Optical anisotropy of InAs/GaSb broken-gap quantum wells

We investigate in detail the optical anisotropy of absorption of linearly polarized light in InAs/GaSb quantum wells grown on GaSb along the [001] direction, which can be used as an active region of different laser structures. The energy level positions, the wave functions, the optical matrix elements, and the absorption coefficients are calculated using the eight-band k · p model and the Burt-Foreman envelope function theory. In these calculations, the Schr?dinger and Poisson equations are solved self-consistently taking the lattice-mismatched strain into account. We find that a realistic Hamiltonian, which has the C _2v symmetry, results in considerable anisotropy of optical matrix elements for different directions of light polarization and different directions of the initial-state in-plane wave vector, including low-symmetry directions. We trace how the optical matrix elements and absorption are modified when spin-orbit interaction and important symmetry breaking mechanisms are taken into account (structural inversion asymmetry, bulk inversion asymmetry, and interface Hamiltonian). These mechanisms result in an almost 100% anisotropy of the absorption coefficients as the light polarization vector rotates in the plane of the structure and in a plane normal to the interfaces.     

Band hybridization effect in InAs/GaSb based quantum wells

We develop a simple way to investigate the band hybridization effect in the present of the many-body interactions in an InAs/GaSb based quantum wells with different widths. The exchange self-energy and energy gap are obtained analytically at the long wave limit. An electron-like and a hole-like dispersion relations were obtained and a minigap about several meV is observed at the intercross of the electron and hole dispersion relations. Our theoretical results show that the widths of the quantum well have crucial role on the band hybridization in such a system.     

Landau level transitions in InAs/AlSb/GaSb quantum wells

The electronic structure of InAs/AlSb/GaSb quantum wells embedded in AlSb barriers and in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field is studied theoretically within the 14-band ?? · ?? approach without making the axial approximation.At zero magnetic field, for a quantum well with a wide In As layer and a wide GaSb layer, the energy of an electron-like subband can be lower than the energy of hole-like subbands. As the strength of the magnetic field increases, the Landau levels of this electron-like subband grow in energy and intersect the Landau levels of the hole-like subbands. The electron–hole hybridization leads to a series of anti-crossing splittings of the Landau levels. The magnetic field dependence of some dominant transitions is shown with their corresponding initial-states and final-states indicated. The dominant transitions at high fields can be roughly viewed as two spin-split Landau level transitions with many electron–hole hybridization-induced splittings. When the magnetic field is tilted, the electron-like Landau level transitions show additional anti-crossing splittings due to the subband-Landau level coupling.     

Quantum spin Hall effect in inverted InAs/GaSb quantum wells

We review the recent experimental progress towards observing quantum spin Hall effect in inverted InAs/GaSb quantum wells (QWs). Low temperature transport measurements in the hybridization gap show bulk conductivity of a non-trivial origin, while the length and width dependence of conductance in this regime show strong evidence for the existence of helical edge modes proposed by Liu et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett., 2008, 100: 236601]. Surprisingly, edge modes persist in spite of comparable bulk conduction and show only weak dependence on magnetic field. We elucidate that seeming independence of edge on bulk transport comes due to the disparity in Fermi-wave vectors between the bulk and the edge, leading to a total internal reflection of the edge modes.     

Evidence for helical edge modes in inverted InAs/GaSb quantum wells

We present an experimental study of low temperature electronic transport in the hybridization gap of inverted InAs/GaSb composite quantum wells. An electrostatic gate is used to push the Fermi level into the gap regime, where the conductance as a function of sample length and width is measured. Our analysis shows strong evidence for the existence of helical edge modes proposed by Liu et al [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 236601 (2008)]. Edge modes persist in spite of sizable bulk conduction and show only a weak magnetic field dependence-a direct consequence of a gap opening away from the zone center.     

Properties of narrow gap quantum dots and wells in the InAs/InSb/GaSb systems

The properties of InSb quantum dots grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy are summarised as deduced from photoluminescence, magneto-photoluminescence, and far-infrared modulated photoluminescence experiments. A technique is described for shifting the emission of these dots to lower energy by coupling them with a narrow InAs quantum well, leading to the demonstration of electroluminescence at 2.3 μm.     

