Vertical electronic transport in novel semiconductor heterojunction structures

The investigation of vertical transport in semiconductor heterojunction systems has recently undergone a renaissance due to improved epitaxial techniques in a number of material systems. By using resonant tunneling, we can perform electronic spectroscopy not only of the double barrier structure itself, but of any system (with quantized well states) suitably coupled to a resonant tunneling spectrometer. In designing such systems, an important degree of freedom is introduced by utilizing multi-component structures; for example, a GaAs contact — AlGaAs barrier — InGaAs quantum well. In this structure, the high electron affinity of the quantum well creates a “deep” quantum well, in which we demonstrate that quantum well states can be hidden from transport. Finally, we present results from microfabricated quantum well structures (“quantum dots”) which are sufficiently small in the lateral dimension to introduce size effects. Telegraph noise due to the lateral size of these structures has been observed, and the first indications of lateral quantization in all three dimensions in a semiconductor quantum well are presented.     

On the general covariance and strong equivalence principles in quantum general relativity

The various physical aspects of the general relativistic principles of covariance and strong equivalence are discussed, and their mathematical formulations are analyzed. All these aspects are shown to be present in classical general relativity, although no contemporary formulation of canonical or covariant quantum gravity has succeeded to incorporate them all. This has, in part, motivated the recent introduction of a geometro-stochastic framework for quantum general relativity, in which the classical frame bundles that underlie the formulation of parallel transport in classical general relativity are replaced by quantum frame bundles. It is shown that quantum frames can take over the role played by complete sets of observables in conventional quantum theory, so that they can mediate the natural transference of the general covariance and the strong equivalence principles from the classical to the quantum general relativistic regime. This results in a geometrostochastic mode of quantum propagation in general relativistic quantum bundles, which is mathematically implemented by path integration methods based on parallel transport along horizontal lifts of geodesics for the vacuum expectation values of a quantum gravitational field in a quantum spacetime supermanifold. The covariance features of this field are embedded in a quantum gravitational supergroup, which incorporates Poincaré as well as diffeomorphism invariance, and resolves the issue of time in quantum gravity.     

Nonordered quantum logic and its YES-NO representation

It is shown that an orthomodular lattice is an ortholattice in which aunique operation of bi-implication corresponds to the equality relation and that the ordering relation in the binary formulation of quantum logic as well as the operation of implication (conditional) in quantum logic are completely irrelevant for their axiomatization. The soundness and completeness theorems for the corresponding algebraic unified quantum logic are proved. A proper semantics, i.e., a representation of quantum logic, is given by means of a new YES-NO relation which might enable a proof of the finite model property and the decidability of quantum logic. A statistical YES-NO physical interpretation of the quantum logical propositions is provided.     

Formation and atomic structure of GaSb nanostructures in GaAs studied by cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy

GaSb nanostructures in GaAs, grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, were studied with cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy. Three different samples were examined, containing a thin quantum well, a quantum well near the critical thickness for dot formation, and finally self-organized quantum dots with base lengths of 5–8 nm and heights of about 2 nm. The dots are intermixed with a GaSb content between 60% and 100%. Also small 3D and 2D islands were observed, possibly representing quantum dots in an early growth stage and quantum dot precursors. All GaSb layers exhibit gaps, which are indications of an island-like growth mode during epitaxy.     

Coulomb oscillations of the current through spin-nondegenerate <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> states of InAs quantum dots

The electron transport is studied in split-gate structures fabricated on the basis of a modulation-doped heterostructure that contains a single quantum well and self-assembled InAs quantum dots near the 2D electron gas regions. The current passing through the channel with a denumerable set of InAs quantum dots is found to exhibit Coulomb oscillations as a function of the gate voltage. The oscillations are associated with the excited p states of InAs quantum dots, which are characterized by opposite spins and caused by lifting of the spin degeneracy of the p state due to the Coulomb interaction. The Coulomb oscillations of the current are observed up to a temperature of ～20 K. The Coulomb energy is found to be ΔE_c = 12.5 meV, which agrees well with the theoretical estimates for the p states of quantum dots in the structures under study.     

