAlGaAs digital alloy barrier layers.The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope characterisations indicate that the digital alloy structures present favourable lattice quality.Photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) measurements show that the use of digital alloy barriers offers better optical characteristics than that of conventional random alloy barriers.A significantly improved PL signal of around 2.1 μm at 300 K and an EL signal of around 1.95 μm at 100 K have been obtained.