Highly strained InxGa(1−x)As−InyAl(1−y)As (x>0.8,y<0.3) layers for short wavelength QWIP and QCL structures grown by MBE

Highly strained quantum cascade laser (QCL) and quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIPs) structures based on In_xGa_(1−x)As−In_yAl_(1−y)As (x>0.8,y<0.3) layers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Conditions of exact stoichiometric growth were used at a temperature of 420°C to produce structures that are suitable for both emission and detection in the 2–5 μm mid-infrared regime. High structural integrity, as assessed by double crystal X-ray diffraction, room temperature photoluminescence and electrical characteristics were observed. Strong room temperature intersubband absorption in highly tensile strained and strain-compensated In_0.84Ga_0.16As/AlAs/In_0.52Al_0.48As double barrier quantum wells grown on InP substrates is demonstrated. Γ–Γ intersubband transitions have been observed across a wide range of the mid-infrared spectrum (2–7 μm) in three structures of differing In_0.84Ga_0.16As well width (30, 45, and 80 Å). We demonstrate short-wavelength IR, intersubband operation in both detection and emission for application in QC and QWIP structures. By pushing the InGaAs–InAlAs system to its ultimate limit, we have obtained the highest band offsets that are theoretically possible in this system both for the Γ–Γ bands and the Γ–X bands, thereby opening up the way for both high power and high efficiency coupled with short-wavelength operation at room temperature. The versatility of this material system and technique in covering a wide range of the infrared spectrum is thus demonstrated.     

Band offset calculations applied to III–V nitride quantum well device engineering

Band offset calculations for zinc-blende pseudomorphically strained Al_1−xGa_xN/Al_1−yGa_yN and In_xGa_1−xN/In_yGa_1−yN interfaces have been performed on the basis of the model solid theory combined with ab initio calculations. From the results obtained, we have calculated, separately, the valence and conduction band discontinuities of In_xGa_1−xN/GaN and GaN/Al_1−xGa_xN as a function of the indium and gallium contents respectively. Using the latter results, we have extended our study to simulate band discontinuities for strained Ga_1−xIn_xN/relaxed Al_1−yGa_yN heterointerfaces. Information derived from this investigation will be useful for the design of lattice mismatched heterostructures in modeling optoelectronic devices emitting at ultraviolet to near infrared wavelengths.     

Growth and properties of ferromagnetic In1−xMnxSb alloys

We discuss a new narrow-gap ferromagnetic (FM) semiconductor alloy, In_1−xMn_xSb, and its growth by low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy. The magnetic properties were investigated by direct magnetization measurements, electrical transport, magnetic circular dichroism, and the magneto-optical Kerr effect. These data clearly indicate that In_1−xMn_xSb possesses all the attributes of a system with carrier-mediated FM interactions, including well-defined hysteresis loops, a cusp in the temperature dependence of the resistivity, strong negative magnetoresistance, and a large anomalous Hall effect. The Curie temperatures in samples investigated thus far range up to 8.5 K, which are consistent with a mean-field-theory simulation of the carrier-induced ferromagnetism based on the 8-band effective band-orbital method.     

Comparison of the band alignment of strained and strain-compensated GaInNAs QWs on GaAs and InP substrates

We present a comparison of the band alignment of the Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y active layers on GaAs and InP substrates in the case of conventionally strained and strain-compensated quantum wells. Our calculated results present that the band alignment of the tensile-strained Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y quantum wells on InP substrates is better than than that of the compressively strained Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y quantum wells on GaAs substrates and both substrates provide deeper conduction wells. Therefore, tensile-strained Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y quantum wells with In concentrations of x0.53 on InP substrates can be used safely from the band alignment point of view when TM polarisation is required. Our calculated results also confirm that strain compensation can be used to balance the strain in the well material and it improves especially the band alignment of dilute nitride Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y active layers on GaAs substrates. Our calculations enlighten the intrinsic superiority of N-based lasers and offer the conventionally strained and strain-compensated Ga_1−xIn_xN_yAs_1−y laser system on GaAs and InP substrates as ideal candidates for high temperature operation.     

Energy band gaps for the GaxIn1−xAsyP1−y alloys lattice matched to different substrates

A pseudopotential formalism within the virtual crystal approximation in which the effects of composition disorder are involved is applied to the Ga_xIn_1−xAs_yP_1−y quaternary alloys in conditions of lattice matching to GaAs, InP and ZnSe substrates so as to predict their energy band gaps. Very good agreement is obtained between the calculated values and the available experimental data for the alloy lattice matched to InP and GaAs. The alloy is found to be a direct-gap semiconductor for all y compositions whatever the lattice matching to the substrates of interest. The (Γ→Γ) band-gap ranges and the ionicity character are found to depend considerably on the particular lattice-matched substrates suggesting therefore that, for an appropriate choice of y and the substrate, Ga_xIn_1−xAs_yP_1−y could provide more diverse opportunities to obtain desired band gaps, which opens up the possibility of discovering new electronic devices with special features and properties.     

