Formation of GaAsP interface layers monitored by reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy

Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) has been used to study As-by-P exchange during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The study focuses on the processes occurring during switching from GaAs to GaInP, especially the effect of purging PH₃ over a GaAs surface. GaAsP/GaAs superlattices of different periodicity were grown and the P-content was determined by high-resolution x-ray diffraction and correlated to the RAS spectra. From the temperature dependence of the P-content, an activation energy of 0.56 eV was estimated for the incorporation mechanism. In addition to the insights into the processes at mixed group-V heterointerfaces, our study demonstrates the reproducibility of RAS transients that thus can be used for process monitoring.     

不同周期数的GaInAs/GaAsP多量子阱太阳能电池

为了研究不同量子阱周期数下GaInAs/GaAsP多量子阱太阳能电池性能的变化规律,利用金属有机化学气相沉积技术(MOCVD)制备了不同周期数的双结多量子阱太阳能电池样品以及无量子阱双结结构的参考样品,利用高分辨率X射线衍射仪(HXRD)和高分辨率透射电镜(TEM)测试了样品的晶体质量,同时在AM0(1×)光谱条件下测试了样品的I-V特性曲线和相应子电池的外量子效率。最终得到了高晶体质量、吸收截止波长在954 nm的Ga_(0.89)In_(0.11)As/GaAs_(0.92)P_(0.08)多量子阱结构,扩展波段的外量子效率最高达到75.18%,电池光电转换效率相对于无量子阱结构提升2.77%。通过对比测试结果发现,随着量子阱结构周期数的增加,太阳能电池在扩展波段(890~954 nm)的外量子效率不断提高,常规波段的短波响应(300~700 nm)会出现下降,长波响应(700~890 nm)会出现上升,短路电流和转换效率相应提升并趋于饱和。     

Modulation spectroscopy study of a strained layer GaAs/GaAsP multiple quantum well structure

Using contactless electroreflectance (CER) and piezoreflectance at 300 K we have characterized a GaAs/GaAs_1?xP_x multiple quantum well (MQW) structure, “GaAs” (nominal) and GaAsP epilayers grown by chloride transport chemical vapor deposition on GaAs (001) substrates. From a detailed lineshape fit to the CER data from the epilayers we have determined the energies of the fundamental band gap and hence the phosphorous composition. The nominal “GaAs” epilayers were found to have phosphorous compositions of about 2.5–3.2%, a result of the phosphorous diffusion between growth chambers in the reactor. The GaAs_1?xP_x epilayer had x=0.29. For the GaAs_0.97P_0.03/GaAs_0.71P_0.29MQW comparison between the experimentally observed energies of a number of quantum transitions with a theoretical envelope function calculation, including the effects of strain in the barriers, made it possible to evaluate the unstrained conduction band offset parameter Q_c=0.50±0.05. Our value for this parameter is discussed in relation to other works. Atomic force microscopy was employed to investigate the surface morphology of the 230 Å GaAsP top layer of the MQW in addition to a 2000 Å GaAsP epilayer. From the absence of any cross-hatch pattern associated with misfit dislocations on the former we concluded that the GaAsP in the MQW is pseudomorphic. On the other hand the 2000 Å epilayer exhibited signs of strain relaxation.     

Evolution of silicon bulk lifetime during III–V‐on‐Si multijunction solar cell epitaxial growth

The evolution of Si bulk minority carrier lifetime during the heteroepitaxial growth of III–V on Si multijunction solar cell structures via metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has been analyzed. In particular, the impact on Si lifetime resulting from the four distinct phases within the overall MOCVD‐based III–V/Si growth process were studied: (1) the Si homoepitaxial emitter/cap layer; (2) GaP heteroepitaxial nucleation; (3) bulk GaP film growth; and (4) thick GaAs_yP_1‐y compositionally graded metamorphic buffer growth. During Phase 1 (Si homoepitaxy), an approximately two order of magnitude reduction in the Si minority carrier lifetime was observed, from about 450 to ≤1 µs. However, following the GaP nucleation (Phase 2) and thicker film (Phase 3) growths, the lifetime was found to increase by about an order of magnitude. The thick GaAs_yP_1‐y graded buffer was then found to provide further recovery back to around the initial starting value. The most likely general mechanism behind the observed lifetime evolution is as follows: lifetime degradation during Si homoepitaxy because of the formation of thermally induced defects within the Si bulk, with subsequent lifetime recovery due to passivation by fast‐diffusing atomic hydrogen coming from precursor pyrolysis, especially the group‐V hydrides (PH₃, AsH₃), during the III–V growth. These results indicate that the MOCVD growth methodology used to create these target III–V/Si solar cell structures has a substantial and dynamic impact on the minority carrier lifetime within the Si substrate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

大功率宽面808nm GaAsP/AlGaAs量子阱激光器分别限制结构设计

本文对有源区条宽100μm的GaAsP/AlGaAs 808nm量子阱激光器分别限制结构进行了理论分析和设计.选取了三种情况的波导层和限制层的铝组分,分别计算和分析了波导层厚度与激光器光限制因子、最大出光功率、垂直发散角和阈值电流密度的函数关系.根据计算结果可知:当波导层和限制层铝组分为0.4和0.5时,采用窄波导结构可以获得器件的最大输出功率为11.2W,发散角为19°,阈值电流密度为266A/cm2;采用宽波导结构可以得到器件的最大输出功率为9.4W,发散角为32°,阈值电流密度为239A/cm2.     

