Spatial imaging of valence band electronic structures in a GaSb/InAs quantum well

We measure local density of states (LDOS) for GaSb/InAs heterostructures with quantum wells in the valence band by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) on the cleaved surface. Clear standingwave patterns of LDOS corresponding to the holes confined in the quantum wells are observed.     

Luminescence of excitons in slightly asymmetric double quantum wells

We report the first studies of exciton luminescence spectra from asymmetric double quantum wells (DQWs) of very similar width. The DQWs were of GaAs/AlGaAs and the differences in widths of the coupled wells were one or two monolayers. The coupled direct and indirect exciton states anticross with a resonance splitting of 1.33 meV. An additional luminescence line appearing at low temperatures is identified as a localized indirect exciton. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 735–739 (April 1997)     

双量子阱中的子带光吸收

由于微制造技术的不断发展,如液相外延(LPE),气相外延(VPE),金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)以及分子束外延技术(MBE)等先进的材料生长技术方法也日趋完善,从而使得各种低维半导体量子器件(如半导体、超晶格、量子阱、量子线和量子点等)制造日趋成熟。由于这些低维半导体量子器件具有很强的非线性光效应,而且随着材料、外形、尺寸等的不同,非线性光效应也有很大的差别,更由于其可能存在的广泛的应用前景,所以近年来,一直是人们研究的重点。近来,由于人们相信,利用GaAs／AlGaAs量子阱有可能制造出一些新型的光学仪器,如光开关、光限幅器、光调制器等,所以,对不同势形的GaAs／AlGaAs量子阱的非线性光学特性一直吸引着人们进行理论和实验的研究。而在最近几年,对双量子阱的研究也成为了人们的研究重点。通过密度矩阵和迭代的方法,得到双量子阱中的第一、第三阶子带光吸收表达式,我们将用一个典型的GaAs／AlGaAs双量子阱代入其中进行数值计算,并进行讨论。我们的计算结果显示,阱的光吸收峰不但与中间的势垒宽度有关,更与入射光强有关。     

Midinfrared photoluminescence from SnTe/PbTe/CdTe double quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Molecular beam epitaxial growth and photoluminescence (PL) properties of SnTe/PbTe/CdTe double quantum wells (DQWs) on (1 0 0)-oriented GaAs substrates are reported. These DQWs were consisted of a very thin SnTe/PbTe QW nested in a 10-nm-thick PbTe/CdTe QW. Efficient midinfrared PL was observed from the DQWs at 300 K in agreement with the coherent SnTe/PbTe growth on the thick CdTe barrier layer. The PL peak wavelength of the DQWs was found to increase with the SnTe thickness d by covering a wide range of the 3–5 μm atmospheric window with d≤2.5 monolayer.     

离子注入诱导的具有两个不同发射波长的混合双量子阱结构

叙述了磷离子注入方法诱导具有不同发射波长的InGaAsP双量子阱结构的混合,并通过光致发光谱和断面透射电子显微术对量子阱混合的程度进行了研究。在特定条件下快速热退火处理后,光致发光谱显示,在离子注入剂量低于7×10¹¹/cm²情况下,两个阱的谱峰能保持较好的分离,注入剂量从10¹¹ /cm²增大到10¹²/cm²的过程中,两个阱的带隙蓝移值都似乎存在一个极大值,并且在同样的条件下,上阱(发射波长为1.52 μm)的带隙蓝移值较下阱(发射波长为1.59 μm)大些。当离子注入剂量达到10¹²/cm²时,上阱的谱峰近乎消失,双阱光致发光谱出现了一个谱峰。用断面透射电子显微术对原生长样品与带隙蓝移具有极大值的退火样品进行微结构比较,结果显示,对比原生长样品,退火样品的晶格原子基本得到修复,但阱与垒间的界面显得模糊,这说明离子注入导致两阱完全混合。     

Binding energies of donor impurities in modulation-doped double quantum wells under an electric field

In this study, we have investigated theoretically the binding energies of shallow donor impurities in modulation-doped GaAs/Al_0.33Ga_0.67As double quantum wells (DQWs) under an electric field which is applied along the growth direction for different doping concentrations as a function of the impurity position. The electronic structure of modulation-doped DQWs under an electric field has been investigated by using a self-consistent calculation in the effective-mass approximation. The results obtained show that the carrier density and the depth of the quantum wells in semiconductors may be tuned by changing the doping concentration, the electric field and the structure parameters such as the well and barrier widths. This tunability gives a possibility of use in many electronic and optical devices.     