In0.53Ga0.47As/InP量子阱与体材料的1 MeV电子束辐照光致发光谱研究

为获得对In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InP材料在电子束辐照下的光致发光谱变化规律, 开展了1 MeV电子束辐照试验, 注量为 5×10¹²-9×10¹⁴ cm^-2. 样品选取量子阱材料和体材料, 在辐照前后, 进行了光致发光谱测试, 得到了不同结构In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InP材料在1 MeV电子束辐照下的不同变化规律; 对比分析了参数退化的物理机理. 结果显示: 试验样品的光致发光峰强度随着辐照剂量增大而显著退化. 体材料最先出现快速退化, 而五层量子阱在注量达到6×10¹⁴ cm^-2时, 就已经退化至辐照前的9%. 经分析认为原因有: 1)电子束进入样品后, 与材料晶格发生能量传递, 破坏晶格完整性, 致使产生的激子数量减少, 光致发光强度降低; 电子束辐照在材料中引入缺陷, 增加了非辐射复合中心密度, 导致载流子迁移率降低. 2)量子阱的二维限制作用使载流子运动受限, 从而能够降低载流子与非辐射复合中心的复合概率; 敏感区域截面积相同条件下, 体材料比量子阱材料辐射损伤更为严重. 3)量子阱的层数越多, 则异质结界面数越多, 相应的产生的界面缺陷数量也随之增多, 辐射损伤越严重.     

Novel vertical stack HCMOSFET with strained SiGe/Si quantum channel

A novel vertical stack heterostructure CMOSFET is investigated, which is structured by strained SiGe/Si with a hole quantum well channel in the compressively strained Si量子信道 异质结构 CMOSFET 量子论 量子阱strained SiGe/Si, quantum well channel, heterostructure CMOSFET, poly-SiGe gateProject supported by the Preresearch from National Ministries and Commissions (Grant Nos 51408061104DZ01, 51439010904DZ0101).2/2/2006 12:00:00 AM2006-01-022006-03-16A novel vertical stack heterostructure CMOSFET is investigated, which is structured by strained SiGe/Si with a hole quantum well channel in the compressively strained Sil-xGex layer for p-MOSFET and an electron quantum well channel in the tensile strained Si layer for n-MOSFET. The device possesses several advantages including： 1） the integration of electron quantum well channel with hole quantum well channel into the same vertical layer structure; 2） the gate work function modifiability due to the introduction of poly-SiGe as a gate material; 3） better transistor matching; and 4） flexibility of layout design of CMOSFET by adopting exactly the same material lays for both n-channel and p-channel. The MEDICI simulation result shows that p-MOSFET and n-MOSFET have approximately the same matching threshold voltages. Nice performances are displayed in transfer characteristic, transconductance and cut-off frequency. In addition, its operation as an inverter confirms the CMOSFET structured device to be normal and effective in function.     

Effect of conduction band parabolicity on the spectrum and binding energy of a hydrogenic impurity in GaAs spherical quantum dots

The energy levels and binding energies of a hydrogenic impurity in GaAs spherical quantum dots with radius R are calculated by the finite difference method. The system is assumed to have an infinite confining potential well with radius R, which can be viewed as a hard wall boundary condition. The parabolicity of the conduction band profile for GaAs material can be viewed as a parabolic potential well. The energy levels and binding energies are depended dramatically on the radius of the quantum dot and the parabolic potential well. The results show that parabolic potential can remarkably alter the energy level ordering and binding energy level ordering of hydrogenic impurity states for the quantum dot with a smaller radius R.     

Transverse Ising model: Markovian evolution of classical and quantum correlations under decoherence

The transverse Ising Model (TIM) in one dimension is the simplest model which exhibits a quantum phase transition (QPT). Quantities related to quantum information theoretic measures like entanglement, quantum discord (QD) and fidelity are known to provide signatures of QPTs. The issue is less well explored when the quantum system is subjected to decoherence due to its interaction, represented by a quantum channel, with an environment. In this paper we study the dynamics of the mutual information I(ρ _AB ), the classical correlations C(ρ _AB ) and the quantum correlations Q(ρ _AB ), as measured by the QD, in a two-qubit state the density matrix of which is the reduced density matrix obtained from the ground state of the TIM in 1d. The time evolution brought about by system-environment interactions is assumed to be Markovian in nature and the quantum channels considered are amplitude damping, bit-flip, phase-flip and bit-phase-flip. Each quantum channel is shown to be distinguished by a specific type of dynamics. In the case of the phase-flip channel, there is a finite time interval in which the quantum correlations are larger in magnitude than the classical correlations. For this channel as well as the bit-phase-flip channel, appropriate quantities associated with the dynamics of the correlations can be derived which signal the occurrence of a QPT.     