A novel method for positioning of InAs islands on GaAs (1 1 0)

A novel method for positioning of InAs islands on GaAs (1 1 0) by cleaved edge overgrowth is reported. The first growth sample contains strained In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs superlattice (SL) of varying indium fraction, which acts as a strain nanopattern for the cleaved-edge overgrowth. Atoms incident on the cleaved edge will preferentially migrate to InGaAs regions where favorable bonding sites are available. By this method InAs island chains with lateral periodicity defined by the thickness of InGaAs and GaAs of SL have been realized by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). They are observed by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The strain nanopattern's effect is studied by the different indium fraction of SL and MBE growth conditions.     

Water incorporation into the Ba2(In1 − xMx)2O5‪ (M = Sc 0 ≤ x < 0.5 and M = Y 0 ≤ x < 0.35) system and protonic conduction

Ba₂(In_1 − xM_x)₂O_{5 − y / 2}(OH)_y‪□_{1 − y / 2} (y ≤ 2; M = Sc³⁺ 0 ≤ x < 0.5 and M = Y³⁺ 0 ≤ x < 0.35) compounds were prepared by reacting Ba₂(In_1 − xM_x)₂O₅‪ phases with water vapor. This reaction is reversible. Analyses of the hydration process by TG and XRD studies show that the thermal stability of hydrated phases increases when x increases and that the incorporation of water is not a single-phase reaction inducing either a crystal system or space group modification. Fully hydrated (y = 2) and dehydrated (y = 0) samples have been stabilized at room temperature and characterized for all compositions. In wet air, all phases show a proton contribution to the total conductivity at temperatures between 350 and 600 °C. At a given temperature, proton conductivity increases with the substitution ratio and reaches at 350 °C, 5.4 10^− 3 S cm^− 1 for Ba₂(In_0.65Sc_0.35)₂O_4.2□_0.2(OH)_1.6.     

Numerical analysis of the short-circuit current density in GaInAsSb thermophotovoltaic diodes

In this paper, a simulation and analysis on the short-circuit current density (J_sc) of the P-GaSb window/P-Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y emitter/N-Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y base/N-GaSb substrate structure is performed. The simulations are carried out with a fixed spectral control filter at a radiator temperature (T_rad) of 950 °C, diode temperature (T_dio) of 27 °C and diode bandgap (E_g) of 0.5 eV. The radiation photons are injected from the front P-side. Expressions for minority carrier mobility and absorption coefficient of Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y semiconductors are derived from Caughey–Thomas and Adachi’s model, respectively. The P-Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y emitter with a much longer diffusion length is adopted as the main optical absorption region and the N-Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y base region contribute little to J_sc. The effect of P-GaSb window and P-Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y emitter region parameters on J_sc is mainly analyzed. Dependence of J_sc on thickness and carrier concentration of the window are analyzed; these two parameters need to be properly selected to improve J_sc. Contributions from the main carrier recombination mechanisms in the emitter region are considered; J_sc can be improved by suppressing the carrier recombination rate. Dependence of J_sc on the carrier concentration and layer thickness of the emitter P-region are also analyzed; these two parameters have strong effect on J_sc. Moreover, adding a back surface reflector (BSR) to the diode can improve J_sc. The simulated results are compared with the available experimental data and are found to be in good agreement. These theoretical simulations help us to better understand the electro-optical behavior of Ga_xIn_1−xAs_1−ySb_y TPV diode and can be utilized for performance enhancement through optimization of the device structure.     

Photoluminescence linewidth broadening due to alloy/thickness fluctuation of CdxZn1 − xSe/ZnSe triple quantum wells

Photoluminescence (PL) linewidth broadening of Cd_xZn_{1 − x}Se/ZnSe triple quantum wells, grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), has been investigated. Various quantum well (QW) samples have been prepared with different QW thickness and composition (Cd-composition). Measured and calculated PL linewidth are compared. Both composition and thickness fluctuations are considered for the calculation with the parameters such as the volume of exciton, nominal thickness and composition of QWs. Surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to estimate the interface roughness. Results show that when Cd-composition increases additional linewidth broadening due to Zn/Cd interdiffusion is enhanced.     

