Raman scattering of Ge dot superlattices

Self-organised Ge dot superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy of Ge and Si layers utilizing Stranski-Krastanov growth mode were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. An average size of Ge quantum dots was obtained from transmission electron microscopy measurements. The strain and interdiffusion of Ge and Si atoms in Ge quantum dots were estimated from the analysis of frequency positions of optical phonons observed in the Raman spectra. Raman scattering by folded longitudinal acoustic phonons in the Ge dot superlattices was observed and explained using of elastic continuum theory. Received 25 January 2000     

Selective enhancement of the hole photocurrent by surface plasmon–polaritons in layers of Ge/Si quantum dots

It is found that the integration of Ge/Si heterostructures containing layers of Ge quantum dots with twodimensional regular lattices of subwave holes in a gold film on the surface of a semiconductor leads to the multiple (to 20 times) enhancement of the hole photocurrent in narrow wavelength regions of the mid-infrared range. The results are explained by the light wave excitation of the surface plasmon–polaritons at the metal–semiconductor interface effectively interacting with intraband transitions of holes in quantum dots.     

Effect of the electron population on intraband absorption in InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots

We present a comprehensive study of the intraband transitions in n-type InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) with a filling varying from 0.5 to 4 electrons per dot, using both polarization-dependent absorption and photocurrent spectroscopy. Applying these complementary mid- and far-infrared spectroscopies over a wide energy range allows us to obtain a detailed picture of the intraband transitions and energy levels in self-assembled QDs.     

Intraband absorption and emission of light in quantum wells and quantum dots

High-resolution spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral range is used to study electronic transitions between size-quantization subbands in stepped quantum wells under picosecond interband excitation. The contributions from intersubband and intrasubband absorption of light are separated by using the difference in time profiles of the absorption coefficient for these cases. For stepped quantum wells, spontaneous interband luminescence and superluminescence are studied for different excitation levels. For structures with quantum dots, the intraband absorption spectra for n-and p-type structures and the spectra of photoinduced intraband absorption and emission (for polarized radiation) for undoped structures are studied.     

Intersublevel transitions in self-assembled quantum dots

Intersublevel transitions in semiconductor quantum dots are transitions of a charge carrier between quantum dot confined states. In InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots, optically active intersublevel transitions occur in the mid-infrared spectral range. These transitions can provide a new insight on the physics of semiconductor quantum dots and offer new opportunities to develop mid-infrared devices. A key feature characterizing intersublevel transitions is the coupling of the confined carriers to phonons. We show that the effect of the strong coupling regime for the electron–optical phonon interaction and the formation of mixed electron–phonon quasi-particles called polarons drastically affect and control the dynamical properties of quantum dots. The engineering of quantum dot relaxation rates through phonon coupling opens the route to the realization of new devices like mid-infrared polaron lasers. We finally show that the measurement of intersublevel absorption is not limited to quantum dot ensembles and that the intersublevel ultrasmall absorption of a single quantum dot can be measured with a nanometer scale resolution by using phonon emission as a signature of the absorption. To cite this article: P. Boucaud et al., C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

埋置量子点应力分布的有限元分析

通过衬底材料和外延材料的交替生长方式制备出多层排列的自组装量子点超晶格结构.这些埋置量子点的应力/应变场影响着它们的光电性能、压电性能以及力学稳定性.基于各向异性弹性理论的有限元方法,研究了埋置金字塔形应变自组织Ge/Si半导体量子点的应力/应变分布以及流体静应变和双轴应变分布,并与非埋置量子点的应力/应变分布做了比较,指出了它们之间的异同以及覆盖层对量子点应力/应变分布的影响. 关键词： 量子点 应力分布 应变分布     

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.     

Phonons in Ge/Si superlattices with Ge quantum dots

Ge/Si superlattices containing Ge quantum dots were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and studied by resonant Raman scattering. It is shown that these structures possess vibrational properties of both two-and zero-dimensional objects. The folded acoustic phonons observed in the low-frequency region of the spectrum (up to 15th order) are typical for planar superlattices. The acoustic phonon lines overlap with a broad emission continuum that is due to the violation of the wave-vector conservation law by the quantum dots. An analysis of the Ge and Ge-Si optical phonons indicates that the Ge quantum dots are pseudoamorphous and that mixing of the Ge and Si atoms is insignificant. The longitudinal optical phonons undergo a low-frequency shift upon increasing laser excitation energy (2.54–2.71 eV) because of the confinement effect in small-sized quantum dots, which dominate resonant Raman scattering.     

