A. A. Sitnikova

CdSe fractional-monolayer active region of molecular beam epitaxy grown green ZnSe-based lasers

This letter reports on the self-organized growth of nanoscale dot-like CdSe-based islands during molecular beam epitaxy of CdSe/ZnSe nanostructures with a CdSe thickness between 0.75 and 3.0 monolayers. An increase in the nominal CdSe thickness results in a higher density of islands (up to 2×1010 cm−2) and is accompanied by dramatic enhancement of the photoluminescence efficiency. The density of large relaxed islands appears to saturate at a value of (3–4)×109 cm−2. Room temperature (Zn, Mg)(S, Se)-based optically pumped lasers with an extremely low threshold (less than 4 kW/cm2), as well as (Be, Mg, Zn)Se-based injection laser diodes using a single (2.5–2.8) monolayer thick CdSe active region, both demonstrating significantly enhanced degradation stability, have been fabricated and studied.

Antiwear Effect of Fullerene C60 Additives to Lubricating Oils

The protective film (≤1000 Å thick) formed on the copper foil surface upon friction of a steel roller lubricated with industrial oil containing 5% fullerene C60 was studied by optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, hardness measurements, and mass spectrometry. This protective film is probably a fullerene-polymer network formed by fullerene C60 and covalently bound fragments of hydrocarbon chains released in the course of mechanochemical degradation of the lubricating oil. The film exhibits elevated hardness and antiwear properties, and increases the load-carrying power of the tribotechnical unit. Chemical mechanisms of tribopolymerization were analyzed.

Low-threshold 303 nm lasing in AlGaN-based multiple-quantum well structures with an asymmetric waveguide grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c-sapphire

We report on AlGaN multiple-quantum-well separate confinement laser heterostructures grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy directly on c-sapphire at low temperatures (<800 °C). Threading dislocation density was reduced down to 109–1010 cm−2 owing to both intentionally introduced strained AlGaN/AlN superlattices and self-organized blocking structures in the AlGaN step-graded buffer layers. The quantum wells were fabricated by a submonolayer digital alloying technique. Calculations of the optical gain and confinement in the optically pumped laser structures yielded its optimum design comprising an asymmetric waveguide. Lasing at 303 nm with the relatively low threshold excitation density of 0.8 MW/cm2 at 295K has been achieved.

First mirrors in ITER: material choice and deposition prevention/cleaning techniques

We present here our recent results on the development and testing of the first mirrors for the divertor Thomson scattering diagnostics in ITER. The Thomson scattering system is based on several large-scale (tens of centimetres) mirrors that will be located in an area with extremely high (3?10%) concentration of contaminants (mainly hydrocarbons) and our main concern is to prevent deposition-induced loss of mirror reflectivity in the spectral range 1000?1064?nm. The suggested design of the mirrors?a high-reflective metal layer on a Si substrate with an oxide coating?combines highly stable optical characteristics under deposition-dominated conditions with excellent mechanical properties. For the mirror layer materials we consider Ag and Al allowing the possibility of sharing the Thomson scattering mirror collecting system with a laser-induced fluorescence system operating in the visible range. Neutron tests of the mirrors of this design are presented along with numerical simulation of radiation damage and transmutation of mirror materials. To provide active protection of the large-scale mirrors we use a number of deposition-mitigating techniques simultaneously. Two main techniques among them, plasma treatment and blowing-out, are considered in detail. The plasma conditions appropriate for mirror cleaning are determined from experiments using plasma-induced erosion/deposition in a CH4/H2 gas mixture. We also report data on the numerical simulation of plasma parameters of a capacitively-coupled discharge calculated using a commercial CFD-ACE code. A comparison of these data with the results for mirror testing under deuterium ion bombardment illustrates the possibility of using the capacitively-coupled discharge for in situ non-destructive deposition mitigation/cleaning.

