Coherent spin dynamics of carriers in ferromagnetic semiconductor heterostructures with an Mn δ layer

The coherent spin dynamics of carriers in the heterostructures that contain an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) and an Mn δ layer, which are separated by a narrow GaAs spacer 2–10 nm thick, is comprehensively studied by the magnetooptical Kerr effect method at a picosecond time resolution. The exchange interaction of photoexcited electrons in QW with the ferromagnetic Mn δ layer manifests itself in magnetic-field and temperature dependences of the Larmor precession frequency of electron spins and is found to be very weak (several microelectron volts). Two nonoscillating components related to holes exist apart from an electron contribution to the Kerr signal of polarization plane rotation. At the initial stage, a fast relaxation process, which corresponds to the spin relaxation of free photoexcited holes, is detected in the structures with a wide spacer. The second component is caused by the further spin dephasing of energyrelaxed holes, which are localized at strong QW potential fluctuations in the structures under study. The decay of all contributions to the Kerr signal in time increases substantially when the spacer thickness decreases, which correlates with the enhancement of nonradiative recombination in QW.     

Exciton lifetime in quantum well with vicinal high-density excitons

Radiative lifetime of an exciton in a GaAs quantum well (QW) is controlled by high-density excitons, which restrict the exciton coherence through scattering. In order to circumvent the phase space filling effect of high-density excitons, we have prepared a QW structure in such a way that a reservoir for high-density excitons is separated from the QW. The lifetime increases (up to 30%) with the exciton density in the reservoir and saturates at 1×10¹⁷/cm³. The upper bound lifetime is determined by the excitonic relative motion.     

Spin-relaxation and magnetoresistance in FM/SC/FM tunnel junctions

The effect of spin relaxation on tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) in a ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (FM/SC/FM) double tunnel junction is theoretically studied. The spin accumulation in SC is determined by balancing of the spin-injection rate and the spin-relaxation rate. In the superconducting state, the spin-relaxation time τ_s becomes longer with decreasing temperature, resulting in a rapid increase of TMR. The TMR of FM/SC/FM junctions provides a useful probe to extract information about spin-relaxation in superconductors.     

LP—MOCVD研制InGaAs/InP应变量子阱LD

本文指出在LP-MOCVD生长过程中,采用量子阱有源区和上限制层不同的生长温度以及生长非掺杂过渡层等技术能有效地控制InGaAs/InP量子阱激光器的p-n结结位,给出了采用DEZn和H₂S做掺杂源在InP材料中p型和n型杂质溶度和p-n结控制的条件,并研制出有源区阱层InGaAs与InP存在0.5%压缩应变量子阱激光器,这一结构LD实现室温脉冲激射,得到峰值功率为106mW以上,阈值电流密度为2.6kA/cm².     

Junction characteristics of C60/polycarbonate blend on Si substrate

We report a study of the interface between fullerene (C₆₀) doped polycarbonate (PC) blends and n-type Si substrate. C₆₀ is usually an electron acceptor in interpenetrated networks and an electron transport in photovoltaic cells. We have studied that the guest-host approach to prepare C₆₀ doped polycarbonate blend. In this article, we report the I-V characteristics of C₆₀ doped polycarbonate/n-type Si junction and the annealing effect on these characteristics. In this junction, a nanocomposite of organic semiconductor fullerene (C₆₀), used as the active medium, with an inert polycarbonate matrix was spin coated on n-type Si substrate. We found that the C₆₀ shows the junction characteristics with n-type Si substrate. The knee voltage and dynamic resistance varies with concentration of C₆₀ as well as temperature. Ellipsometry studies showed the annealing effect on the refractive index and thickness of C₆₀ doped polycarbonate blend on n-type Si substrate. The optical micrographs show that fullerene (C₆₀) is spherical molecule and it is blend in the form of crystallites having size of micron order.     

Variations in the confining potential of doped AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wells with the photon energy of excitation

A series of doped GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well samples has been investigated using photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation (PLE) spectroscopy. The samples are of 100 Å well width and are doped in the central 50 Å with Si in the range 5×10⁸ to 2×10¹² cm⁻². A strong dependence of the optical spectra on the photon energy of excitation is observed. This dependence is interpreted in terms of a charge transfer process between the AlGaAs barrier and the quantum well (QW), which determines the charge and potential distribution in the QW.     

Reversal of spin polarization in Fe/GaAs (001) driven by resonant surface states: first-principles calculations

A minority-spin resonant state at the Fe/GaAs(001) interface is predicted to reverse the spin polarization with the voltage bias of electrons transmitted across this interface. Using a Green's function approach within the local spin-density approximation, we calculate the spin-dependent current in a Fe/GaAs/Cu tunnel junction as a function of the applied bias voltage. We find a change in sign of the spin polarization of tunneling electrons with bias voltage due to the interface minority-spin resonance. This result explains recent experimental data on spin injection in Fe/GaAs contacts and on tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe/GaAs/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions.     