用MOCVD方法生长的GaAs/GaAsP量子线及其特性

本实验采用普通的光刻和湿法腐蚀技术,将GaAs基片刻蚀成具有W形沟槽样的非平面结构,基片表面为(100)面,沟槽的侧斜面为(111)B面.在此基片上用低压MOCVD设备外延生长了GaAs/GaAsP多层膜,通过扫描电镜和微区拉曼光谱,研究它们的生长特性,发现GaAs和GaAsP的生长速率与基片的晶向及基片上的生长位置有关.根据这一生长特性,选择合适的W形沟道形状,用常规的量子阱外延方式,在W形沟道中央顶部突起的线条状平面上形成宝塔形生长,从而在尖端长出量子线.低温荧光光谱中观察到相应的能量峰,从而证实量子线的存在.     

Optimization of GaAsP/AlGaAs-based QW laser structures for high power 800 nm operation

We present a detailed study of the MOVPE growth of 800 nm diode laser structures based on the combination of a GaAsP quantum well with well-established AlGaAs waveguide structures. By optimizing the strain and thickness of the quantum well highly-reliable diode lasers with low threshold current and high efficiency were demonstrated. 100 μm aperture “broad area” devices mounted epi-side up achieve a CW output power of 8.9 W with a wall-plug efficiency of 50%. These output powers represent record values for diode lasers in this wavelength range. Reliability measurements at 1.5 W and 50°C ambient temperature suggest lifetimes >10 000 h.     

Valence band offsets in strained GaAs1−xPx/GaAs heterojunctions

Valence band offsets at [100]-oriented heterojunctions between tensile-strained GaASj_1−xP_x and unstrained GaAs are studied experimentally and theoretically. Light-hole (LH) and heavy-hole (HH) offsets are first extracted from the well-width dependence of valence subband splittings observed in luminescence spectra of tensile-strained GaAs_1−xP_x/GaAs quantum wells of various compositions (x = 0.06,0.09, and 0.19). This data is then combined with results from two other laboratories, yielding a set of 30 independent experimental offset values for junctions with compositions throughout the range 0.06≤x ≤0.32. The data are found to be highly consistent, with linear fits δE_LH = −140x (meV) and δE_HH= −401x (meV) describing the measured offsets to within less than 5 meV on average. Experimental results are then compared with theoretical predictions for the GaAs_1−x P_x/GaAs system obtained from a tight-binding model for strained heterojunctions. Predictions from the tight-binding calculations are found to lie within experimental scatter for the LH offsets, which define the valence band edge in these heterostructures, while magnitudes of the tight-binding HH offsets exceed measured values by ~20% on average.     

Non-hydride group V sources for OMVPE

A major limitation to the continuing development of organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) for the growth of III/V semiconductor materials is the hazard posed by the hydride sources, AsH₃ and PH₃, which are virtually universally used, in high pressure cylinders, as the group V source materials for the growth of the highest quality materials. The ideal group V source would be a nontoxic liquid with a moderate vapor pressure (50-500 Torr). To be suitable for OMVPE growth, the molecule must pyrolyze at ordinary growth temperatures, be stable against decomposition in the bottle at room temperature, and not participate in undesirable parasitic reactions with the group III source molecules. The new sources have additional constraints related to purity. They must be easily purified without decomposing and produce no detectable carbon contamination in the resultant epitaxial layers. This set of stringent requirements eliminates most commonly available non-hydride group V sources. Recent research on newly developed sources has shown considerable promise. The entire area of group V sources, including the elemental sources, for OMVPE growth of III/V materials will be reviewed. The sources with no hydrogen atoms attached to the group V atom, the elemental, trimethyl-V, and triethyl-V, sources all appear to give unacceptably high carbon incorporation. Diethylarsine, which has one H attached to the As, produces high quality GaAs but has an inconveniently low vapor pressure. Trimethylphosphine and triethylphosphine o not pyrolyze at low enough temperatures to be useful for conventional OMVPE growth. Tertbutylarsine (TBAs) and tertbutylphosphine (TBP) appear to be promising source materials. TBP has a very low toxicity, a vapor pressure ideal for OMVPE growth, and the pyrolysis occurs at lower temperatures than for PH₃, allowing the use of low values of V/III ratio for the growth of high quality material. No carbon contamination can be attributed to the TBP. Control of the As/P ratio in OMVPE grown GaAsP is much improved for TBP as compared with PH₃ due to the more rapid pyrolysis. At normal growth temperatures the P distribution coefficient is nearly unity. TBAs has been less studied, but appears to have similar attributes including a favorable vapor pressure and lower pyrolysis temperature than AsH₃, allowing OMVPE growth of GaAs at low values of V/III ratio. The substitution of TBAs for AsH₃ results in no observable increase in carbon in the epitaxial GaAs.     

Correlation between electronic states and optical properties in indirect GaAsP/GaP quantum wells with insertion of an ultrathin AlP layer

The optical properties of indirect semiconductor quantum wells (QWs), were studied in relation to their electronic states controlled by an ultrathin AlP layer. The insertion of 1 ML of AlP at the center of a 60 Å GaAsP/GaP QW drastically increased the photoluminescence (PL) intensity and the efficiency of the no-phonon (NP) transition. The NP intensity relative to its TO phonon replica was found to greatly depend on the structural parameters and decreased by decreasing the width of the AlP layer or by increasing the arsenic composition of the GaAsP QW. The comparison with numerical calculation clarified that the efficiency of the NP transition is improved when the X_z electrons rather than X_xy electrons are involved in the radiative recombination. This can be qualitatively understood that the X_z electrons are more strongly localized to the AlP layer, leading to the efficient relaxation of the selection rule. The Arrhenius behavior of the PL intensity was also studied and the quenching of the PL intensity was interpreted as being due to the thermally activated escape of carriers from the well region into the GaP barrier.