Lattice IR reflection spectra of ZnSe/Zn<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Cd<Subscript>x</Subscript>Se strained superlattices grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

This paper reports the results of measurements of the lattice IR reflection spectra for the ZnSe/Zn_1?xCd_xSe (x=0.20, 0.40, and 0.47) superlattices grown on a GaAs(001) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. Mathematical analysis of the experimental spectra has revealed the presence of only one lattice mode rather than the two expected IR-active lattice modes of the ZnSe and Zn_1?xCd_xSe layers. This result is explained by the fact that the frequencies of the lattice modes of these layers become closer in magnitude under the effect of internal elastic stresses.     

Resonant Raman scattering spectra in a ZnCdSe/ZnSe structure with a quantum well and open nanowires

Resonance Raman scattering (RS) spectra of a ZnCdSe/ZnSe sample containing a single quantum well and quantum well-based open nanowires were studied at T=300 K. The longitudinal optical (LO) phonons involved in the formation of the observed spectra of the quantum-well and nanowire regions differ noticeably in energy. The LO phonon energies in the structures under study were calculated taking into account the compositional effect (doping of Cd into ZnSe) and biaxial strain. When excited in the exciton resonance region, RS is shown to occur via free (extended) excitonic states with the involvement of LO phonons of the ZnCdSe strained layer with final wave vectors near the Brillouin zone center. When excited below the excitonic resonance in the ZnCdSe layer, resonance scattering via localized exciton states provides a noticeable contribution to the observed RS lines. Because of the finite size of a localized state, phonons with large wave vectors are involved in these scattering processes. The RS lines produced under excitation in the excitonic region of the thick barrier layers are due to scattering from the ZnSe barrier phonons.     

A comparison between optically active CdZnSe/ZnSe and CdZnSe/ZnBeSe self-assembled quantum dots: effect of beryllium

The composition and size of optically active Cd_xZn_1−xSe/ZnSe quantum dots are estimated with a previously developed method. The results are then compared with those obtained for Cd_xZn_1−xSe/Zn_0.97Be_0.03Se QDs. We show that introducing Be into the barrier material enhances both Cd composition and quantum size effect of optically active quantum dots.     

Negatively charged excitons and the optical properties of modulation-doped quantum wells

Optical and magneto-optical properties are studied for II-VI semiconductor multiple quantum wells (MQWs) doped with donors in the barriers to give electron concentrations of 2 10¹⁰ to 6 10¹¹ cm^-2 in the well layers. Following on from the recent identification of negatively charged excitons X^- (two electrons bound to one hole) in CdTe/Cd_1-xZn_xTe MQWs, this paper presents more specifically the circular polarisation of the luminescence associated with X^- and with the normal exciton X (one electron and one hole) in this type of structure. Very similar magneto-optical properties are observed for modulation doped Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/ZnSe MQWs, and X^- is identified in these wells with a binding energy as large as 7 meV for the second electron at 50Å, well-width.     

Picosecond dynamics and stimulated emissions of excitons in Zn1-xCdxSe/ZnSe quantum wells

The dynamics and stimulated emission processes of the exciton luminescence are studied in quantum wells (QWs) of the Zn_1-xCd_xSe/ZnSe system. A multiquantum well (MQW) structure shows an exciton lifetime of 150-280 ps and a stimulated emission effect due to exciton-exciton scattering as well as due to electron-hole plasma recombination. A combined-QW structure in which a single quantum well (SQW) is located adjacent to MQWs shows a tunneling process of the excitons from the MQWs through the barriers to the SQW. The stimulated emission takes place in the SQW due to phase space filling effects of the excitons. These observed stimulated emission processes are highly related to the blue-laser-diode operation at both low and room temperatures.     

Exciton tunnelling in ZnCdSe quantum well/CdSe quantum dots

Exciton tunnelling through a ZnSe barrier layer of various thicknesses is investigated in a Zn_0.72Cd_0.28Se/CdSe coupled quantum well/quantum dots (QW/QDs) structure using photoluminescence (PL) spectra and near resonant pump-probe technique. Fast exciton tunnelling from quantum well to quantum dots is observed by transient differential transmission. The tunnelling time is 1.8, 4.4 and 39 ps for barrier thickness of 10, 15 and 20 nm, respectively.     