离子束溅射自组装Ge/Si量子点生长的演变

采用离子束溅射技术,通过改变Ge的沉积量,在n型Si(100)衬底上自组装生长了一系列Ge量子点样品. 利用AFM和Raman光谱对样品表面形貌和结构进行表征,系统地研究了Ge量子点形貌、密度、尺寸大小以及Ge的结晶性和量子点中组分等随Ge沉积量的演变规律. 结果表明:Ge层从二维薄层向三维岛过渡过程中,没有观察到传统的由金字塔形向圆顶形量子点过渡,而是直接呈圆顶形生长;且随着Ge沉积量的增加,量子点密度先增大后减小,Ge的结晶性增强同时Ge/Si互混加剧,量子点中Si的组分增加. 关键词： 离子束溅射 量子点 表面形貌 Raman光谱     

Suppression of hole relaxation in small Ge/Si quantum dots

We study the effect of quantum dot size on the mid-infrared photocurrent, photoconductive gain, and hole capture probability in ten-period p-type Ge/Si quantum dot heterostructures. The dot dimensions are varied by changing the Ge coverage during molecular beam epitaxy of Ge/Si(001) system in the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode while keeping the deposition temperature to be the same. A device with smaller dots is found to exhibit a lower capture probability and a higher photoconductive gain and photoresponse. The integrated responsivity in the mid-wave atmospheric window (λ = (3–5) μm) is improved by a factor of about 8 when the average in-plane dot dimension changes from 18 to 11 nm. The decrease in the dot size is expected to reduce the carrier relaxation rate due to phonon bottleneck by providing strong zero-dimensional quantum mechanical confinement.     

Resonant Raman scattering by strained and relaxed germanium quantum dots

This paper reports on the results of resonant Raman scattering investigations of the fundamental vibrations in Ge/Si structures with strained and relaxed germanium quantum dots. Self-assembled strained Ge/Si quantum dots are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(001) substrates. An ultrathin SiO₂ layer is grown prior to the deposition of a germanium layer with the aim of forming relaxed germanium quantum dots. The use of resonant Raman scattering (selective with respect to quantum dot size) made it possible to assign unambiguously the line observed in the vicinity of 300 cm^?1 to optical phonons confined in relaxed germanium quantum dots. The influence of confinement effects and mechanical stresses on the vibrational spectra of the structures with germanium quantum dots is analyzed.     

Phonons in Ge/Si quantum dot structures: influence of growth temperature

In this paper we present the results of a Raman study of Ge/Si quantum dot (QD) superlattices grown with different thicknesses of a Si interlayer and at different substrate temperatures. The built-in strain and atomic intermixing in the QDs are deduced from an analysis of optical phonon frequencies of the QDs obtained from Raman spectra of the structures.     

Relaxation of mechanical stresses in an array of Ge quantum dots obtained in Si

Raman scattering on optical phonons in Si/Ge/Si structures with Ge quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperatures 200–300°C has been investigated. A pseudomorphic state of an array of Ge quantum dots to a Si matrix with an ideally sharp interface has been obtained. Features associated with the inelastic relaxation of mechanical stresses have been revealed in the Raman spectrum. Two mechanisms of stress relaxation are separated. It has been shown that the spectrum of the electronic states of the array differs significantly from the set of the discrete levels of a single quantum dot, because the relaxation is inhomogeneous.     

Self-assembling of Ge quantum dots in the CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Ge/CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si heteroepitaxial system and the development of tunnel-resonance diode on its basis

A CaF₂/Ge/CaF₂/Si(111) heteroepitaxial structure with Ge quantum dots was grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. A negative differential conductivity and conductivity oscillations caused by resonant hole tunneling were observed at room temperature. The energy spacing between the levels in quantum dots, as determined from the oscillation period, is 40–50 meV depending on the Ge dot size.     

The effect of the long-range order in a quantum dot array on the in-plane lattice thermal conductivity

Semiconductor quantum dot superlattices consisting of arrays of quantum dots have shown great promise for a variety of device applications, including thermoelectric power generation and cooling. In this paper we theoretically investigate the effect of long-range order in a quantum dot array on its in-plane lattice thermal conductivity. It is demonstrated that the long-range order in a quantum dot array enhances acoustic phonon scattering and, thus leads to a decrease of its lattice thermal conductivity. The decrease in the ordered quantum dot array, which acts as a phonon grating, is stronger than that in the disordered one due to the contribution of the coherent scattering term. The numerical calculations were carried out for a structure that consists of multiple layers of Si with layers of ordered Ge quantum dots separated by wetting layers and spacers.     

Photocurrent spectroscopy of indirect transitions in Ge/Si multilayer quantum dots at room temperature

Lateral photoconductivity spectra of multilayer Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots were studied in the work proposed at room temperature. The photocurrent with minimal energy 0.48-0.56 eV that is smaller than Ge band gap was observed from such structures at the geometry of waveguide excitation. Generation of the photocurrent with the limit energy 0.48-0.56 eV was explained by spatially indirect electron transitions from heavy hole states of SiGe valence band into Δ₂-valley of the conduction band of Si surrounding. It was found out that the limit energy of such transitions decreased, as the number of SiGe quantum dot layers increased.     

