Nanomechanical characterizations of InGaN thin films

In_xGa_1−xN thin films with In concentration ranging from 25 to 34 at.% were deposited on sapphire substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Crystalline structure and surface morphology of the deposited films were studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hardness, Young's modulus and creep resistance were measured using a nanoindenter. Among the deposited films, In_0.25Ga_0.75N film exhibits a larger grain size and a higher surface roughness. Results indicate that hardness decreases slightly with increasing In concentration in the In_xGa_1−xN films ranged from 16.6 ± 1.1 to 16.1 ± 0.7 GPa and, Young's modulus for the In_0.25Ga_0.75N, In_0.3Ga_0.7N and In_0.34Ga_0.66N films are 375.8 ± 23.1, 322.4 ± 13.5 and 373.9 ± 28.6 GPa, respectively. In addition, the time-dependent nanoindentation creep experiments are presented in this article.     

应力导致InAs/In0.15Ga0.85As量子点结构中In0.15Ga0.85As阱层的合金分解效应研究

利用固源分子束外延技术，在In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs量子阱生长了两个InAs/In_0.15Ga_0.85As量子点(DWELL)样品.通过改变其中一个InAs DWELL样品中的In_0.15Ga_0.85As阱层的厚度和生长温度，获得了量子点尺寸增大而且尺寸分布更均匀的结果.结合光致发光光谱(PL)和压电调制光谱(PzR)实验结果，发现该样品量子点的光学性质也同时得到 关键词： 合金分解效应 0.15Ga_0.85As量子点')" href="#">InAs/In_0.15Ga_0.85As量子点 光致发光光谱 压电调制光谱     

Development of cross-hatch grid morphology and its effect on ordering growth of quantum dots

We investigate the development of cross-hatch grid surface morphology in growing mismatched layers and its effect on ordering growth of quantum dots (QDs). For a 60° dislocation (MD), the effective part in strain relaxation is the part with the Burgers vector parallel to the film/substrate interface within its component; so the surface stress over a MD is asymmetric. When the strained layer is relatively thin, the surface morphology is cross-hatch grid with asymmetric ridges and valleys. When the strained layer is relatively thick, the ridges become nearly symmetrical, and the dislocations and the ridges inclined-aligned. In the following growth of InAs, QDs prefer to nucleate on top of the ridges. By selecting ultra-thin In_0.15Ga_0.85As layer (50 nm) and controlling the QDs layer at just formed QDs, we obtained ordered InAs QDs.     

Band offsets in In0.15Ga0.85As/ GaAs and In0.15Ga0.85As/Al0.15Ga0.85As studied by photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence

Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements of strained undoped In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs and In_0.15Ga_0.85As/Al_0.15Ga_0.85As quantum well structures with emission lines attributed to the first electron–first heavy hole and first electron–first light hole excitonic transitions have been analysed theoretically within the eight-band effective mass approximation. For In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs the results are consistent with either type I or type II alignment of the light hole band. In the case of In_0.15Ga_0.85As/Al_0.15Ga_0.85As our results indicate type II alignment for the light hole band and offset ratio ofQ = 0.83.     

Reasons of emission inhomogeneity in InAs quantum dot structures

The photoluminescence (PL) inhomogeneity has been studied in InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in the symmetric In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) with QDs grown at different temperatures. It was shown that three reasons are responsible for the emission inhomogeneity in studied QD structures: (i) the high concentration of nonradiative recombination centers in the capping In_0.15Ga_0.85As layer at low QD growth temperatures, (ii) the QD density and size distributions for the structure with QD grown at 510 ^°C, (iii) the high concentration of nonradiative recombination centers in the GaAs barrier at higher QD growth temperatures.     

Emission and strain in InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells with InAs quantum dots obtained at different temperatures

The photoluminescence (PL), its temperature dependence and X ray diffraction (XRD) have been studied in the symmetric In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) with embedded InAs quantum dots (QDs), obtained with the variation of QD growth temperatures (470–535 °C). The increase of QD growth temperatures is accompanied by the enlargement of QD lateral sizes (from 12 up to 28 nm) and by the shift non monotonously of PL peak positions. The fitting procedure has been applied for the analysis of the temperature dependence of PL peaks. The obtained fitting parameters testify that in studied QD structures the process of In/Ga interdiffusion between QDs and capping/buffer layers takes place partially. However this process cannot explain the difference in PL peak positions.     

