X-ray microanalysis of quaternary semiconductor solid solutions and its application to the (SnTe-SnSe):In system

A reliable technique of local chemical characterization of multicomponent semiconductor solid solutions has been developed, and the possibility of its application to the SnTe-SnSe quaternary solid solutions doped with 16 at.% In verified. The behavior of the electrical resistivity of samples of these solid solutions at low temperatures, 0.4–4.2 K, has been studied. The critical temperature T _c and the second critical magnetic field H _c2 of the superconducting transition and their dependences on the solid-solution composition have been determined. The superconducting transition at T _c≈2–3 K is due to hole filling of the In-impurity resonance states, and the observed variation of the superconducting transition parameters with increasing Se content in the solid solution is related to the extrema in the valence band and the In band of resonance states shifting with respect to one another. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 612–617 (April 1999)     

Suppression of the fractal conductivity channel and superlocalization effects in porous a-Si:H

The temperature dependence of the hopping conductivity and the relaxation kinetics of the transient current in porous amorphous silicon are investigated after treatment in a hydrogen plasma at 200 °C. It is discovered that posthydrogenation of the material increases the dimension of the conducting channel from 2.5 to 3, while suppressing and slowing the relaxation of the transient current. The results obtained are attributed to passivation of the electrically active dangling bonds on the pore surface by hydrogen. It is concluded that electron transport in porous amorphous silicon in the temperature range T>T*, where T* lies in the range 130–270 K and depends on the density of states, takes place between superlocalized states of the internal surface, which is enriched with dangling bonds and acts as a fractal percolation system. When the temperature is lowered below T*, a transition to one-dimensional hopping conduction in the bulk silicon regions occurs. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 926–935 (September 1997)     

纳米硅上的弯曲表面效应及其特征发光

纳米硅结构使能带的带隙展宽,并形成准直接能带带隙结构.弯曲表面上的某些键合可以在带隙中产生局域电子态,计算表明:纳米硅弯曲表面上的Si-N,Si=O和Si-O-Si键合能够分别在带隙中2.02 eV,1.78 eV和2.03 eV附近形成局域态子带,对应了实验光致荧光谱(PL)中605 nm处的LN线、693 nm处的LO1线和604 nm处的LO2线特征发光.特别是,Si-Yb键合在纳米硅弯曲表面上可以将发光波长调控到光通信窗口,在1310 nm到1600 nm范围形成LYb线特征发光.     

Excitonic state in quantum wells formed from “above-barrier” electronic states

Lines corresponding to localized excitonic states formed from “above-barrier” electron and/or hole states (specifically, excitation lines of excitons formed by an electron localized in a QW and a free heavy hole) have been observed in the photoluminescence excitation spectra of GaAs/Al_0.05Ga_0.95As structures with quantum wells (QWs), each containing one single-particle size-quantization level for charge carriers of each type. A computational method is proposed that permits finding the binding energy and wave functions of excitons in QWs taking the Coulomb potential into account self-consistently. The computed values of the excitonic transition energies agree quite well with the experimental results. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 9, 613–619 (10 November 1999)     

Electronic structure of the diamondlike systems BN1−x Mex (Me = Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu)

The local coherent potential method is used within the framework of multiple scattering theory to calculate the electron energy structure of the diamondlike systems BN_1−x Me_x (Me is a 3d transition metal) with the ZnS structure. We used the cluster version of the muffin tin approximation to calculate the crystal potential. The framework of a single approximation is used to compare the electronic energy structure of ternary and binary boron-nitride systems. The width of the hybridized band of the ternary systems BN-Me (Me = Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu) is greater than in the binary system by more than 8 eV and is due to the resultant B-Me interaction. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1338–1341 (August 1997)     

Effect of bridging aza-substitution on electronic structure and spectral-luminescent properties of isobacteriochlorin NH-isomers