Electron transport properties through double-barrier structures sandwiching a wide band-gap layer

We investigate the time-dependent transport properties of the quantum well (QW) with a wide band-gap material layer, where Al atoms doped in the middle GaAs QW. We find that the raised potential well bottom can affect the position of current hysteresis, current oscillation frequency and final steady-state mean current value. Moreover in this special structure, we find a negative differential conductance and only a current hysteresis region, the plateau structure of I–V curve found in the AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs QW disappears.     

Optical control of spin coherence in singly charged (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots

Electron spin coherence has been generated optically in n-type modulation doped (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) which contain on average a single electron per dot. The coherence arises from resonant excitation of the QDs by circularly polarized laser pulses, creating a coherent superposition of an electron and a trion. Time dependent Faraday rotation is used to probe the spin precession of the optically oriented electrons about a transverse magnetic field. The coherence generation can be controlled by pulse intensity, being most efficient for (2n+1)pi pulses.     

高灵敏度InAs/AlSb量子阱的霍尔器件(英文)

用分子束外延在Ga As(001)衬底上生长了两个量子阱结构的霍尔器件,一个是没有掺杂的量子阱结构,一个是Si-δ掺杂的量子阱结构。研究了霍尔器件的面电子浓度和电子迁移率与温度的关系。结果表明,在300 K下,Si-δ掺杂的量子阱结构的电子迁移率高达25 000 cm~2·V~(-1)·s~(-1),并且该器件输入电阻和输出电阻较低。同时,Si-δ掺杂的量子阱结构霍尔器件的敏感度好于没有掺杂的量子阱结构霍尔器件。     

Influence of background carriers on magnetic properties of Mn-doped dilute magnetic Si

Using hybrid exchange density functional calculations we show that the type of background carriers has profound effects on magnetic interactions in Mn doped dilute magnetic Si. The p- and n-type Si were simulated by introducing an extra hole and an extra electron, respectively in the 64 atoms Si supercell. In case of p-type Si compensated by a homogeneous background potential and 1.6% Mn, the ground state is ferromagnetic, whereas other conditions remaining the same, the ground state becomes antiferromagnetic for the n-type Si. The exchange energies in Mn-doped extrinsic Si are higher by about 1 eV/Mn atom compared to the Mn doped intrinsic Si. Calculated electronic structures reveal that in p-type Si:Mn the hole localises over Mn and the short range magnetic coupling increases. Our calculations indicate that localisation of magnetic polarons at the Mn site is likely, which in turn enhances long range magnetic interaction between Mn ions and responsible for FM stabilisation. On the other hand, in the n-type host electron–electron repulsion increases within Mn–Si impurity band and the short range coupling decreases, which destroys the long range spin polarisation. These calculations explain the observed ferromagnetism in the p-type Si:Mn at higher temperatures than in the n-type Si:Mn and the magnetic moments of the systems compare well with experiments.     

Electroluminescence from modulation-doped pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells

Low-temperature electroluminescence (EL) is observed in n-type modulation-doped AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum well samples by applying a positive voltage between the semitransparent Au gate and alloyed Au-Ge Ohmic contacts made on the top surface of the samples. We attribute impact ionization in the InGaAs QW to the observed EL from the samples. A redshift in the EL spectra is observed with increasing gate bias. The observed redshift in the EL spectra is attributed to the band gap renormalization due to many-body effects and quantum-confined Stark effect.     

Investigation of an InGaP/GaAs heterostructure-emitter bipolar transistor (HEBT) with reduced potential spike

In this work, an improved InGaP/GaAs heterostructure-emitter bipolar transistor (HEBT) with an InGaP wide-bandgap collector is investigated. In the emitter–base region, the thin narrow bandgap n-type GaAs layer is sandwiched between a wide-bandgap N-type InGaP confinement layer and a narrow-bandgap p-type GaAs base layer. In the collector–base structure, an undoped 30 Å-thick GaAs spacer and a heavily doped 30 Å-thick GaAs are inserted between the base and collector. Due to the absence of a potential spike both at the base–emitter and base–collector junctions, the studied device shows lower offset and saturation voltages. In addition, not only are the excellent current–voltage characteristics observed, but also the undesired effects, e.g. the electron blocking effect, are completely eliminated.     

TM掺杂的Ⅲ-Ⅴ族稀磁半导体电磁性质的第一原理计算

使用基于自旋局域密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法对3d过渡金属(TM=V，Cr，Mn，Fe，Co和Ni)掺杂的Ⅲ-Ⅴ族半导体(GaAs和GaP)的电磁性质进行了计算.结果发现：用V，Cr和Mn掺杂时体系将出现铁磁状态，而Fe掺杂时将出现反铁磁状态，Co和Ni掺杂时，其磁性则不稳定.其中，Cr掺杂的GaAs和GaP将可能是具有较高居里温度的稀磁半导体(DMS).在这些DMS系统中，V离子的磁矩大于理论期待值，Fe，Co和Ni离子的磁矩小于理论期待值，Cr和Mn离子的磁矩与期待值的差距取决于晶体的对称性以及磁性离子的能带分布.此外，使用Si和Mn共同对Ⅲ-Ⅴ族半导体进行掺杂，将有利于DMS表现为铁磁状态，并可以使体系的T_C进一步提高. 关键词： 稀磁半导体 过渡金属 掺杂 共掺杂     