Performance of 30 nm Gate Length InAlAs-InGaAs MODFETs: Comparison of Conventional and Asymmetric Coupled-Well Transport Channel Configurations

This paper presents simulation results highlighting the effects of variations in the transverse potential profile of the transport channel, on the electrical characteristics of Modulation Doped Field-Effect Transistors (MODFETs). In particular, the I-V and f_T-V_g characteristics of 30 nm gate length InAlAs-InGaAs MODFETs, having conventional quantum well channels, are in good agreement with our simulations. The simulation further predicts improvement in performance when asymmeteric coupled quantum wells are used as the electron transport channels. Energy bands, 2-D electron distributions, and various I-V characteristics are compared for conventional quantum well and asymmeteric coupled quantum well channels. Both quantum well and quantum wire configurations are enhanced by the incorporation of asymmetric coupled quantum well channel.     

Advances in Functional Nanomaterials Science

Technologies employing nanomaterials, such as electronics, optoelectronics, nanobiotechnologies, quantum optics, and nanophotonics, are perceived as the key drivers of investigations on novel and functional materials and their nanostructures for various applications. It is well understood that the study of such materials and structures has been of great importance for the optimization and development of electrical and optical devices. From such devices, one does not only expect higher efficiencies, but also access to the development of completely new concepts, which are strongly demanded by modern information-processing, quantum, or medical technologies, and sensing applications. In this context, a wide range of aspects such as the physics of novel materials, as well as materials engineering, characterization, and applications are summarized here. Novel materials, which can be used, for instance, for energy harvesting or light generation, as well as for future logic devices; material engineering, which can lead to improved device functionality and performance in optoelectronics; material physics, the study of which allows insight to be gained into optical and electrical properties of nanostructured systems and quantum materials; and technologies/devices, addressing progress on the application side of sophisticated material systems and quantum structures, are highlighted using representative examples.     

Wavevector and frequency dependent dielectric function dynamic structure factor and the instability of plasma waves in two component hot rare quantum and classical plasmas

The full wavevector and frequency dependent complex dielectric function for two component classical and quantum rare hot plasmas have been derived. The real part of dielectric function is obtained in the form of a series. Difference between quantum and classical real and imaginary parts of dielectric function have been brought out by making explicit calculations. The quantum nature of the plasma brings about significant changes in both parts depending upon the magnitude of quantum parameter,R (= 8.93(λ_th)/λ). Expressions for the dynamic structure factors for both two component classical and quantum plasma have been evaluated for different values of the mass of the positive componentm ₊, temperature T₊ and wavevector k. It is found that the plasma exhibits well defined collective modes for certain values of |k| accompanied by varying disorder which depends upon the values of m₊ as well as on |k| and T₊. For the quantum case the collective modes are less well defined as compared to the corresponding classical case, thus proving that quantum nature introduces inherent disorder in the system. But for both the cases, increase in temperature destroys collective modes. Another feature is the appearance of a hump near Ω = 0 which becomes smaller and vanishes as the quantum parameter is decreased. Instability of plasma modes in the presence of constant electric field has also been worked out for the quantum case.     

Laser control of magneto-polaron in transition metal dichalcogenides triangular quantum well

We study the dynamic of magneto-polaron condensate in monolayer two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) materials of 2H types in triangular quantum well potential. Within both the quantum mechanical Schrödinger approach (QMSA) and the improved Wigner-Brillouin theory (IWBT), Landau energies levels (LELs) are derived. We have shown that the magneto-polaron condensation is enhanced in monolayer MoSe₂ compared to MoS₂, WS₂ and WSe₂. We derive various levels by increasing a magnetic field and laser parameter. We show that the quantum confinement lifts the degeneracy of the Landau levels (LLs) resulting in an anticrossing and crossing. The dephasing effect due to the quantum well potential's parameter plays an important role in the magneto-polaron energy corrections, which are also affected by the amplitude of the laser field. The system presents Stückelberg oscillations which is important for practical applications.     

Quantum spin Hall effect in inverted type-II semiconductors

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) state is a topologically nontrivial state of quantum matter which preserves time-reversal symmetry; it has an energy gap in the bulk, but topologically robust gapless states at the edge. Recently, this novel effect has been predicted and observed in HgTe quantum wells and in this Letter we predict a similar effect arising in Type-II semiconductor quantum wells made from InAs/GaSb/AlSb. The quantum well exhibits an "inverted" phase similar to HgTe/CdTe quantum wells, which is a QSH state when the Fermi level lies inside the gap. Due to the asymmetric structure of this quantum well, the effects of inversion symmetry breaking are essential. Remarkably, the topological quantum phase transition between the conventional insulating state and the quantum spin Hall state can be continuously tuned by the gate voltage, enabling quantitative investigation of this novel phase transition.     