We have investigated the spectral characteristics, quantum yield ϕ_F, lifetime τ_F, and polarization of fluorescence of NH-isomers of dibenzobarrelene disubstituted tetraazaisobacteriochlorin at 293 and 77 K. The following information has been obtained from low-temperature measurements: 1) the weak shoulder on the edge of the long-wavelength 0-0 absorption band disappears at 77 K and, therefore, can be assigned to the cis-NH-isomer [the principal component of the tautomeric mixture is the trans-isomer a (b)]; 2) the low value of ϕ_F at room temperature is due to temperature-viscosity quenching whereas ϕ_F at 77 K is close to 1 and τ_F = 5.3 nsec; 3) the energy of the weak electronic transition G → Q₂ and the interval have been determined. Quantum-chemical calculations found that replacing the methine bridges by nitrogen stabilizes the non-aromatic trans-isomer a (b) whereas the non-planarity of the macrocycle and the alternation of bond lengths increase for the cis-isomers. The calculated electronic absorption spectra of the a isomer reproduce rather well the experimental data. It is shown that the four-orbital model is applicable for the lower excited states Q₁ and Q₂ for all NH-isomers. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 395–407, May–June, 2007.     

Optical exciton Stark effect and quantum beats at exciton quasienergy levels in quantum wells

The optical Stark effect and quantum beats in a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well are investigated theoretically for the case when the first two electron size-quantization levels are mixed dynamically by a high-intensity CO₂ laser pulse polarized perpendicular to the plane of the quantum well. The quasienergy spectrum of heavy-hole excitons and the ratio between the probabilities of exciton transition with and without a strong electromagnetic field are obtained. The time-dependent intensity of absorption of the sensing light is determined. It exhibits quantum beats at twice the electron Rabi frequency. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1291–1294 (July 1997)     

Non-Fermi-liquid effects in tunneling

Non-Fermi-liquid tunneling mechanisms in a quantum structure with its own two-dimensional continuum doped with transition metal impurities are considered. New physical realizations of the two-channel Kondo orbital model with mechanisms different from those previously described in literature occur in such quantum structures. The tunneling transparency is anomalously high owing to new channels generated by multiparticle Fermi-liquid resonances near the edge of the two-dimensional energy band in the process of tunneling. The widths of new edge resonances can be much smaller than the width of the “bare” non-Fermi-liquid resonance at the Fermi level in the banks. The additional scattering due to tunneling induces a transition from the non-Fermi-liquid to the Fermi-liquid state as the separation between the Fermi level in the banks and the two-dimensional band edge in the quantum well varies. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1466–1486 (October 1998)     

Combined polaron states in magnetooptical effects in a quantum well

Combined polaron states in a rectangular quantum well in a strong magnetic field perpendicular to the well plane are discussed. These states are due to interaction between two discrete electron levels with different Landau quantum numbers (n and n ₁) and different size-quantization quantum numbers (m and m ₁) on the one hand and a confined LO phonon on the other under conditions of low temperature when the energy difference between the electronic levelsis equal or close to the energy of the confined LO phonon. The expression for the resonant magnetic field H _res at which a combined polaron is formed contains the energy difference between size-quantized levels, so it is a function of quantum well parameters. The separation ΔE _res between branches in the energy spectrum of a combined polaron and H _res has been calculated as a function of the quantum well width d. The resonant field H _res can be reduced dramatically in comparison with the case m=m ₁. The case of size-quantization with n=n ₁ has been analyzed. The energy difference ΔE _res is in the range (1–5)· 10⁻³ eV. The damping of combined polaron states due to the effect of anharmonicity on the LO phonon has been studied. Interband absorption and features in the reflection spectrum due to interband transitions have been calculated for an arbitrary ratio between the radiative and “phonon” lifetime of a combined polaron have been investigated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1419–1439 (October 1999)     

Magnetic-field-induced hybridization of electron subbands in a coupled double quantum well

We employ a magnetocapacitance technique to study the spectrum of the soft two-subband (or double-layer) electron system in a parabolic quantum well with a narrow tunnel barrier at the center. In this system, when unbalanced by gate depletion, two sets of quantum oscillations are observed at temperatures T≳30 mK: one originates from the upper electron subband in the closer-to-the-gate part of the well, and the other indicates the existence of common gaps in the spectrum at integer fillings. For the lowest filling factors υ=1 and υ=2, both the presence of a common gap down to the point of the one-to two-subband transition and their nontrivial magnetic field dependences point to magnetic-field-induced hybridization of electron subbands. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 8, 563–568 (25 April 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

