GaAs/AlAs super-flat interfaces in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) quantum wells grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates by MBE

Effectively atomically flat GaAs/AlAs interfaces over a macroscopic area (“super-flat interfaces”) have been realized in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) quantum wells (QWs) grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). A single and very sharp photoluminescence (PL) peak was observed at 4.2 K from each GaAs/AlAs or GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrate. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of a PL peak for GaAs/AlAs QW with a well width ( ) of 4.2 nm was 4.7 meV and that for GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW with a smaller well width of 2.8 nm (3.9 nm) was 7.6 meV (4.6 meV), which are as narrow as that for an individual splitted peak for conventional GaAs/AlAs QWs grown on (1 0 0) GaAs substrates with growth interruption. Furthermore, only one sharp peak was observed for each GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW on the (4 1 1)A GaAs substrate over the whole area of the wafer (7 7 mm ), in contrast with two- or three-splitted peaks reported for each GaAs/AlAs QW grown on the (1 0 0) GaAs substrate with growth interruption. These results indicate that GaAs/AlAs super-flat interfaces have been realized in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QWs grown on the (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates.     

图形衬底量子线生长制备与荧光特性研究

报道了在V型槽图形衬底上利用分子束外延技术外延生长的GaAs/AlGaAs量子线.外延截面在扫描电子显微镜下可以看到在V型槽底部形成了弯月型量子线结构,量子线尺寸约为底边60 nm高14 nm的近三角形.低温87 K下光致发光谱测试在793.7和799.5 nm处出现峰值,验证了量子线的存在.理论近似计算结果显示,相比等宽度量子阱有8 meV的蓝移正是由于横向量子限制引起的. 关键词： V型槽图形衬底 量子线 GaAs     

A dual-blue light-emitting diode based on strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN quantum wells

A strain-compensated InGaN quantum well(QW) active region employing a tensile AlGaN barrier is analyzed.Its spectral stability and efficiency droop for a dual-blue light-emitting diode(LED) are improved compared with those of the conventional InGaN/GaN QW dual-blue LEDs based on a stacking structure of two In0.18Ga0.82N/GaN QWs and two In0.12Ga0.88N/GaN QWs on the same sapphire substrate.It is found that the optimal performance is achieved when the Al composition of the strain-compensated AlGaN layer is 0.12 in blue QW and 0.21 in blue-violet QW.The improvement performance can be attributed to the strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN QW,which can provide a better carrier confinement and effectively reduce leakage current.     

Influence of state hybridization on low-temperature electron transport in shallow quantum wells

We investigate the lateral low-temperature electron transport in shallow pseudomorphous two-sided δ-doped GaAs/In_0.12Ga_0.88As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) depending on the QW width, doping level, and the presence of a thin central AlAs barrier. Such a barrier is shown to change the band structure and wave functions of electrons in the QWs, causing a significant change in the scattering of electrons and a change in their mobility.     

用MOCVD方法生长的GaAs/GaAsP量子线及其特性

本实验采用普通的光刻和湿法腐蚀技术,将GaAs基片刻蚀成具有W形沟槽样的非平面结构,基片表面为(100)面,沟槽的侧斜面为(111)B面.在此基片上用低压MOCVD设备外延生长了GaAs/GaAsP多层膜,通过扫描电镜和微区拉曼光谱,研究它们的生长特性,发现GaAs和GaAsP的生长速率与基片的晶向及基片上的生长位置有关.根据这一生长特性,选择合适的W形沟道形状,用常规的量子阱外延方式,在W形沟道中央顶部突起的线条状平面上形成宝塔形生长,从而在尖端长出量子线.低温荧光光谱中观察到相应的能量峰,从而证实量子线的存在.     

Dual-blue light-emitting diode based on strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN quantum wells

Strain-compensated InGaN quantum well (QW) active region employing tensile AlGaN barrier is analyzed. Its spectral stability and efficiency droop for dual-blue light-emitting diode (LED) are improved compared with those of the conventional InGaN/GaN QW dual-blue LED based on stacking structure of two In_0.18Ga_0.82N/GaN QWs and two In_0.12Ga_0.88N/GaN QWs on the same sapphire substrate. It is found that the optimal performance is achieved when the Al composition of strain-compensated AlGaN layer is 0.12 in blue QW and 0.21 in blue-violet QW. The improvement performance can be attributed to the strain-compensated InGaN-AlGaN/GaN QW that can provide a better carrier confinement and effectively reduce leakage current.     

Hyperentanglement source by intersubband two-photon emission from semiconductor quantum wells

We propose an efficient hyperentanglement source emitting photon pairs entangled in both energy and polarization. The compact electrically driven room-temperature source, based on intersubband two-photon emission from semiconductor quantum wells (QWs) exhibits pair generation rates several orders of magnitude higher than alternative conventional schemes. A theoretical formalism is derived for the calculation of photon pair generation spectra and rates. The results are presented for superlattice structures similar to quantum cascade lasers of GaAs/AlGaAs QWs emitting in the mid-IR and far-IR and for InN/AlN QW structures suitable for telecommunication wavelengths.     