Spin Josephson current in a ferromagnet/noncentrosymmetric superconductor junction

We investigate the equilibrium spin transport in a ferromagnet/noncentrosymmetric superconductor (FM/NCS) junction where the NCS has a dominant triplet order parameter and helical edge state. Based on the symmetry analysis and numerical calculation, we demonstrate that there is a nonzero spin supercurrent flowing in the junction, which stems from the exchange coupling between the FM magnetization and triplet Cooper-pair spin. It is also found that a transverse spin current other than the helical edge spin current is flowing along the interface of the junction, and its polarization is related to the longitudinal spin supercurrent. Besides, an equilibrium Hall current is also shown to flow along the junction’s interface due to the broken time-reversal symmetry from the FM.     

GaAs/AlAs super-flat interfaces in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) quantum wells grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates by MBE

Effectively atomically flat GaAs/AlAs interfaces over a macroscopic area (“super-flat interfaces”) have been realized in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) quantum wells (QWs) grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). A single and very sharp photoluminescence (PL) peak was observed at 4.2 K from each GaAs/AlAs or GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW grown on (4 1 1)A GaAs substrate. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of a PL peak for GaAs/AlAs QW with a well width ( ) of 4.2 nm was 4.7 meV and that for GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW with a smaller well width of 2.8 nm (3.9 nm) was 7.6 meV (4.6 meV), which are as narrow as that for an individual splitted peak for conventional GaAs/AlAs QWs grown on (1 0 0) GaAs substrates with growth interruption. Furthermore, only one sharp peak was observed for each GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QW on the (4 1 1)A GaAs substrate over the whole area of the wafer (7 7 mm ), in contrast with two- or three-splitted peaks reported for each GaAs/AlAs QW grown on the (1 0 0) GaAs substrate with growth interruption. These results indicate that GaAs/AlAs super-flat interfaces have been realized in GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/(GaAs) (AlAs) QWs grown on the (4 1 1)A GaAs substrates.     

Evidence for Fermi level shift in GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells upon nitrogen incorporation

GaInAs/GaAs and GaInNAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) structures grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy have been studied by contactless electroreflectance spectroscopy. In addition to the N-related redshift of QW transitions, an increase in the electric field in the GaAs cap layer has been observed after the incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the GaInAs QW. This observation is associated with the tendency of the Fermi level shift to a given energy in the GaInNAs QW region due to N-related defects.     

High-frequency spin-valve effect in a ferromagnet-semiconductor-ferromagnet structure based on precession of the injected spins

A new mechanism of magnetoresistance, based on tunneling emission of spin-polarized electrons from ferromagnets (FM) into semiconductors (S) and precession of electron spin in the semiconductor layer under external magnetic field, is described. The FM-S-FM structure is considered, which includes very thin heavily doped (delta-doped) layers at FM-S interfaces. At certain parameters the structure is highly sensitive at room temperature to variations of the field with frequencies up to 100 GHz. The current oscillates with the field, and its relative amplitude is determined only by the spin polarizations of FM-S junctions.     

Optical emission from the one-dimensional electron gas in narrow modulation-doped GaAs/(InGa)As/(AlGa)As quantum wires fabricated by lateral top barrier modulation

We report on the fabrication and photoluminescence characterisation of n-type doped quantum wires, which are based on a modulation-doped GaAs/(InGa)As/(AlGa)As quantum well structure, as used in inverted high electron mobility transistors. Lateral patterning was performed by electron beam lithography followed by a selective wet etch process to remove the n-type doped GaAs top barrier between the wire regions. The removal of the top barrier was verified by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Spatially indirect emission from the one-dimensional (ID) electron gas formed in the quantum wires is observed in low-temperature photoluminescence, even for the narrowest geometrical wire width of 23 nm. The emission shows a blue-shift for wire widths below 100 nm, which amounts to up to 60 meV for the narrowest wires.PACS: 78.66.Fd, 73.20.Dx, 78.55.Cr     

Electron paramagnetic resonance study of the nuclear spin dynamics in an AlAs quantum well

The nuclear spin dynamics in an asymmetrically doped 16-nm AlAs quantum well grown along the [001] direction has been studied experimentally using the time decay of the Overhauser shift of paramagnetic resonance of conduction electrons. The nonzero spin polarization of nuclei causing the initial observed Overhauser shift is due the relaxation of the nonequilibrium spin polarization of electrons into the nuclear subsystem near electron paramagnetic resonance owing to the hyperfine interaction. The measured relaxation time of nuclear spins near the unity filling factor is (530 ± 30) min at the temperature T = 0.5 K. This value exceeds the characteristic spin relaxation times of nuclei in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures by more than an order of magnitude. This fact indicates the decrease in the strength of the hyperfine interaction in the AlAs quantum well in comparison with GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures.