Selective area growth of GaInNAs/GaAs by MOVPE

Selective area growth (SAG) of GaInNAs/GaAs systems has been studied by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) for the first time. This also includes a comparative study of SAG of the GaInAs/GaAs. The patterns consisted of various filling factors (F). The band gap changes and the growth morphology have been investigated. A red-shift observed for SAG GaInAs is 100 nm with respect to the planar GaInAs which can be attributed to both In enrichment and quantum well (QW) thickness enhancement. Selectively grown GaInNAs structures exhibit a maximum wavelength of 1.3 μm, corresponding to a red-shift of 80 nm with respect to the planar GaInNAs. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) scans reveal a three-dimensional growth behaviour for SAG GaInNAs unlike SAG GaInAs. This can be related to a certain amount of phase separation or strain that are often the signatures of N incorporation. The cathodoluminescence (CL) intensities (spectral line width) for SAG GaInNAs are larger (smaller) than those for SAG GaInAs at low F's but smaller (larger) at high F's. This indicates that at low F's, GaInAs has degraded due to very high strain but certain amount of strain compensation occurs in GaInNAs.     

Raman studies of lattice and local vibrational modes of GaInNAs prepared by molecular beam epitaxy

Polarized Raman spectra have been studied on the lattice-matched Ga_0.94In_0.06N_0.025As_0.975 epitaxial layers grown on (100) GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy. Polarization dependence of TO and LO phonon modes has been examined. The N-related local vibrational mode (LVM) in GaInNAs has been studied with emphasis on the light polarization and the effect of the thermal annealing. The thermal annealing-induced change of the N-related LVM in GaInNAs is discussed in terms of the local atomic arrangement around N atoms.     

Photoreflectance spectroscopy of semiconductor structures at hydrostatic pressure: A comparison of GaInAs/GaAs and GaInNAs/GaAs single quantum wells

The pressure dependence of optical transitions in Ga_0.64In_0.36As/GaAs and Ga_0.64In_0.36N_0.01As_0.99/GaAs single quantum well (SQW) structures were studied in photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy. In order to apply high hydrostatic pressure, up to ∼11 kbar, the liquid-filled clamp-pressure cell with a sapphire window for optical access has been adopted in the PR set-up with the so called ‘bright configuration’. It has been found that the linear hydrostatic pressure coefficient for the ground state transition are equal to 8.6 and 7.3 meV/kbar for the GaInAs/GaAs and GaInNAs/GaAs SQWs, respectively. This result shows that the incorporation of only 1% of N atoms into GaInAs/GaAs leads to ∼15% decrease in the pressure coefficient. In addition, a non-linearity in the pressure dependence of the ground state transition has been resolved for the GaInNAs/GaAs SQW.     

Optical properties of GaInNAsSb/GaAs/GaAs1−xNx (x ≈ 10%) saturable absorber quantum wells

We study the effect of the GaAsN narrow QWs on the optical properties of the GaInNAsSb/GaAs QWs using photoluminescence spectroscopy. A drastic effect of the N-rich layers on the QW photoluminesecnec (PL) intensity was observed with a strong influence of the spacer thickness. In the PL spectra a broad band caused by excitonic transitions related with N-related clusters in GaAs barriers is found. Based on calculations from experimental data, we have identified the low QW peak energy to the E₁-H₁ transition using the shear deformation potentials report Δp/p = 0.24.     

Influence of N cluster states on band dispersion in GaInNAs quantum wells

We use a modified band-anticrossing (BAC) model to investigate the band dispersion in a GaN_xAs_1-x/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) as a function of hydrostatic pressure. The band edge mass increases considerably more quickly with pressure than in the case of a GaAs/AlGaAs QW, and the subband separation also decreases significantly. We predict that the strong anticrossing interaction between the GaAs host conduction band and isolated N levels will inhibit tunnelling through the QW for a range of energy above the isolated N levels. The energy of N resonant states depends strongly on details of the local environment, giving a broader calculated distribution of N states in GaInNAs compared to GaNAs.     

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.     

Studies on the prospects of GaInAs and GaInAsP for double-drift region heterostructure IMPATTs

Double heterojunctions having the material combinations InP/GaInAs/InP, GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs and InP/GaInAsP/InP have been studied to assess their potential for double-drift region (DDR) IMPATT diodes. An accurate and realistic computer simulation program has been framed and used for the dc and high-frequency analysis of the DDRs. The analysis is carried out both in IMPATT (IMPact Avalanche Transit Time) and MITATT (MIxed Tunnelling Avalanche Transit Time) modes. Our results indicate that the GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs DDR would provide the best mm-wave performance up to sufficiently high frequencies. Further, the performance of the DDR diodes is observed to deteriorate at high frequency of operation due to phase distortion introduced by tunnel injected current, which is found to be the least in the case of GaAs/GaInAs/GaAs DDR leading to the best performance of this DDR amongst the three.     

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.     

Dynamics of photoluminescence in GaInNAs saturable absorber mirrors

Femtosecond time-resolved photoluminescence experiments have been used to study the nonlinear dynamics of novel monolithic GaInNAs/GaAs semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors at 1.08 and 1.55 m. The mirror structures were grown using molecular-beam epitaxy followed by Ni-ion implantation and thermal annealing. We present photoluminescence measurements showing the critical role of post-growth processing on the response time of GaInNAs/GaAs absorber mirrors. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.50.Nn; 42.70.Nq     

Spin Dynamics in Ferromagnet/10-nm-Thick N-Type GaAs Quantum Well Junctions

Spin dynamics in several different types of ferromagnetic metal(FM)/10-nm-thick n-type GaAs quantum well(QW) junctions is studied by means of time-resolved Kerr rotation measurements. Compared with the MnGa/insitu doped 10-nm-thick n-type GaAs QW junction, the spin lifetime of the MnGa/modulation-doped 10-nm-thick n-type GaAs QW junction is shorter by a factor of 5,consistent with the D'yakonov-Pcrel' spin relaxation mechanism. Meanwhile, compared with the spin lifetime of the MnAs/in-situ doped 10-nm-thick n-type GaAs QW junction, the MnGa/in-situ doped 10-nm-thick n-type GaAs QW junction is of a spin lifetime longer by a factor of 4.2. The later observation is well explained by the Rashba effect in the presence of structure inversion asymmetry, which acts directly on photo-excited eleetron spins. We demonstrate that MnGa-like FM/in-situ doped 10-nm-thick n-type GaAs QW junctions, which possess relatively low interfacial potential barriers, are able to provide long spin lifetimes.     

Application of AlGaInP with Sb Incorporation in Lattice-Matched 5-Junction Tandem Solar Cells

It is well known that conventional GaInP/GaInAs/Ge three-junction(3J) solar cells are difficult to continue to ascend when the efficiencies reach 32% and 42% under AMO and AM1.5 D concentrated, respectively. In AlGaInP/AlGaInAs/GaInAs/GaInNAs/Ge five-junction(5J) solar cells, the performance of the AlGaInP, AlGaInAs and GaInNAs sub cell is the key factor for conversion efficiency of the 5J solar cell. We investigate the AlGaInP/AlGaInAs/Ge 3J solar cell. By incorporating surfactant trimthylantimony into the AlGaInP material,the crystal quality of AlGalnP is improved and the spectrum absorption range of AlGaInAs is extended. The current density of each sub cell exceeds 11.3 mA/cm~2 as is desired. Then we apply this 3J structure to grow the lattice-matched 5J solar cell and obtain the short circuit current of 134.96 mA, open circuit voltage of 4399.6 mV,fill factor of 81.7% and conversion efficiency of 29.87%.     

Effect of Quantum Well Width Reduction for GaInNAs/GaAs Lasers

We investigated the function of the quantum well (QW) width for laser characteristics especially for reduction of the well width. We pointed out that such reduction has almost no influence on the optical gain or the carrier overflow for a large conduction band offset system, such as GaInNAs QWs. A thin QW is advantageous for suppression of the carrier overflow to the higher quantized energy levels which results in good temperature and gain characteristics. Thin GaInNAs QWs is a good candidate for an active layer structure of the lasers utilized in the next optical communication systems.     

Transmission electron microscopy of heteroepitaxial layer structures

The characterization of heterostructural layers by transmission electron microscopy using cleaved wedge specimens proves to be a fast analysis method. Examples are given for GaAlAs/GaAs and strained GaInAs/GaAs layer systems. It is demonstrated that the (200) dark-field contrast of GaInAs/GaAs layers reverses at an In concentration of x ≈ 0.47. Experimental high-resolution electron images of the edges of cleaved 90° wedges compare very well with computer-simulated images. Characteristic image features in GaAs and AlAs are explained by non-linear beam interactions and are shown to be sensitive to electron beam misalignment. These investigations are important to make a more precise assessment of interfaces possible.     

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.     

The influence of confining wall profile on quantum interference effects in etched Ga0.25In0.75As/InP billiards

We present measurements of the potential profile of etched GaInAs/InP billiards and show that their energy gradients are an order of magnitude steeper than those of surface-gated GaAs/AlGaAs billiards. Previously observed in GaAs/AlGaAs billiards, fractal conductance fluctuations are predicted to be critically sensitive to the billiard profile. Here we show that, despite the increase in energy gradient, the fractal conductance fluctuations persist in the harder GaInAs/InP billiards.     

Enhancement of GaAs/InGaAs quantum well emission by disordered gold nanoparticle arrays

Coupling effect of surface plasmon (SP) with InGaAs/GaAs QW emission is demonstrated experimentally. The SP resonance is generated by disordered arrays of Au nanodisks on the InGaAs/GaAs QW surface. More than twofold enhancement in QW PL is observed. Theoretical simulations also indicated that the disordered arrays of Au structures enlarged the cone angle for which light can be radiated out. The larger angle enhances the PL intensity.     

Bandgap tuning of semiconductor quantum well structures using ion implantation

Ion induced QW intermixing using broad area and focused ion beam (FIB) implantation was investigated at low energy (32 and 100 keV respectively) in three different material systems (GaAs/AlGaAs, InGaAs/GaAs, and lattice matched InGaAs/InP). Repeated sequential ion implants and rapid thermal anneals (RTAs) were successful in delivering several times the maximum QW bandgap shift achievable by a single implant/RTA cycle. The effectiveness of broad area high energy implantation (8 MeV As⁴⁺) on QW intermixing was also established for GRINSCH (graded-index separate confinement heterostructure) QW laser structures grown in InGaAs/GaAs. Lastly, preliminary work illustrating the effects of implant temperature and ion current density was carried out for InGaAs/GaAsQWs.     

1.5-microm monolithic GaInNAs semiconductor saturable-absorber mode locking of an erbium fiber laser

We present a new monolithic GaAs-based semiconductor saturable absorber operating at 1.55 microm. An epitaxially grown absorber mirror in a GaInNAs/GaAs material system was successfully used to mode lock an erbium-doped fiber laser. The GaInNAs material system possesses intriguing physical properties and provides great potential for lasers and nonlinear optical devices operating at the 1.3-1.55-microm wavelength range.     

Contactless electroreflectance spectroscopy of Ga(In)NAs/GaAs quantum well structures containing Sb atoms

Contactless electroreflectance (CER) spectroscopy has been applied to investigate the optical transitions in Ga(In)NAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) structures containing Sb atoms. The identification of the optical transitions has been carried out in accordance with theoretical calculations which have been performed within the framework of the effective mass approximation. Using this method, the bandgap discontinuity for GaN_0.027As_0.863Sb_0.11/GaAs, Ga_0.62In_0.38As_0.954N_0.026Sb_0.02/GaAs, and Ga_0.61In_0.39As_0.963N_0.017Sb_0.02/GaN_0.027As_0.973/GaAs QW structures has been determined. It has been found that the conduction-band offset is ∼50 and ∼80% for GaN_0.027As_0.863Sb_0.11/GaAs and Ga_0.62In_0.38As_0.954N_0.026Sb_0.02/GaAs QWs, respectively. It corresponds to 264 and 296 meV depth QW for electrons and heavy-holes in GaN_0.027As_0.863Sb_0.11/GaAs QW; and 520 and 146 meV depth QW for electrons and heavy-holes in Ga_0.62In_0.38As_0.954N_0.026Sb_0.02/GaAs QW. In the case of the Ga_0.61In_0.39As_0.963N_0.017Sb_0.02/GaN_0.027As_0.973/GaAs step-like QW structure it has been shown that the depth of electron and heavy-hole Ga_0.61In_0.39As_0.963N_0.017Sb_0.02/GaN_0.027As_0.973 QW is ∼144 and ∼127 meV, respectively.     

高In组分InGaNAs/GaAs量子阱的生长及发光特性

采用分子束外延技术(MBE)在Ga As衬底上外延生长高In组分(40%)In Ga NAs/Ga As量子阱材料,工作波长覆盖1.3~1.55μm光纤通信波段。利用室温光致发光(PL)光谱研究了N原子并入的生长机制和In Ga NAs/Ga As量子阱的生长特性。结果表明:N组分增加会引入大量非辐射复合中心;随着生长温度从480℃升高到580℃,N摩尔分数从2%迅速下降到0.2%;N并入组分几乎不受In组分和As压的影响,黏附系数接近1;生长温度在410℃、Ⅴ/Ⅲ束流比在25左右时,In_(0.4)Ga_(0.6)N_(0.01)As_(0.99)/Ga As量子阱PL发光强度最大,缺陷和位错最少;高生长速率可以获得较短的表面迁移长度和较好的晶体质量。