Temperature dependence of the band edge excitonic transitions ofa wurtzite-type Cd0.925Be0.075Se mixed crystal

We have performed a contactless electroreflectance (CER) study of the near band-edge interband transitions of a Bridgman-grown wurtzite-type Cd_0.925Be_0.075Se mixed crystal in the temperature range of 15–450 K. The transition energies and broadening function of the excitonic features are determined via a lineshape fit to the CER spectra. The parameters that describe the temperature dependence of the transition energies of excitons A and C, and the broadening function of the exciton A are evaluated and discussed.     

Relaxation of hot excitons in CdZnSe/ZnSe quantum wells and quantum dots

The relaxation dynamics of hot excitons was studied in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe quantum wells and quantum dots. A fast population of the radiative excitonic ground state occurs for an excitation excess energy corresponding to an integer number of optical phonon energies. This is indicated by a spectrally narrow photoluminescence peak observed immediately after the exciting laser pulse. Spatial diffusion of excitons, controlled by the interaction between excitons and acoustic phonons, causes a distinct linewidth broadening with increasing delay time in quantum wells. In contrast, this process is found to be strongly suppressed in quantum dots.     

Excitonic effects in diluted magnetic semiconductor nanostructures

Excitonic properties and the dynamics are reported in quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wells (QW) of diluted magnetic semiconductors. Transient spectroscopies of photoluminescence and nonlinear-optical absorption and emission have been made on these quantum nanostructures. The Cd_1−x Mn_xSe QDs show the excitonic magnetic polaron effect with an increased binding energy. The quantum wells of the Cd_1−x Mn_xTe/ZnTe system display fast energy and dephasing relaxations of the free and localized excitons as well as the tunneling process of carriers and excitons in the QWs depending on the barrier widths. The observed dynamics and the enhanced excitonic effects are the inherent properties of the diluted magnetic nanostructures. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 846–848 (May 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor.     

Doped Graphene Quantum Dots Modified Zn0.9Cd0.1Se for Improved Photoelectric Properties

S-graphene quantum dots (GQDs), N-GQDs, P-GQDs, and Cl-GQDs are prepared by a solution chemistry method and further incorporated with Zn_xCd_1−xSe by one-step hydrothermal method. In the previous study, Zn_xCd_1−xSe reached the optimal photoelectric performances at the Zn/Cd ratio of 0.9:0.1, so the Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se were combined with doped GQDs (D-GQDs) to form Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/doped-GQDs. The influence of GQDs doped with different elements on the photoelectric properties of Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se composites is discussed. Compared with pristine Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se, Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/Cl-GQDs, and Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/P-GQDs can improve the photocurrent response and current intensity, therein, Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/Cl-GQDs reaches the lowest interfacial charge transfer resistance and the highest photocurrent response of 5.48 × 10⁻⁶ A cm⁻². Mott–Schottky analysis shows that the fitting slope of Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/Cl-GQDs composites is significantly lower than that of Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/GQDs with other doped elements. The results indicate that Zn_0.9Cd_0.1Se/Cl-GQDs composites has the largest carrier density, which is beneficial to charge conduction.     

Effects of electric field and size on the electron-phonon interaction in a spherical quantum dot with impurity

The effects of electric field and size on the electron-phonon interaction with an on-center impurity in a Zn_1?x Cd _x Se/ZnSe spherical quantum dot are studied, taking into account the interactions with confined, half-space and surface optical phonons. In addition, the interaction between impurity and phonons has also been considered. The results show that the electron-confined, electron-half-space, and electron-surface optical phonon interaction energies are all negative. The electron-confined optical phonon interaction energy is weakened by the electric field, but the electron-half-space and electron-surface optical phonon interaction energies are strengthened by it. In particular, the electron-surface optical phonon interaction depends strongly on the electric field, and it will vanish when the electric field is absent. It is also found that the electron-confined optical phonon interaction and electron-impurity “exchange” interaction energies reach a peak values as the quantum dot radius increases and then gradually decrease, but the electron-half-space optical phonon interaction energy exponentially quickly approaches 0 as the quantum dot radius increases.     