On the nature of the oscillations of cyclotron absorption in InAs/GaSb quantum wells

The mechanism of oscillations of the half-width and intensity of the cyclotron resonance (CR) line of electrons in a semimetal quantum well based on an InAs/AlSb/GaSb heterostructure is investigated experimentally and theoretically. It is shown that the oscillations of the CR spectrum are due to mixing of states of the spatially separated two-dimensional electrons and holes. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 10, 753–758 (25 November 1998)     

Observation of a hybridization gap in cyclotron resonance spectra of semimetallic InAs/GaSb quantum wells

Splitting of the cyclotron resonance (CR) line is observed in the electron CR spectra of InAs/GaSb heterostructures containing tunneling-coupled electron and hole layers. This splitting is interpreted to be a manifestation of a hybridization gap arising as a result of anticrossing of the Landau levels of electrons and holes when their wave functions overlap. The energy splitting of the CR lines is correlated with the magnitude of the overlap and agrees with theoretical estimates of the hybridization gap width. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 4, 313–317 (25 February 1999)     

Two-colour mid-infrared absorption in InAs/GaSb type II and broken-gap quantum wells under gated electric field

We present a detailed theoretical study on optical properties of an InAs/GaSb-based type II and broken-gap quantum well (QW) in the presence of gated electric voltage. Two absorption peaks were observed through intraband transitions within the same material layer. The intensity of optical absorption induced by inter-layer transition is relatively weak due to a small overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions at InAs/GaSb interface. The applied electric field can open up new channels for optical transition and thus affect significantly the optical absorption by changing the overlap of the electron and hole wavefunctions as well as the transition channels. The obtained results suggest that InAs/GaSb-based type II and broken-gap QWs can be employed as two-colour photodetectors working at mid-infrared bandwidth at relatively high temperatures. More over, the bandwidth of the optical absorption can be tuned by the gated electric field.     

InAs/GaSb量子阱中太赫兹光电导特性

太赫兹技术由于具有重大的科学价值及应用前景而引起了广泛关注,其核心问题是性能优异的室温太赫兹辐射源和探测器研究.本文用半经典的玻尔兹曼方程方法研究了In As/Ga Sb量子阱系统中载流子对电磁场的响应,运用平衡方程方法求解玻尔兹曼方程得到了量子阱系统中的光电导,系统地研究了量子阱结构对光电导的影响,揭示了在该量子阱系统中光电导产生的物理机制.研究发现,量子阱结构主要通过调节载流子的能级、浓度和波函数的耦合影响光电导,对称性较好的量子阱结构(8 nm-8 nm)的光电导信号更强,其峰值落在太赫兹区(0.2 THz),并且在低温下器件的性能较好,温度升高则吸收峰略有降低,且光电导峰值发生红移.研究结果表明该量子阱系统可以用作室温太赫兹光电器件.     

InAs/GaSb量子阱的能带结构及光吸收

采用八能带K-P理论以及有限差分方法,研究了沿[001]方向生长的InAs/GaSb二类断带量子阱体系的能带结构、波函数分布和对[110]方向线性偏振光的吸收特性.研究发现,通过改变InAs或GaSb层的厚度,可有效调节该量子阱体系的能带结构及波函数分布.计算结果表明,当InAs/GaSb量子阱的导带底与价带顶处于共振状态时,导带基态与轻空穴基态杂化效应很小,且导带基态与第一激发态的波函数存在较大的重叠,导带基态与第一激发态之间在布里渊区中心处的跃迁概率明显大于导带底与价带顶处于非共振状态时的跃迁概率.研究结果对基于InAs/GaSb二类断带量子阱体系的中远红外波段的新型级联激光器、探测器等光电器件的设计具有重要意义.     

Effect of pressure on the 2D carrier concentration in GaSb/InAs/GaSb quantum well system

Measurements of magnetoresistance and Hall emf have been carried out on GaSb/InAs/GaSb quantum wells of different thickness and with interfaces of different types in fields up to 7 T and at pressures up to 2.5 GPa at 4.2 K. The pressure dependence of the electron and hole concentrations was derived by analysis of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and magnetoresistance tensor components, made in terms of the classical model operating with carriers of two types. It is shown that pressure initiates a transition from semimetallic to semiconducting regime. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 723–726 (April 1997)     

Low-density band-filling in strained InAs quantum wells

We study the low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) of strained InAs single quantum wells (SQWs) embedded in a Ga_0.47In_0.53As matrix grown on InP substrates by modified solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. The spectra are interpreted in the frame of a two-level rate equation model describing the carrier dynamics in the structures. We show that band-filling occurs in these QWs for an excitation power as low as 30 Wcm^–2. Moreover, the spectra reveal that the band-filling results from the rapid population of the hole subband. This observation highlights the low in-plane heavy-hole mass in the compressively strained film. Our results therefore demonstrate the high potential of InAs/Ga_0.47In_0.53As QW nonlinear optical devices operating in the mid-IR wavelength range.     