硅量子点的形状及其弯曲表面效应

硅量子点的弯曲表面引起系统的对称性破缺, 致使某些表面键合在能带的带隙中形成局域电子态.计算结果表明:硅量子点的表面曲率不同形成的表面键合结合能和电子态分布明显不同. 例如, Si–O–Si桥键在曲率较大的表面键合能够在带隙中形成局域能级, 而在硅量子点曲率较小的近平台表面上键合不会形成任何局域态, 但此时的键合结合能较低. 用弯曲表面效应(CS)可以解释较小硅量子点的光致荧光光谱的红移现象. CS效应揭示了纳米物理中又一奇妙的特性. 实验证实, CS效应在带隙中形成的局域能级可以激活硅量子点发光. 关键词： 硅量子点 弯曲表面效应 表面键合 局域能级     

Subthreshold photoemission from copper nanoclusters on the SiO2 surface

Subthreshold photoemission from copper nanoclusters formed on the SiO₂ surface has been observed under irradiation of the surface by photons in the 3.1–6.5-eV energy range. The average size of copper nanoclusters on the silicon oxide surface is 250–500 nm. Besides the conventional photoemission from the filled Shockley surface state (SS), strong photoemission has been recorded at incident photon energies of 0.5 eV below the work function of the copper surface. This emission is assumed to be generated in direct electron transitions from the SS state to the unfilled electron surface states formed by the Coulomb image potential, followed by escape from these states into vacuum.     

Crystal-field induced mixing of electron states in C60 crystals at high pressure

Optical absorption spectra of thin fullerene (C₆₀) crystals in the range 1.7 to 3.8 eV have been measured at T=300 K and at pressures up to 2.5 GPa. The spectrum shifts toward the red with pressure, and the electron absorption intensity is redistributed among its bands. The intensity of the band associated with the lowest direct electron interband transition monotonically increases with pressure, whereas the intensity of the upper interband feature decreases. Bands related to weak edge absorption in the range between 1.7 and 2.2 eV gradually merge with the band associated with the lowest interband transition, whose intensity rises with pressure. A similar redistribution of intensity among electron transition bands has been observed when comparing the spectrum of an isolated C₆₀ molecule and that of a C₆₀ crystal. The results indicate that the crystal-field induced mixing of electron states is present in solid C₆₀, and they can be discussed in terms of the Craig-McClure model, which was suggested to describe crystal-field induced mixing of electron states in anthracene and naphthalene molecular crystals. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 313–322 (January 1998)     

Landau quantization and equatorial states on the surface of a nanosphere

The Landau quantization for the electron gas on the surface of a sphere is considered. It is shown that in the regime of strong fields the lowest energy states are those with magnetic quantum numbers m of order of Φ /Φ₀, the number of magnetic flux quanta piercing the sphere. For an electron gas of low density (semiconducting situation) it leads to the formation of an electronic stripe on the equator of the sphere in high fields. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 6, 405–409 (25 September 1999) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Fluctuation states and optical spectra of solid solutions with a strong isoelectronic perturbation

We propose an approach to describing the density of fluctuation states in a disordered solid solution with a strong perturbation introduced by isoelectronic substitution in the range of attraction-center concentrations below the threshold of percolation along the sites of a disordered sublattice. To estimate the number of localized states we use the results of lattice percolation theory. We describe a method for distinguishing, within the continuum percolation theory, among the various “radiating” states of the fluctuation-induced tail, states that form the luminescence band at weak excitation. We also establish the position of the band of radiating states in relation to the absorption band of the excitonic ground state and the mobility edge of the system. The approach is used to describe the optical spectra of the solid solution ZnSe_1−c Te_c, which at low Te concentrations can be interpreted as a system with strong scattering. We take into account the exciton-phonon interaction and show that the calculated and observed luminescence spectra of localized excitons are in good agreement with each other. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1039–1062 (March 1999)     

Interpretation of the soret band of porphyrins based on the polarization spectrum of N-methyltetraphenylporphin fluorescence

Low-temperature (77 K) absorption, fluorescence, and fluorescence-excitation spectra and the fluorescence polarization spectrum for N-methyl-meso-tetraphenylporphin (N-methyl-TPP) are measured. Based on the polarization spectrum the absorption spectrum in the visible region (a “generic” porphyrin spectrum) is interpreted. In particular, it is shown that the fifth absorption band (the “Longo band”) that manifests itself in some porphyrins is a Q_y(0–2) band and does not belong to the individual electron transition. Emphasis is placed on the region of the Soret band. It is inferred that at least two allowed electron transitions (G →B_x and G→B_y) polarized mutually perpendicularly manifect themselves in this region. The interpretation of the Soret band of porphyrins [2] that attributes this band to one electron transition G→B_x is thereby rejected. This interpretation is confirmed by computer modeling of the polarization spectrum. Special features of the experimental polarization spectrum are explained by a more developed vibrational structure and, possibly, a larger half-width of the B_x band than the half-width of the B_y band. The contribution of the states of intramolecular charge transfer to the formation of the Soret band is discussed. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 65–72, January–February, 1999.     