Optical and structural properties of InGaAs/InP double quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy with polycrystalline GaAs and GaP decomposition sources

We report successful growth of high-quality InGaAs/InP double quantum wells (DQWs) with safer and more cost-effective decomposition source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and double crystal X-ray diffraction (TCXD) measurement reveal the formation of abrupt interfaces between InGaAs and InP layers. In the case of optical quality, the line width of 12 K-photoluminescence of the DQWs is 8.2 meV, which is comparable to that of single quantum well grown by MBE with PH₃ cracker and more complex instrument (4 meV).     

原子围栏中金属表面电子的态函数及能级

本文用薛定谔方程求解被束缚在原子围栏中金属表面电子的态函数及能级,同时用计算机绘制出围栏中电子概率分布图。     

Optical properties of InGaN/GaN double quantum wells with varying well thickness

The optical properties and recombination kinetics of the InGaN/GaN double quantum well (DQW) structures with different well thickness (L_w) have been studied by means of photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved PL, and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. With increasing quantum well thickness up to 4 nm, the PL emission energy decreases and the blueshift of the PL emission energy increases with increasing excitation density. On the other hand, the PL emission energy of the DQWs with L_w=16 nm is higher than that of the DQWs with L_w=4 nm, and is independent of the excitation density. With increasing L_w from 1 to 4 nm, the PL decay times increase. In contrast, the decay times of 16 nm DQWs are faster than those of 4 nm DQWs. These different results for 16 nm DQWs such as the blueshift of the emission energy, the decrease of the excitation density dependence, and the increase of recombination rate can be ascribed to the relaxation of the piezoelectric field. We also observed the inhomegeneity in the CL spectra of the DQWs with L_w=1 nm on 1 μm scale.     

Influence of Polarization-Induced Electric Field on Subband Structure in AlxGa1-xN/GaN Double Quantum Wells

The influence of the polarization-induced electric field and other parameters on the subband structure in Al_xGa_1-xN /GaN coupled double quantum wells (DQWs) has been studied by solving the Schrödinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. It is found that the polarization effect leads to an asymmetric potential profile of Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN DQWs although the two wells have the same width and depth. The polarization effect also leads to a very large Stark shift between the odd and the even order subband levels that can reach 0.54eV. Due to the polarization-induced Stark shift, the wavelength of the intersubband transition between the first odd order and the second even order subband levels becomes smaller, which is useful for realization of optoelectronic devices operating within the telecommunication window region.     

STM/STS measurements of two-dimensional electronic states trapped around surface defects in magnetic fields

The local density of states (LDOS) near point defects on a surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was studied at very low temperatures in magnetic fields up to 6 T. We observed localized electronic states over a distance of the magnetic length around the defects in differential tunnel conductance images at the valley energies of the Landau levels (LLs) as well as relatively extended states at the peak ones of LLs. These states appear mainly at energies above the Fermi energy corresponding to the electron LL bands. The data suggest that the quantum Hall state is realized in the quasi two dimensional electron system in HOPG. At the peak energy associated with the n=0 (electron) and -1 (hole) LLs characteristic of the graphite structure, a reduced LDOS around the defects is observed. The spatial distribution is almost field independent, which indicates that it represents the potential shape produced by the defects.     

Quasiparticle states and quantum interference induced by magnetic impurities on a two-dimensional topological superconductor

We theoretically study the effect of localized magnetic impurities on two-dimensional topological superconductor (TSC). We show that the local density of states (LDOS) can be tuned by the effective exchange field m, the chemical potential μ of TSC, and the distance Δr as well as the relative spin angle α between two impurities. The changes in Δr between two impurities alter the interference and result in significant modifications to the bonding and antibonding states. Furthermore, the bound-state spin LDOS induced by single and double magnetic impurity scattering, the quantum corrals and the quantum mirages are also discussed. Finally, we briefly compare the impurities in TSC with those in topological insulators.     

Entanglement via tunable Fano-type interference in asymmetric semiconductor quantum wells

Entanglement is realized in asymmetric coupled double quantum wells (DQWs) trapped in a doubly resonant cavity by means of Fano-type interference through a tunneling barrier, which is different from the previous studies on entanglement induced by strong external driven fields in atomic media. We investigate the generation and evolution of entanglement and show that the strength of Fano interference can influence effectively the degree of the entanglement between two cavity modes and the enhanced entanglement can be generated in this DQW system. The present investigation may provide research opportunities in quantum entangled experiments in the DQW solid-state nanostructures and may result in a substantial impact on the technology for entanglement engineering in quantum information processing.     