Band edge offsets in strained (InGa)As-(AlGa)As heterostructures

The excitonic transitions between the ground electron and hole quantum well sublevels in strained In_xGa_1-xAs-Al_yGa_1-yAs multiple quantum well structures (x = 0.12−0.35 and y = 0.2−0.35) have been investigated by means of photoluminescence and photoconductivity measurements. The molecular beam epitaxy grown structures contained an Al_yGa_1-yAs matrix with one unstrained GaAs and three strained In_xGa_1-xAs quantum wells one of which was in the GaAs cladding layers. The ratio of the conduction band edhe line up to the band gap offset for the strained In_xGa_1-xAs-unstrained Al_yGa_1-yAs interface has been found to be 0.67 ± 0.08 for the studied regions of x and y.     

分子束外延生长的(GaAs1－xSbx/InyGa1－yAs)/GaAs量子阱光致发光谱研究

报道了(GaAs_1-xSb_x/In_yGa_1-yAs)/Ga As量子阱结构的分子束外延生长与光致发光谱研究结果.变温与变激发功率光致发光谱的研究表明了此结构 为二型量子阱发光性质.讨论了光谱双峰结构的跃迁机制.通过优化生长条件，获得了室温1 31μm发光. 关键词： 分子束外延 量子阱 二型发光     

Growth of wide band gap wurtzite ZnMgO layers on (0001) Al2O3 by radical-source molecular beam epitaxy

Wurtzite structure ZnMgO layers have been grown using radical-source molecular beam epitaxy on high-quality ZnO buffer layers grown on (0001) sapphire substrates. The thickness of the ZnO buffer layers is 300 nm, with full width at half maxim of the HR-XRD (0002) rocking curves as low as 25 arcsec. In-situ Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) was employed for the optimization of the ZnMgO growth. RHEED and X-Ray Diffractometry measurements did not reveal any phase change from the wurzite structure to the rocksalt structure. The C-lattice parameter of Zn_1−xMg_xO films decreased from 5.209 to 5.176 Å with increasing x to 0.2. The surface morphology of the samples was studied with atomic force microscopy. The root mean square roughness values of 200 nm thick ZnMgO (x=0.2) was less than 1 nm. The main photoluminescence peak of Zn_1−xMg_xO shifted to as high as 3.77 eV owing to the increasing Mg composition of up to x=0.2.     

Experimental investigation of long-wavelength optical lattice vibrations in quaternary AlxInyGa1−x−yN alloys and comparison with results from the pseudo-unit cell model

Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies have been utilized to measure long-wavelength optical lattice vibrations of high-quality quaternary Al_xIn_yGa_1−x−yN thin films at room temperature. The Al_xIn_yGa_1−x−yN films were grown on c-plane (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates with AlN as buffer layers using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) technique with aluminum (Al) mole fraction x ranging from 0.0 to 0.2 and constant indium (In) mole fraction y=0.1. Pseudo unit cell (PUC) model was applied to investigate the phonons frequency, mode number, static dielectric constant, and high frequency dielectric constant of the Al_xIn_yGa_1−x−yN mixed crystals. The theoretical results were compared with the experimental results obtained from the quaternary samples by using Raman and FTIR spectroscopies. The experimental results indicated that the Al_xIn_yGa_1−x−yN alloy had two-mode behavior, which includes A₁(LO), E₁(TO), and E₂(H). Thus, these results are in agreement with the theoretical results of PUC model, which also revealed a two-mode behavior for the quaternary nitride. We also obtained new values of E₁(TO) and E₂(H) for the quaternary nitride samples that have not yet been reported in the literature.     

Self-assembling of C and Sn in Ge

Self-assembling of isoelectronic C and Sn impurities in Ge is predicted. The formation of the 1C4Sn tetrahedral cells is thermodynamically profitable in Ge-rich C_xSn_yGe_1−x−y (4x<y) alloys in the ultra dilute C impurity limit with 1×10^-8x1×10^-3. The concentrations of Sn atoms when all C atoms are surrounded only by Sn atoms are estimated for the lower molecular beam epitaxy, intermediate annealing and higher bulk crystallization temperatures. The origin of this phenomenon is a considerable decrease of the strain energy after self-assembling. The same self-assembling in Si is thermodynamically non-profitable due to the large cohesive energy of Si–C chemical bonds.     

Separated AlxIn1−xN quantum dots grown by plasma-reactive co-sputtering

Separated Al_xIn_1−xN quantum dots (QDs) embedded in amorphous AlN films have been produced by radio-frequency co-sputtering technique on silicon (1 1 1) and quartz glass substrates. The mean size and density of Al_xIn_1−xN QDs can be conveniently monitored by deposition parameters. Transparent electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction were used to detect the structure of the Al_xIn_1−xN QDs system; field-emission scanning-electron microscope was adopted to measure the surface morphology and anticipate the size of the QDs; X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy was used to measure the stoichiometric ratios of the QDs.     