Long-range spatial correlations in the exciton energy distribution in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

Variations in the width of a quantum well (QW) are known to be a source of broadening of the exciton line. Using low temperature near-field optical microscopy, we have exploited the dependence of exciton energy on well width to show that in GaAs QWs, these seemingly random well-width fluctuations actually exhibit well-defined order-strong long-range correlations appearing laterally, in the plane of the QW, as well as vertically, between QWs grown one on top of the other. We show that these fluctuations are correlated with the commonly found mound structure on the surface. This is an intrinsic property of molecular beam epitaxial growth.     

Quantitative characterization of the interface roughness of (GaIn)As quantum wells by high resolution STEM

The physical properties of semiconductor quantum wells (QW), like (GaIn)As/GaAs, are significantly influenced by the interface morphology. In the present work, high angle annular dark field imaging in (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM), in combination with contrast simulation, is used to address this question at atomic resolution. The (GaIn)As QWs were grown with metal organic vapor phase epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates under different, precisely controlled conditions. In order to be able to compare different samples, a carefully applied method to gain reliable results from high resolution STEM micrographs was used. The thickness gradient of the TEM samples, caused by sample preparation, was compensated by the intensity of group V atomic columns, where no alloying takes place. After that, the In concentration map was plotted for the investigated regions based on the intensity of the group III atomic columns. The composition maps show that the Indium distribution across the quantum well is not homogeneous. The growth temperature of the QW can greatly influence the composition fluctuation and the interface morphology, with higher growth temperature resulting in larger composition fluctuations in the QWs and slightly wider interfaces, i.e. larger In-segregation. Growth interruptions are shown to significantly homogenize the elemental depth profile especially along the (GaIn)As/GaAs interface and hence have a positive effect on interface smoothness.     

Many body effects and internal transitions of confined excitons in GaAs and CdTe quantum wells

Many body effects contribute significantly to the energy states of electron-hole pairs confined in quantum wells in the presence of excess electrons. We present results of optically detected resonance spectroscopy of the internal transitions of photo-excited electron-hole pairs in the presence of excess electrons for GaAs QWs and CdTe QWs. Compared to the case of isolated negatively charged excitons, excess electrons produce a large blue shift of the internal transitions in modulation-doped GaAs quantum wells (QWs) for filling factor <2, and similar effects are found in CdTe QWs. For filling factor >2 no internal transitions are observed. These measurements demonstrate the strong effects of electron-electron correlations on the internal transitions of charged excitons in these quasi-2D systems and the importance of magnetic translation invariance. In the presence of excess electrons, the observed internal transitions are those of a magnetoplasmon bound to a mobile valence band hole.     

Time-resolved screening of the piezoelectric field in InGaAs/GaAs V-shaped quantum wires of variable profile

InGaAs/GaAs V-shaped quantum wires grown in grooves with either (111) or (411) sidewalls have been studied by ps-transient photoluminescence as a function of the excitation intensity. The optical nonlinearity associated with the screening of the internal piezoelectric field is temporally monitored by the blue shift of the spectrally resolved photoluminescence, occurring in the first 150 ps after the laser pulse, followed by a red shift at longer delays. Such an energy shift strongly depends on the photoexcited carrier density and reaches a maximum value of about 14 meV in the (411) wires. Despite their larger piezoelectric field, we observe a smaller energy shift in wires with (111) sidewalls, due to the enhanced confinement which localizes the wire wavefunction at the bottom of the groove. The observed energy shifts are consistent with the theoretical calculation of the polarization charge density induced by the strain via the piezoelectric effect.     

Electric field effect on the linear and nonlinear intersubband refractive index changes in asymmetrical semiparabolic and symmetrical parabolic quantum wells

By using the displacement harmonic variant method and the compact density matrix approach, the linear and nonlinear intersubband refractive index changes (RICs) in a semiparabolic quantum well (QW) with applied electric field have been investigated in detail. The simple analytical formulae for the linear and nonlinear RICs in the system were also deduced. The symmetrical parabolic QWs with applied electric fields were taken into account for comparison. Numerical calculations on typical GaAs QWs were performed. The dependence of the linear and nonlinear RICs on the incident optical intensity, the frequencies of the confined potential of the QWs and the strength of the applied electric field were discussed. Results reveal that the RICs in the semiparabolic quantum well system sensitively depend on these factors. The calculation also shows that the semiparabolic QW is a more ideal nonlinear optical system relative to the symmetric parabolic QW systems.     

Thermally induced quantum well shape modification in strained heterostructures

We have demonstrated that shallow ion (⁷⁵As⁺) implantation and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) structures can modify the optical properties of these epitaxial semiconductor heterostructures in a spatially selective manner. After RTA, QW exciton energies, determined from peaks in the photoluminescence spectra, shifted significantly to higher values only in the implanted regions. The magnitudes of the shifts were dependent on QW widths, RTA temperatures, and ion implantation fluences. The shifts were interpreted as arising from the modification of the shapes of the as-grown QWs from square (abrupt interfaces) to rounded (gradual interfaces) due to enhanced indium diffusion out of the well layers in irradiated areas as a consequence of the in-diffusion of vacancies generated near the surface by the implantation. Except for QWs near the critical thickness boundary, the presence of strain in the quantum well layers due to the difference in the lattice constant of the well and barrier layers had negligible effect on the QW shape modification due to thermal processing.     