Optical absorption and refraction index change of a confined exciton in a spherical quantum dot nanostructure

Electronic energies of an exciton confined in a strained Zn_1−x Cd _x Se/ZnSe quantum dot have been computed as a function of dot radius with various Cd content. Calculations have been performed using Bessel function as an orthonormal basis for different confinement potentials of barrier height considering the internal electric field induced by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations. The optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes between the ground state (L = 0) and the first excited state (L = 1) are investigated. It is found that the optical properties in the strained ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum dot are strongly affected by the confinement potentials and the dot radii. The intensity of the total absorption spectra increases for the transition between higher levels. The obtained optical nonlinearity brings out the fact that it should be considered in calculating the optical properties in low dimensional semiconductors especially in quantum dots.     

Excitonic polaron and phonon assisted photoluminescence of ZnO nanowires

The coupling strength of the radiative transition of hexagonal ZnO nanowires to the longitudinal optic (LO) phonon polarization field is deduced from temperature dependent photoluminescence spectra. An excitonic polaron formation is discussed to explain why the interaction of free excitons with LO phonons in ZnO nanowires is much stronger than that of bound excitons with LO phonons. The strong exciton-phonon coupling in ZnO nanowires affects not only the Haung-Ray S factor but also the FXA-1LO phonon energy spacing, which can be explained by the excitonic polaron formation.     

Nanoscratch behavior of Zn1−xCdxSe heteroepitaxial layers

This paper describes the nanoscratch behavior of Zn_1−xCd_xSe epilayers grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Hysitron Triboscope nanoindenter techniques were employed to determine the microstructures, morphologies, friction coefficients (μ), and hardnesses (H) of these materials, and thereby propose an explanation for their properties in terms of nanotribological behavior. Nanoscratch analysis revealed that the coefficient of friction of the Zn_1−xCd_xSe epilayer system decreased from 0.172 to 0.139 upon increasing the Cd content (x) from 0.07 to 0.34. Furthermore, studies of the scratch wear depth under a ramping load indicated that a higher Cd content provided the Zn_1−xCd_xSe epilayers with a higher shear resistance, which enhanced the strength of the CdSe bonds. These findings suggest that the greater stiffness of the CdSe bond, relative to that of the ZnSe bond, enhances the hardness of the epilayers. Indeed, the effect of the Cd content on the growth of the Zn_1−xCd_xSe epilayers is manifested in the resulting nanotribological behavior.     

Infrared lattice-reflection spectroscopy of Zn1−x CdxSe epitaxial layers grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular-beam epitaxy

Results are presented of the first measurements of infrared reflection spectra of Zn_1−x Cd_xSe films (x=0–0.55; 1) grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular-beam epitaxy. It is shown by a mathematical analysis of the experimental spectra that the investigated Zn_1−x Cd_xSe alloy system manifests a unimodal rearrangement of its vibrational spectrum as the composition is varied. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 982–985 (June 1999)     

Photocurrent spectroscopy of ZnCdSe/ZnSe multiple quantum wells

Photocurrent and absorption spectroscopy studies were performed in the 10<T<300K temperature range on p-i-n heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy and incorporating Zn_1-xCd_xSe/ZnSe multiple quantum wells in the undoped region. An interpretation of photocurrent results is given.     

Optical properties and recombination processes in (Zn,Cd)Se Graded Index Separate Confinement Heterostructures

Graded Index Separate Confinement Heterostructures have been grown by MOVPE using (Zn,Cd)Se and ZnSe wide bandgap semiconductors. These structures are composed of a deep Zn_1-xCd_xSe (x<0.23%) central well embedded between two thick (Zn,Cd)Se graded layers within which the cadmium composition varies from 0 up to 10% on one side of the well, and from 10 down to 0% on the other side. Both carriers and photon confinement occur in such structures making them suitable for blue-green stimulated emission.Reflectance and photoreflectance data, taken at 2K on a series of samples of different designs allowed us to observe excitonic transitions up to the third quantum number. The structures exhibit a strong photoluminescence line due to the recombination of the carriers in the quantum well. The photoluminescence intensity is analyzed as a function of the temperature and displays a strong thermal quenching. This quenching is due to an increase of the non-radiative recombinations through defects at low temperature and to the thermal escape of the carriers above 40-60K. The value of the activation energy for thermal escape shows that this mechanism is unipolar and concerns the heavy holes.     