磁场中的拓扑绝缘体边缘态性质

用数值方法研究了拓扑绝缘体薄膜体系在外加垂直磁场 作用下其边缘态的性质. 磁场的加入通过耦合k+eA, 即Peierls势替换关系和 该作用导致的Zeeman交换场体现在哈密顿量中. 考虑窄条圆环状结构的二维InAs/GaSb/AlSb薄膜量子阱材料, 当其处于拓扑非平庸状态, 即量子自旋霍尔态时, 会出现受时间反演对称性保护的两支简并边缘态, 而在垂直磁场的作用下, 时间反演对称性被破坏, 这时能带将形成一条条的朗道能级, 原来简并的两支边缘态也会分开到朗道能级谱线的两侧, 从电子态密度的空间分布情况则可以看到边缘态分别局域在材料的两个边界. 随着磁场的增大, 位于同一边界上的不同 自旋极化的边缘态将出现分离: 一支仍然局域在边缘, 另一支则随外加磁场的增加而有逐渐演化到材料内部的趋势. 文中还计算了同一边界上的两支边缘态之间的散射, 结果表明由于两个边缘态在空间发生分离, 相互之间的散射被很大的压制, 得到了其散射随磁场增加没有明显变化的结论, 所以磁场并不会增强散射过程, 也没有破坏体拓扑材料的性质, 说明了量子自旋霍尔态在没有时间反演对称的情况下也可以有较强的稳定性.     

Optical study on ultrathin InAs/InP single quantum wells

Il Nuovo Cimento D - Our interest is centred on the very thin layers consisting of only one or a few monolayers of InAs. The optical transition energies, measured by photoluminescence spectroscopy,...     

Microscopic modeling of intersubband resonances in InAs/AlSb quantum wells

Linear absorption spectra from intersubband resonance in InAs/AlSb quantum wells are analyzed theoretically using the intersubband semiconductor Bloch equation approach. Our model goes beyond the Hartree–Fock approximation and treats particle–particle correlations under the second Born approximation. Electron–electron and longitudinal optical phonon scatterings from such a treatment describe intrinsic line broadening to the intersubband resonance. Electron subbands are determined self-consistently with a spurious-state-free 8-band k·p Hamiltonian under the envelope function approximation. To compare with experimental measurements, we also included line broadening due to electron-interface roughness scattering. Excellent agreement was achieved for temperature-dependent absorption spectra in the mid-infrared frequency range, after taking into careful account the interplay of material parameters, nonparabolicity in bandstructure, and many-body effects.     

GaSb for passivating type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice mesas

The lack of stable passivation for mesa sidewalls is hampering the development of infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices (SL). We propose the use of GaSb itself to fill the space between FPA pixels, thus eliminating sidewalls and sidewall currents. In such a structure, the conduction band discontinuity between the SL and the GaSb encapsulant constrains electrons to move vertically between the contacts, while the low, vertical hole mobility causes holes to preferentially move transversely. Hence, this scheme (a) eliminates surface leakage currents, which improves detectivity and (b) reduces the density of excess holes in the active region of the device, which improves Shockley–Reed–Hall and direct recombination lifetimes, thereby the detector operating temperature and figures of merit.     

InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared detectors

Future heterojunction InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) detector devices in the long-wavelength infrared regime (LWIR, 8–12 μm) require an accurate bandstructure model and a successful surface passivation. In this study, we have validated the superlattice empirical pseudopotential method developed by Dente and Tilton over a wide range of bandgap energies. Furthermore, dark current data for a novel dielectric surface passivation for LWIR devices is presented. Next, we present a technique for high-resolution, full-wafer mapping of etch pit densities on commercial (1 0 0) GaSb substrates, which allows to study the local correlation between threading dislocations in the substrate and the electro-optical pixel performance. Finally, recent performance data for 384 × 288 dual-color InAs/GaSb superlattice imagers for the mid-wavelength infrared (MWR, 3–5 μm) is given.