Intraband transitions in magnetoexcitons in coupled double quantum wells

A theory of far-infrared (FIR) magneto-optical intraband s→p ^± transitions of direct and indirect excitons in semiconductor coupled double quantum wells has been developed. The case of symmetric strained In_xGa_1−x As/GaAs quantum wells with nondegenerate valence band in the regime of both narrow and wide barriers has been analyzed. The energies and dipole matrix elements of transitions between the ground s and excited p ^± states in a quantizing magnetic field B>2 T and electric field ℰ perpendicular to the quantum well plane have been studied. The regimes of direct (in a weak electric field) and indirect (in a strong electric field) transitions, and the transition between the direct and indirect regimes, have been investigated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1446–1459 (April 1998)     

Tunneling conductivity oscillations in a magnetic field in metal-insulator-narrow-gap-HgCdTe structures: The energy spectrum and spin-orbit splitting of 2D states

We study tunneling conductivity oscillations in a magnetic field in narrow-gap p-HgCdTe-oxide-metal (Yb, Al) structures. In tunnel structures with Yb we detect two types of tunneling conductivity oscillations. The first is related to the crossing of the Landau levels of two-dimensional (2D) states localized in the surface quantum well of the semiconductor, and has an energy E _F+eV, where E _F is the Fermi energy of the semiconductor and V is the bias voltage; the second has an energy E _F. We find that in such structures with an asymmetric quantum well there is strong spin-orbit splitting in the spectrum of the 2D states. In p-HgCdTe-oxide-Al tunnel structures the surface potential is much weaker and only oscillations of the first type are observed. We find that in such structures there is only one spin state of the 2D carriers, while the second is pushed into the continuous spectrum because of strong spin-orbit coupling. To analyze the experimental results we calculate the spectrum of 2D states localized in the surface quantum well in a semiconductor with a Kane dispersion law. We find that all the experimental results are in good agreement with the results of calculations. Finally, we discuss the features of “kinematically coupled” states in an asymmetric quantum well. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 537–550 (August 1997)     

Luminescence of fluctuation tails of disordered solid solutions

The form of the stationary luminescence spectra of excitons, localized by composition fluctuations, in disordered solid solutions under weak excitation is calculated. The tail states for which there are no nonradiative transition channels are distinguished by means of continuum percolation theory. Such states are responsible for the “zero-phonon” luminescence band. The shape of the short-wavelength luminescence band edge is determined mainly by the number of isolated localizing clusters and their smallest complexes, which decreases rapidly near the mobility threshold. The real luminescence spectrum is due to the simultaneous emission of phonons. The phonon emission determines the form of the long-wavelength wing of the emission band. The computed shape of the emission spectrum is compared with the experimental luminescence spectra of the solid solution CdS_(1−c)Se_c. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 3, 274–279 (10 February 1997)     

Magnetoresistance of HgSeS crystals at hydrostatic pressures of up to 1 GPa

Magnetoresistance (MR) of HgSe_1−x S_x crystals has been studied in the temperature range 4.2–300 K and in magnetic fields up to 12 T under hydrostatic pressures P exceeding the threshold P _t for the structural phase transition. Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations in longitudinal and transverse MR were observed to occur in the original samples at T=4.2 K. For P>P _t, HgSeS crystals transferred to metastable states, which presumably incorporate the high-and low-pressure phases, and in which the oscillations vanished. At the same time the monotonic behavior of MR with magnetic field B, as well as the temperature dependences of resistivity ρ retained the shape characteristic of the original phases. The observed weakening of the dependences of ρ on B and T is attributed to an increase of the temperature independent contribution to ρ caused by phase inclusions and structural defects in the metastable states. It is the corresponding decrease of electron mobility that suppresses the oscillations. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1717–1722 (October 1997)