Andreev states near short-ranged pairing potential impurities

We study Andreev states near atomic scale modulations in the pairing potential in both s- and d-wave superconductors with short coherence lengths. For a moderate reduction of the local gap, the states exist only close to the gap edge. If one allows for local sign changes of the order parameter, however, resonances can occur at energies close to the Fermi level. The local density of states (LDOS) around such pairing potential defects strongly resembles the patterns observed by tunneling measurements around Zn impurities in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO). We discuss how this phase impurity model of the Zn LDOS pattern can be distinguished from other proposals experimentally.     

Luminescence studies on nitride quaternary alloys double quantum wells

We present theoretical photoluminescence (PL) spectra of undoped and p-doped Al_xIn_1−x−yGa_yN/Al_XIn_1−X−YGa_YN double quantum wells (DQWs). The calculations were performed within the k.p method by means of solving a full eight-band Kane Hamiltonian together with the Poisson equation in a plane wave representation, including exchange-correlation effects within the local density approximation. Strain effects due to the lattice mismatch are also taken into account. We show the calculated PL spectra, analyzing the blue and red-shifts in energy as one varies the spike and the well widths, as well as the acceptor doping concentration. We found a transition between a regime of isolated quantum wells and that of interacting DQWs. Since there are few studies of optical properties of quantum wells based on nitride quaternary alloys, the results reported here will provide guidelines for the interpretation of forthcoming experiments.     

The polarization sensitivity of optical absorption in tensile strained GaAs/InAlAs double quantum wells

The electric field dependence of the polarization sensitivity of optical absorption in tensile-strained GaAs/InAlAs double quantum wells (DQWs) was investigated theoretically. The coupling effects and electric-field-induced change of eigenstates in various DQW structures were analysed within the framework of the Bastard envelope function approximation using the transfer matrix method (TMM). The absorption coefficient was calculated with excitonic effects included. The simulation results show that it is possible to change the polarization characteristics in the DQW structures by adjusting the applied electric field.     

Local density of states and interface effects in semimetallic ErAs nanoparticles embedded in GaAs

The atomic and electronic structures of ErAs nanoparticles embedded within a GaAs matrix are examined via cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (XSTM/XSTS). The local density of states (LDOS) exhibits a finite minimum at the Fermi level demonstrating that the nanoparticles remain semimetallic despite the predictions of previous models of quantum confinement in ErAs. We also use XSTS to measure changes in the LDOS across the ErAs/GaAs interface and propose that the interface atomic structure results in electronic states that prevent the opening of a band gap.     

Direct comparison between potential landscape and local density of states in a disordered two-dimensional electron system

The local density of states (LDOS) of the adsorbate-induced two-dimensional electron system (2DES) on n-InAs(110) is studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. In contrast to a similar 3DES, the 2DES LDOS exhibits 20 times stronger corrugations and rather irregular structures. Both results are interpreted as consequences of weak localization. Fourier transforms of the LDOS reveal that the k values of the unperturbed 2DES still dominate the 2DES, but additional lower k values contribute. To clarify the origin of the LDOS patterns, we measure the potential landscape of the 2DES area. We use it to calculate the expected LDOS and find reasonable agreement between calculation and experiment.     

Spontaneous-emission control by local density of states of photonic crystal cavity

The local density of states (LDOS) of two-dimensional square lattice photonic crystal (PhC) defect cavity is studied.The results show that the LDOS in the centre is greatly reduced,while the LDOS at the point off the centre (for example,at the point (0.3a,0.4a),where a is the lattice constant) is extremely enhanced.Further,the disordered radii are introduced to imitate the real devices fabricated in our experiment,and then we study the LDOS of PhC cavity with configurations of different disordered radii.The results show that in the disordered cavity,the LDOS in the centre is still greatly reduced,while the LDOS at the point (0.3a,0.4a) is still extremely enhanced.It shows that the LDOS analysis is useful.When a laser is designed on the basis of the square lattice PhC rod cavity,in order to enhance the spontaneous emission,the active materials should not be inserted in the centre of the cavity,but located at positions off the centre.So LDOS method gives a guide to design the positions of the active materials (quantum dots) in the lasers.     

Finite-difference time-domain technique as an efficient tool for calculating the regularized Green function: applications to the local-field problem in quantum optics for inhomogeneous lossy materials

The calculation of the local density of states (LDOS) in lossy materials has long been disputed due to the divergence of the homogeneous Green function with equal space arguments. For arbitrary-shaped lossy structures, such as those of interest in nanoplasmonics, this problem is particularly challenging. A nondivergent LDOS obtained in numerical methods such as the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, at first sight appears to be wrong. Here we show that FDTD is not only an ideal choice for obtaining the regularized LDOS, but it can address the local-field problem for any lossy inhomogeneous material. We exemplify the case of a finite-size photon emitter (e.g., a single quantum dot) embedded within and outside a lossy metal nanoparticle and show excellent agreement with analytical results.