Interface polarons in a realistic heterojunction potential

The ground states of interface polarons in a realistic heterojunction potential are investigated by considering the bulk and the interface optical phonon influence. A self-consistent heterojunction potential is used and an LLP-like method is adopted to obtain the polaron effect. The numerical computation has been done for the Zn_1-xCd_xSe/ZnSe system to obtain the polaron ground state energy, self energy and effective mass parallel to the interface. A simplified coherent potential approximation is developed to obtain the parameters of the ternary mixed crystal and the energy band offset of the heterojunction. It is found that at small Cd concentration the bulk longitudinal optical phonons give the main contribution for lower areal electron densities, whereas the interface phonon contribution is dominant for higher areal electron densities. The interface polaron effect is weaker than the effect obtained by the three dimensional bulk phonon and by the two dimensional interface phonon models. Received 17 September 1998     

Exciton and intracenter radiative recombination in ZnMnTe and CdMnTe quantum wells with optically active manganese ions

The emission spectra of Zn_1?x Mn _x Te/Zn_0.6Mg_0.4Te and Cd_1?x Mn _x Te/Cd_0.5Mg_0.5Te quantum-well structures with different manganese concentrations and quantum-well widths are studied at excitation power densities ranging from 10⁵ to 10⁷ W cm^?2. Under strong optical pumping, intracenter luminescence of Mn²⁺ ions degrades as a result of the interaction of excited managanese ions with high-density excitons. This process is accompanied by a strong broadening of the emission band of quantum-well excitons due to the exciton-exciton interaction and saturation of the exciton ground state. Under pumping at a power density of 10⁵ W cm^?2, stimulated emission of quantum-well excitons arises in CdTe/Cd_0.5Mg_0.5Te. The luminescence kinetics of the quantum-well and barrier excitons is investigated with a high temporal resolution. The effect of the quantum-well width and the managanese concentration on the kinetics and band shape of the Mn²⁺ intracenter luminescence characterized by the contribution of the manganese interface ions is determined.     

Study of the third order nonlinear optical properties of Zn<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>x</Subscript>Se and Cd<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>x</Subscript>Se crystals

Third order nonlinear optical susceptibilities χ^<3> of ternary Zn_1−xMg_xSe and Cd_1−xMg_xSe crystals have been measured using standard degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) method at 532 nm. The nonlinear transmission technique has been applied to check if our crystals exhibit two-photon absorption. The studied Zn_1−xMg_xSe and Cd_1−xMg_xSe solid solutions were grown from the melt by the modified high-pressure Bridgman method. For both crystals the energy gap increases with increasing Mg content. In the case of Zn_1−xMg_xSe, it was found that the value of third order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ^<3> decreases with increasing Mg content. An explanation of this behaviour results from the dependence of optical nonlinearities on the energy band gap E_g of the studied crystals. In the case of Cd_1txMg_xSe with low content of Mg, no response was observed for the studied wavelength since the energy gap in such crystals is smaller than the photon energy of the used laser radiation. It was also found that the value of third order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ^<3> for Cd_0.70Mg_0.30Se is higher than for Zn_0.67Mg_0.33Se. This behaviour can be understood if one take into consideration that the free carrier concentration in Cd_1−xMg_xSe samples is about four orders of magnitude higher than that in Zn_1txMg_xSe ones with comparable Mg content respectively. It is commonly known that when the electric conductivity increases, the values of nonlinear optical properties increase. From the performed measurements one can conclude that the incorporation of Mg as constituent into ZnSe and CdSe crystals leads to a change of the third order nonlinear optical susceptibilities.