Bonding state of a hole in Ge/Si double quantum dots

The emission of holes from the bonding state of diatomic artificial molecules formed by vertically coupled Ge/Si(001) quantum dots is studied by the admittance spectroscopy method. It is found that, when the thickness of the Si barrier between Ge quantum dots exceeds 2.5 nm, the binding energy of a hole in an artificial molecule becomes smaller than the ionization energy of a single quantum dot. This result contradicts the predictions of the quantum-mechanical model of molecular bonds and testifies to the crucial role of mechanical stresses in the formation of the bonding orbital in a system of elastically stressed quantum dots.     

半导体红外量子点发展现状与前景

半导体量子点具有独特的光学与电学性质,特别是红外量子点良好的光稳定性和生物相容性等优点使其在光电器件、生物医学等领域受到广泛关注。综述了吸收或发射光谱位于红外波段的量子点在激光、能源、光电探测以及生物医学等方面的应用现状与前景,归纳了适用于红外量子点材料的制备方法,并对比了不同方法在应用中的优势。半导体红外量子点材料选择丰富、应用形式多样:InAs量子点被动锁模激光器在1.3 μm波长处产生7.3 GHz的近衍射极限脉冲输出;InAs/GaAs量子点双波长激光器可泵浦产生0.6 nW的THz波;PbS量子点掺杂光纤放大器可在1.53 μm中心波长处实现10.5 dB光增益,带宽160 nm;CdSeTe量子点敏化太阳能电池、异质结Si基量子点太阳能电池的总转换效率可达8%和14.8%;胶质HgTe量子点制成的量子点红外探测器(QDIP)可实现3 μm~5 μm中波红外探测,Ge/Si量子点可实现3 μm~7 μm红外探测;CdTe/ZnSe核壳量子点可用于检测DNA序列的损伤与突变。半导体红外量子点上述应用形式的发展,将进一步促进红外光电系统向高效、快速、大规模集成的方向演进,也将极大地促进临床医学中活体成像检测的应用推广。     

Intraband photoresponse of SiGe quantum dot/quantum well multilayers

In this contribution we study the intravalence band photoexcitation of holes from self-assembled Ge quantum dots (QDs) in Si followed by spatial carrier transfer into SiGe quantum well (QW) channels located close to the Ge dot layers. The structures show maximum response in the important wavelength range 3–5 μm. The influence of the SiGe hole channel on photo- and dark current is studied depending on temperature and the spatial separation of QWs and dot layers. Introduction of the SiGe channel in the active region of the structure increases the photoresponsivity by up to about two orders of magnitude to values of 90 mA/W at T=20 K. The highest response values are obtained for structures with small layer separation (10 nm) that enable efficient transfer of photoexcited holes from QD to QW layers. The results indicate that Si/Ge QD structures with lateral photodetection promise very sensitive large area mid-infrared photodetectors with integrated readout microelectronics in Si technology.     

Quantum structures for multiband photon detection

The work describes multiband photon detectors based on semiconductor micro-and nano-structures. The devices considered include quantum dot, homojunction, and heterojunction structures. In the quantum dot structures, transitions are from one state to another, while free carrier absorption and internal photoemission play the dominant role in homo or heterojunction detectors. Quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) detectors can tailor the response wavelength by varying the size of the well. A tunnelling quantum dot infrared photodetector (T-QDIP) could operate at room temperature by blocking the dark current except in the case of resonance. Photoexcited carriers are selectively collected from InGaAs quantum dots by resonant tunnelling, while the dark current is blocked by AlGaAs/InGaAs tunnelling barriers placed in the structure. A two-colour infrared detector with photoresponse peaks at ∼6 and ∼17 μm at room temperature will be discussed. A homojunction or heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP or HEIWIP) infrared detector, formed by a doped emitter layer, and an intrinsic layer acting as the barrier followed by another highly doped contact layer, can detect near infrared (NIR) photons due to interband transitions and mid/far infrared (MIR/FIR) radiation due to intraband transitions. The threshold wavelength of the interband response depends on the band gap of the barrier material, and the MIR/FIR response due to intraband transitions can be tailored by adjusting the band offset between the emitter and the barrier. GaAs/AlGaAs will provide NIR and MIR/FIR dual band response, and with GaN/AlGaN structures the detection capability can be extended into the ultraviolet region. These detectors are useful in numerous applications such as environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis, battlefield-imaging, space astronomy applications, mine detection, and remote-sensing. The paper presented there appears in Infrared Photoelectronics, edited by Antoni Rogalski, Eustace L. Dereniak, Fiodor F. Sizov, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5957, 59570W (2005).