High-temperature operation of AlGaInAs/InP lasers1994

We discuss the design of uncooled lasers which minimizes the change in both threshold current and slope efficiency over the temperature range from–40 to +85°C [1]. To prevent carrier overflow under high-temperature operation, the electron confinement energy is increased by using the Al _x Ga _y In_1–x–y As/InP material system [1] instead of the conventional Ga _x In_1–x As _y P_1–y /InP material system. Experimentally, we have investigated strained quantum well lasers with three different barrier layers and confirmed that the static and dynamical performance of the lasers with insufficient carrier confinement degrades severely under high-temperature operation [2]. With an optimized barrier layer, the Al _x Ga _y In_1–x–y As/InP strained quantum well lasers show superior hightemperature performance, such as a small drop of 0.3 dB in slope efficiency when the heat sink temperature changes from 25 to 100°C [3], a maximum CW operation temperature of 185°C [4], a thermally-limited 3-dB bandwidth of 13.9 GHz at 85°C [2], and a mean-time-to-failure of 33 years at 100°C and 10 mW output power [5].     

Well defined superlattice structures made by phase-locked epitary using RHEED intensity oscillations

Long continuing intensity oscillations of the RHEED pattern in the [100] azimuth on a (001) oriented substrate were observed during MBE growth of GaAs and Al_xGa_1−xAs. Using these oscillations, growth rates of GaAs and Al_xGa_1−xAs, and the Al mole fraction x of the Al_xGa_1−xAs were accurately monitored during the growth. The phase of the RHEED oscillations was analyzed by computer and molecular beam shutters were operated at a particular phase of the oscillations. This computer controlled phase-locked epitaxy (PLE) was used to grow precisely defined (GaAs)₂(AlAs)₂ bi-layer superlattices. Raman scattering spectra of the bi-layer superlattice showed split lines characteristic of superlattices. From TEM observation of a GaAs-AlAs multi-layered structure, it was verified that one cycle of oscillations corresponds to one monolayer growth of GaAs and AlAs. This PLE has a great advantage over the conventional MBE growth method for the precise control of very thin films and superlattice structures because it is invulnerable to fluctuations of molecular beam flux intensity.     

Far-infrared dielectric functions and phonon spectra of alloys determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry

We have used spectroscopic ellipsometry to determine the complex dielectric function of a series of ternary Be_xZn_1−xTe thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The II–VI semiconductor alloys were grown on InP substrates that had an InGaAs buffer layer. After the growth, X-ray diffraction experiments were performed in order to determine the alloy concentration. A standard inversion technique was used to obtain the dielectric functions from the measured ellipsometric spectra, obtained between 2000 nm (5000 cm⁻¹) and 40,000 nm (250 cm⁻¹). By modelling the dielectric function as a collection of oscillators, representing longitudinal and transverse optical phonons of the Be_xZn_1−xTe lattice, we were able to recover the phonon spectra for this alloy system. It is argued that the additional phonon modes that are obtained from ellipsometry are best understood from the recently-proposed percolation model.     

Comparative study of (1 0 0) and (1 1 1)B InGaAs single quantum well laser diodes

In this work, a series of identical In_xGa_1−xAs/Al_yGa_1−yAs single quantum well laser diodes, grown on (1 0 0) and (1 1 1)B GaAs substrates, have been thoroughly studied. For all samples, clear evidence of reduced threshold current densities in the (1 1 1)B substrate has been observed in electroluminescence spectra at 17 and 300 K. Modelling of the devices, based on a self-consistent solution of Schrödinger–Poisson's equations, was utilised in order to reproduce the experimental results. The model incorporates strain and piezoelectric effects on the quantum well states, free carrier screening, overlap integral computation, and optical gain calculation. The underlying mechanism, that explains the threshold reduction observed in the (1 1 1)B laser diodes, is discussed based on the results of the modelling.     

Structural and vibrational properties of dilute GaNxAs1−x(P1−x)

We report a comprehensive analyzes of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption and Raman scattering data on the structural and vibrational properties of dilute ternary GaAs_1−xN_x,[GaP_1−xN_x] (x<0.03) alloys grown on GaAs [GaP] by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and solid source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). By using realistic total energy and lattice dynamical calculations, the origin of experimentally observed N-induced vibrational features are characterized. Useful information is obtained about the structural stability, vibrational frequencies, lattice relaxations and compositional disorder in GaNAs (GaNP) alloys. At lower composition (x<0.015) most of the N atoms occupy the As [P] sublattice {N_As[N_P]}—they prefer moving out of their substitutional sites to more energetically favorable locations at higher x. Our results for the N-isotopic shifts of local mode frequencies compare favorably well with the existing FTIR data.