Effect of In-segregation on subbands in GaInNAs/GaAs quantum wells emission around 1.3 and 1.55 micron

The effect of In-segregation on optical properties in 7.5-nm GaInNAs/GaAs single quantum well (QW) is studied theoretically. The nominal (In, N) contents in the QW are chosen to be (0.35, 0.015) and (0.39, 0.03) for the emission wavelengths around 1.3 and 1.55 μm, respectively. Muraki’s model is used to model the composition profiles in the QWs. In-plane strain, confinement potential, and subband energy levels of the QW are calculated using multi-band effective mass theory. We show a space-indirect transition between light holes localized in indium deficient region and electrons localized in indium rich region of the quantum well. Our results show that the optical transition energies are approximately constant for the segregation efficiencies smaller than 0.7 in both QWs.     

Quantum dots fabricated by twofold cleaved edge overgrowth

Cleaved edge overgrowth (CEO) has proven to be a powerful technique for the fabrication of atomic scale T-shaped quantum wires (QWRs) which form at the intersection of two quantum wells (QWs). Here we report on the first experimental demonstration of quantum dots (QDs) which result when three QWs intersect each other at right angles. Optical emission from zero-dimensional (0D) states in these QDs which were fabricated by a twofold CEO technique is clearly identified by means of micro-photoluminescence ( PL) and PL excitation ( PLE) spectroscopy. In contrast to the inhomogeneously broadened QW and QWR signals originating from the complex sample structure, the QD response, which is characterised by sharp lines (FWHM 70 eV), is strongly spatially localised at a position where the QWs meet.     

Fabrication and optical properties of quantum dots and wires

We describe photoluminescence measurements made on mesa geometry quantum dots and wires with exposed side walls fabricated by laterally patterning undoped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells using electron beam lithography and dry etching. At low temperature the photoluminescence efficiency of many but not all of the GaAs quantum dot arrays scales with the volume of quantum well material down to lateral dimensions of 50nm. This behaviour contrasts with that found in wires produced at the same time where the intensity falls off rapidly with decreasing wire width for dimensions below 500nm but is recovered by overgrowth with indium tin oxide, possibly as a result of strain. Narrow overgrown wires exhibit anisotropy in polarized excitation spectra which is discussed in relation to strain and lateral confinement effects.     

量子阱结构对含V形坑InGaN/GaN蓝光LED效率衰减的影响

使用MOCVD在图形化Si衬底上生长了含V形坑的InGaN/GaN蓝光LED。通过改变生长温度,生长了禁带宽度稍大的载流子限制阱和禁带宽度稍小的发光阱,研究了两类量子阱组合对含V形坑InG aN/GaN基蓝光LED效率衰减的影响。使用高分辨率X射线衍射仪和LED电致发光测试系统对LED外延结构和LED光电性能进行了表征。结果表明:限制阱靠近n层、发光阱靠近p层的新型量子阱结构,在室温75 A/cm~2时的外量子效率相对于其最高点仅衰减12.7%,明显优于其他量子阱结构的16.3%、16.0%、28.4%效率衰减,且只有这种结构在低温时(T≤150 K)未出现内量子效率随电流增大而剧烈衰减的现象。结果表明,合理的量子阱结构设计能够显著提高电子空穴在含V形坑量子阱中的有效交叠,促进载流子在阱间交互,提高载流子匹配度,抑制电子泄漏,从而减缓效率衰减、提升器件光电性能。     

Be掺杂对InGaAsN/GaAs量子阱性能的提高

InGaAsN/GaAs量子阱中进行铍(Be)元素重掺杂能显著提高其光学性质,并且发光波长发生了红移.X射线衍射摇摆曲线清楚地证实了铍掺杂抑制了InGaAsN(Be)/GaAs量子阱在退火过程中的应力释放.对比退火前,退火后的没有进行铍掺杂的量子阱样品的量子阱的X射线摇摆曲线衍射峰明显向GaAs衬底峰偏移;而对于掺铍的量子阱样品而言,这样的偏移要小很多.     

Direct measurement of quantum confinement effects at metal to quantum-well nanocontacts

Model metal-semiconductor nanostructure Schottky nanocontacts were made on cleaved heterostructures containing GaAs quantum wells (QWs) of varying width and were locally probed by ballistic electron emission microscopy. The local Schottky barrier was found to increase by approximately 0.140 eV as the QW width was systematically decreased from 15 to 1 nm, due mostly to a large (approximately 0.200 eV) quantum-confinement increase to the QW conduction band. The measured barrier increase over the full 1 to 15 nm QW range was quantitatively explained when local "interface pinning" and image force lowering effects are also considered.