Annealing effect on the optical properties in Si delta-doped Al0.24Ga0.76As/In0.15Ga0.85As/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor structures

The optical properties of Si delta-doped Al_0.24Ga_0.76As/In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor structure (PHEMTs) are estimated after the process of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in the temperature range 500–750°C. After layer intermixing and decrease of 2DEG densities of PHEMTs just occurs around the annealing temperature of 650°C, the 12H transition peak at 1.354 eV above the annealing temperature of 650°C is newly observed from the photoluminescence (PL) and photoreflectance (PR) spectra. From the results of PL and PR measurements in the annealed PHEMTs, it is found that remarkable modification of band profile in InGaAs QW occur at annealing temperature above 650°C.     

Photoluminescence and dark current of p-doped InGaAs/AlxGa1−xAs strained multiple quantum wells

We report the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence spectra and current-voltage (I_d-V) characteristics of p-doped In_0.15Ga_0.85As/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) with different barrier heights grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The dark current at low temperatures is found to be about three orders of magnitude lower than that reported for the n- and p-doped QWIPs made of other material systems. The PL spectra show two emission peaks which correspond to an intersubband absorption and are tunable by changing the mole fraction of Al. The low energy emission peak of the In_0.15Ga_0.85As/Al_0.45Ga_0.55As QWIP is found to be much lower in intensity than that of the high one, due possibly to excess Al which may result in defects or imperfection at/or near well-barrier interfaces.     

Improvement in piezoelectric effect of violet InGaN laser diodes

The laser performance of violet InGaN laser diodes is investigated numerically. The polarization-dependent properties, including overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions, threshold current, and slope efficiency, are studied through the use of step-like quantum well structure. Furthermore, the electron and hole wavefunctions, band diagrams, and emission wavelength are compared and analyzed. The simulation results show that the lowest threshold current and the highest slope efficiency are obtained when the step-like quantum well structure is designed as In_0.12Ga_0.88N (2.5 nm)-In_0.18Ga_0.82N (1 nm) or In_0.18Ga_0.82N (2.5 nm)-In_0.12Ga_0.88N (1 nm) for violet laser diodes due to sufficiently enhanced overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions.     

Effect of GaInP intermediate barrier in 1.3 μm compressive-strained GaInAsP/GaInAsP multiple-quantum-wells laser diodes

In this article, 1.3 μm Ga_0.27In_0.63As_0.67P_0.33/Ga_0.11In_0.89As_0.24P_0.76 compressive-strain multiple-quantum-wells (CS-MQWs) with Ga_0.09In_0.91P intermediate barrier (IB) laser diodes (LDs) have been grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD). The photoluminescence (PL) measurement indicates that the CS-MQWs with 20 Å Ga_0.09In_0.91P IB have the narrowest full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 43.9 meV. The 55-μm-width metal contact and 900-μm cavity length as-cleaved broad-area LDs with the Ga_0.09In_0.91P IB have the better performance than those of LDs without Ga_0.09In_0.91P IB, including a threshold current density of 0.86 kA/cm², a differential quantum efficiency of 25.6%, an internal quantum efficiency of 50%, and an internal optical loss of 25 cm⁻¹. Finally, the GaInAsP/GaInAsP CS-MQWs with the Ga_0.09In_0.91P IB LDs were processed as 4-μm-width ridge and an as-cleaved 600-μm-cavity length. It exhibits a threshold current of 38.5 mA, a slope efficiency of 0.16 W/A, a characteristic temperature of 80.5 K, a maximum operating temperature up to 80 °C without power saturation, and a red-shift rate of 0.38 nm/°C, and a relaxation frequency response of 5.8 GHz. The 3-dB bandwidth for the LDs with GaInP IB is as high as 9 GHz without considering the damping factor and coupling loss.     

Excitonic photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline GaSb and Ga0.62In0.38Sb embedded in silica films

The GaSb and Ga_0.62In_0.38Sb nanocrystals were embedded in the SiO₂ films by radio-frequency magnetron co-sputtering and were grown on GaSb and Si substrates at different temperatures. We present results on the 10 K excitonic photoluminescence (PL) properties of nanocrystalline GaSb and Ga_0.62In_0.38Sb as a function of their size. The measurements show that the PL of the GaSb and Ga_0.62In_0.38Sb nanocrystallites follows the quantum confinement model very closely. By using deconvolution of PL spectra, origins of structures in PL were identified.     

Emission and elastic strain in InAs dot-in-a well InGaAs/GaAs structures

The paper presents the photoluminescence (PL) study of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in the asymmetric GaAs/In_xGa_1?xAs/In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) with the different compositions of capping In_xGa_1?xAs layers. The composition of the buffer In_0.15Ga_0.85As layer was the same in all studied QD structures, but the In content (parameter x) in the capping In_xGa_1?xAs layers varied within the range 0.10–0.25. The In concentration (x) increase in the In_xGa_1?xAs capping layers is accompanied by the variation non-monotonously of InAs QD emission: PL intensity and peak positions. To understand the reasons of PL variation, the PL temperature dependences and X ray diffraction (XRD) have been investigated. It was revealed that the level of elastic deformation (elastic strain) and the Ga/In interdiffusion at the In_xGa_1?xAs/InAs QD interface are characterized by the non-monotonous dependences versus parameter x. The physical reasons for the non-monotonous variation of the elastic strains and PL parameters in studied QD structures have been discussed.     

Photoluminescence scanning on InAs/InGaAs quantum dot structures

The photoluminescence spectra of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded into four types of In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs (x = 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) multi quantum well MBE structures have been investigated at 300 K in dependence on the QD position on the wafer. PL mapping was performed with 325 nm HeCd laser (35 mW) focused down to 200 μm (110 W/cm²) as the excitation source. The structures with x = 0.15 In/Ga composition in the In_xGa_1−xAs capping layer exhibited the maximum photoluminescence intensity. Strong inhomogeneity of the PL intensity is observed by mapping samples with the In/Ga composition of x ≥ 0.20-0.25. The reduction of the PL intensity is accompanied by a gradual “blue” shift of the luminescence maximum at 300 K as follows from the quantum dot PL mapping. The mechanism of this effect has been analyzed. PL peak shifts versus capping layer composition are discussed as well.     

Optical resonant modes in InGaN MQW/GaN micro-cone

Arrays of InGaN MQW/GaN micro-cone cavities with a base diameter of 3.3 μm were fabricated by ion beam etching. The micro-cones consist of a 58 nm thick multiple quantum wells (MQW) of In_0.22Ga_0.78N/In_0.06Ga_0.94N as well as a 1.5 μm thick epilayer of GaN. By using a novel optical ray tracing method, we have figured out four main types of optical resonant cavities inside the three-dimensional micro-cone, including two Fabry–Perot modes types as well as two whispering gallery modes types. Optical resonant modes from a single micro-cone could be clearly observed in the photoluminescence spectra at temperature up to 200 K under a pumping power density two orders of magnitude lower than that for the III-nitride semiconductor micro-disk or micro-ring cavity. The corresponding mode spacings of the experimental results agree well with the calculated ones. The advantages of this new class of cavity are discussed. These findings are expected to have impact on the design of the UV/blue micro-cavity laser diodes.     

Photoluminescence of InGaAs/GaAs strained-layer quantum well structures under high pressure

Abstract

Measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) of strained In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs and In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs quantum well structures together with the PL from bulk GaAs, in a diamond anvil cell show that the pressure coefficient of the ground confined state in the wells depends upon well width (L_Z). In the thinnest wells, the coefficient is closer to that of the bulk GaAs (10.7 meV/kbar), as expected. However, in the widest wells the coefficients tend to values (9.5meV/kbar for the 15% alloy and 9.1meV/kbar for the 20% alloy) that are significantly lower than the pressure coefficient of unstrained In_0.53Ga_0.47As (10.9meV/kbar). It is found that the low pressure coefficients can not be explained by the change in uniaxial stress with pressure due to a difference in bulk moduli between the barrier and well.     

Confinement-enhanced dots-in-a-well QDIPs with operating temperature over 200 K

LWIR InAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/In_0.15Ga_0.85As confinement-enhanced DWELL (CE-DWELL) QDIPs with operation temperatures higher than 200 K are reported. A thin Al_0.3Ga_0.7As barrier layer was inserted above the InAs QDs to improve the confinement of QD states in the In_0.15Ga_0.85As DWELL structure and the device performance. The better confinement of the electronic states increases the oscillator strength of the infrared absorption. The higher excited state energy also improves the escape probability of the photoelectrons. Compared with the conventional DWELL QDIPs, the quantum efficiency increases for more than 20 times and the detectivity is an order of magnitude higher at 77 K. With better device parameters of CE-DWELL, it is possible to achieve high quantum efficiency, high operating temperature and long wavelength detection at the same time.     

Optical studies on a coherent InGaN/GaN layer

Photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and selective excitation (SE-PL) studies were performed in an attempt to identify the origin of the emission bands in a pseudomorphic In_0.05Ga_0.95N/GaN film. Besides the InGaN near-band-edge PL emission centred at 3.25 eV an additional blue band centred at 2.74 eV was observed. The lower energy PL peak is characterized by an energy separation between absorption and emission–the Stokes’ shift–(500 meV) much larger than expected. A systematic PLE and selective excitation analysis has shown that the PL peak at 2.74 eV is related to an absorption band observed below the InGaN band gap. We propose the blue emission and its related absorption band are associated to defect levels, which can be formed inside either the InGaN or GaN band gap.     

LP MOVPE growth of AlGalnP/GalnP and its application to visible laser diodes

High-quality and uniform bulk layers of (Al _x Ga_1–x )_0.5In_0.5P (x=0–0.7) and AlGalnP/GainP quantum wells (QWs) are grown on 2°-off (100) GaAs substrates by low-pressure metal organic vapour phase epitaxy at a low growth rate of 0.3 nm s^-1. The amount of lattice mismatch and the variation of PL peak energy of (Al_0.5Ga_0.5)_0.5In_0.5P on the 50-mm substrate are less than 6×10^-4 and 2 meV, respectively. (Al_0.5Ga_0.5)_0.5In_0.5P/Ga_0.5In_0.5P SQWs show narrow PL spectra even from a 0.6 nm well measured at 20 K. The variation of PL peak energy from (Al_0.5Ga_0.5)_0.5In_0.5P/Ga_0.5In_0.5P MQWs is less than 10 meV. Also, as-cleaved AlGalnP/GalnP lasers fabricated by a three-step MOVPE show a pulsed threshold current of 82 mA at room temperature, output power of 12 mW, and the lasing wavelength at 668.2 nm.     

Thermal oxidation of n-type ZnN films made by -sputtering from a zinc nitride target, and their conversion into p-type films

Transparent p-type thin films, containing zinc oxide phases, have been fabricated from the oxidation of n-type zinc nitride films. The zinc nitride thin films were deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering from a zinc nitride target in pure N₂ and pure Ar plasma. Films deposited in Ar plasma were conductive (resistivity 4.7×10⁻² Ω cm and carrier concentrations around 10²⁰ cm⁻³) Zn-rich Zn_xN_y films of low transmittance, whereas Zn_xN_y films deposited in N₂ plasma showed high transmittance (>80%), but five orders of magnitude lower conductivity. Thermal oxidation up to 550 C converted all films into p-type materials, exhibiting high resistivity, 10²–10³ Ω cm, and carrier concentration around 10¹³ cm⁻³. However, upon oxidation, the Zn_xN_y films did not show the zinc oxide phase, whereas Zn-rich Zn_xN_y films were converted into films containing ZnO and ZnO₂ phases. All films exhibited transmittance >85% with a characteristic excitonic dip in the transmittance curve at 365 nm. Low temperature photoluminescence revealed the existence of exciton emissions at 3.36 and 3.305 eV for the p-type zinc oxide film.     

Asymmetric Fabry-Perot modulators with an InGaAs/AlGaAs active region

Strained layer superlattices have been used as the active region in asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity optical modulators. The active layer of the Fabry-Perot modulator consisted of a 50 period In_0.15 Ga_0.85As/Al_0.30Ga_0.70As (10nm/10nm) superlattice. These quantum wells operate at typical wavelength of around 960 nm. By varying the length of the Fabry-Perot cavity in the modulator by including AlGaAs space layers of different thicknesses in the cavity, it is shown experimentally that both normally on and normally off devices can be obtained using the same stack of quantum wells. For the first type of device operation, a maximum contrast ratio of 8.3 dB could be measured for a reverse voltage of 7 V at 969 nm, while for the second type, a maximum of 8.9 dB at 957 nm was obtained for a 20 V reverse voltage. Using the same structure with an extra Bragg reflector on top of the quantum well layers to increase the surface reflection, a device with a higher finesse of the cavity was obtained. A maximum contrast ratio of 11.5 dB was measured for a reverse bias voltage of 30 V at 978 nm, with an insertion loss of –4.2dB.