Effect of Si doping on GaN/AlN multiple-quantum-well structures for intersubband optoelectronics at telecommunication wavelengths

We present a study of the effect of Si doping localization on the optical and structural properties of GaN/AlN multiple-quantum-well structures for intersubband (ISB) absorption at 1.55 μm. Samples were either undoped or Si doped in different regions (barrier, quantum well (QW), middle of barrier or middle of QW). Structural characterization by atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction does not show significant differences in the crystalline quality. All doped samples present room-temperature p-polarized ISB absorption of about 1%–2% per pass, with a line width of 80–90 meV. In contrast, undoped samples present a weaker ISB absorption with a record line width of 40 meV. Both photoluminescence (PL) and ISB absorption display structured shapes whose main peaks correspond to monolayer fluctuations of the well thickness. The emission and absorption line widths depend on the Si doping concentration, but not on the Si location.