Tensile-strained 1.3 μm InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure of high temperature characteristics

A new tensile strained InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure in the 1.3 μm wavelength region is proposed for high temperature characteristics via quantum well band structure and optical gain calculations. To obtain such features, a tensile-strained InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure, which emits light dominated by TM polarization, is considered. This proposed structure has very high temperature characteristics (T ₀ > 130 K) due to its high density of state at the first transition edge. This results clearly show the potential of tensile strained quantum well structure usage for the high temperature operation of quantum well semiconductor lasers.     

Coherent state polarons in quantum wells

We investigate the polaronic effects of an electron confined in a quantum well, which we describe through its algebraic properties using su(1,1), taking into account the electron-bulk longitudinal-optical phonon interaction. We construct the variational wave function as the direct product of an electronic part and a part describing coherent phonons generated by the Low–Lee–Pines transformation from the vacuum state. We use two explicit forms of coherent states, Perelomov and Barut-Girardello states, to represent the electronic part in the quantum well spectrum. Our results show that in a coherent state basis for electrons the basic polaron parameters such as the energy gap shift and effective mass are further enhanced compared to those obtained with the conventional sinusoidal form of the basis. The difference between the two types of quantum well coherent states appears in polaronic interactions in quantum wells. We extend the calculations in order to estimate polaron lifetimes for a variety of different material systems.     

Hot electron light-emitting semiconductor heterostructure device--type 2

A novel hot electron light-emitting device is proposed which operates by the application of longitudinal electric field, i.e. in the plane of the GaAs quantum wells, which are placed next to the junction plane of an n-Ga_1-xAl_xAs--p-GaAs heterostructure. Application of high electric fields results in the transfer of hot electrons via tunnelling and thermionic emission, from the quantum well in the depletion region, into the GaAs inversion layer. The hot holes in the p-GaAs, initially away from the junction, then diffuse towards the junction plane to recombine with the excess hot electrons, giving rise to electroluminescence (EL) which is representative of the GaAs band-to-band emission. As the applied field is increased, a high-energy tail in the EL spectrum develops, and, photons with energies greater than the el-hhl transition energy in the quantum well are absorbed and re-emitted by the quantum well. Thus a second peak develops in the EL spectra which becomes stronger with increasing applied electric field. The device has been theoretically modelled, by solving Schrodinger and Poisson's equations self-consistently, to understand the processes leading to EL emission in the various channels.     

Breakdown of the atomic picture for the interband dipole matrix element and charge oscillation under interband optical excitation

Numerical results for a one dimensional model are used to illustrate the nature of charge oscillation under interband optical excitation in a quantum well with a narrow band gap. The charge oscillation shows molecular rather than atomic character ie charge is transported over the entire quantum well and not just over atomic distances. The associated dipole moment, which corresponds to the interband dipole matrix element, for narrow gap semiconductor quantum well structures can be in the order of nanometres rather than Ångstroms.     

Effects of growth direction on lasing performance in GaAs---AlxGa1−xAs quantum wells

The properties of GaAs---AlGaAs quantum well lasers are studied theoretically as a function of the crystallographic growth direction. The growth directions considered are [001] [111], [110], [310], [311] and [211]. The electronic dispersion is obtained using an 8×8 k·p Hamiltonian which couples the electron, heavy-hole, light-hole and spin-orbit split-off bands. We calculate the threshold current for single quantum well lasers and determine the lowest threshold current for the growth directions considered. It is seen that for some growth directions the threshold current can be less than that previously calculated for a strained-layer quantum well laser. The results also differ from a previous model which completely decoupled the valence and conduction bands.     

Photoluminescence studies of GaAs/GaAlAs multiple quantum well heterostructures

The photoluminescence excited by He:Ne and Nd:YAG lasers of GaAs/Ga_0.75Al_0.25As multiple quantum well heterostructures grown by MBE was measured as a function of temperature from 4.2 K up to room temperature and for different pumping powers at constant temperature. The excitonic transitions associated with carriers confined in the quantum wells as well as other transitions associated with impurities either already present in the substrates or introduced into the samples during growth are identified in the spectra and fully characterized. From Arrhenius plots of the photoluminescence peak integrated intensities versus inverse temperature, activation energies are estimated for acceptor defects in the samples as well as for quantum well related excitonic transitions. Photoluminescence polarization experiments demonstrate a dramatic manifestation of the selection rules governing heavy hole and light hole optical transitions in quantum wells.