AlGaN-based quantum-well heterostructures for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes grown by submonolayer discrete plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy

Features of plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy of AlGaN compounds at relatively low temperatures of the substrate (no higher than 740°C) and various stoichiometric conditions for growth of the nitrogen- and metal-enriched layers are studied. Discrete submonolayer epitaxy for formation of quantum wells and n-type blocking layers without varying the fluxes of components was used for the first time in the case of molecular- beam epitaxy with plasma activation of nitrogen for the nanostructures with the AlxGa1 − xN/AlyGa1 − yN quantum wells. Structural and optical properties of the AlxGa1 − xN layers in the entire range of compositions (x = 0–1) and nanostructures based on these layers are studied; these studies indicate that there is photoluminescence at room temperature with minimum wavelength of 230 nm. Based on the analysis of the photoluminescence spectra for bulk layers and nanoheterostructures and their temperature dependences, it is concluded that there are localized states in quantum wells. Using the metal-enriched layers grown on the c-Al2O3 substrates, heterostructures for light-emitting diodes with AlxGa1 − xN/AlyGa1 − yN quantum wells (x = 0.4–0.5, y = x + 0.15) were obtained and demonstrated electroluminescence in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum at the wavelength of 320 nm.

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence from type-II InSb∕InAs quantum dots

We report on the photoluminescence (PL) studies of InSb-enriched quantum dots (QDs) which are grown by molecular beam epitaxy in an InAs matrix. InSb∕InAs heterostructures have a nominal thickness of InSb insertions in the range of 0.6–2 monolayers and exhibit bright PL up to room temperature in the mid-infrared spectral range. The PL temperature dependence gives evidence that each InSb insertion can be regarded as an ensemble of QDs subject to carrier transfer even at low temperatures. Both QD PL energy and line-shape variations with temperature can be described employing Fermi-Dirac carrier statistics.

Be-enhanced CdSe island formation in CdSe/ZnSe heterostructures

The Be-enhanced formation of CdSe quantum dots in CdSe/ZnSe heterostructures grown by migration enhanced epitaxy on (001)GaAs substrates has been investigated using photoluminescence spectroscopy, x-ray techniques (diffraction and reflectometry), and transmission electron microscopy. Coverage of the ZnSe starting surface with a fractional monolayer of beryllium selenide leads to enhanced island formation well below the CdSe thickness of 0.6 monolayer corresponding to the onset of the CdSe-rich island formation in the Be-free structures. The effect of the fractional Be coverage is demonstrated by observation of sharp lines in the photoluminescence signal from patterned mesas with dimensions down to 60 nm, which is due to the emission from individual exciton localization sites attributed to quantum dots. X-ray diffraction and reflectometry measurements on CdSe/ZnSe short-period superlattices with the submonolayer CdSe insertions confirm an enhanced roughening of the CdSe layer morphology in the case of bery...

Asymmetric AlAsSb/InAs/CdMgSe quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Asymmetric (6.7–300)-nm-thick InAs quantum wells (QWs) confined between AlAsSb and CdMgSe barriers have been fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy. A special procedure of the CdMgSe-on-InAs growth initiation, exploiting an ex situ S passivation of InAs and in situ deposition of an ultrathin ZnTe buffer layer, results in the fabrication of high quality structures with a density of extended defects below 106 cm2. QW photoluminescence studies demonstrate a confinement effect and confirm the type I band alignment at the heterovalent InAs/CdMgSe interface mediated by the ZnTe interlayer. Observation of Shubnikov de Haas oscillations of magnetoresistance for an asymmetric 19-nm-thick InAs QW indicates an existence of the two-dimensional electron gas with the low-temperature sheet electron density of 1.3×1012 cm−2 and the mobility as high as ∼10 000 cm2/V s.

Low-threshold green laser heterostructures with Zn(Mg)SSe/ZnSe graded-index superlattice waveguide: Structural and optical properties

We report on structural and optical properties of green (λ∼520 nm) ZnCdSe/ZnMgSSe optically pumped laser heterostructures with a Zn(Mg)SSe/ZnSe graded-index superlattice (SL) waveguide, grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The pseudomorphic 400 nm thick waveguide comprising a set of strained ZnMgSSe/ZnSe and ZnSSe/ZnSe SLs of different periods and barrier-to-well thickness ratios at each side of a ZnCdSe quantum well (QW) active region provides efficient transport of nonequilibrium carriers to the QW. This results in reduction in laser threshold down to the extremely low value of 1.5 kW/cm2 at 300 K and increasing the external quantum efficiency above 44%.

Quantum-confined stark effect and localization of charge carriers in Al0.3Ga0.7N/Al0.4Ga0.6N quantum wells with different morphologies

The electric fields in Al0.3Ga0.7N/Al0.4Ga0.6N quantum wells are estimated. The quantum wells are grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy with plasma activation of nitrogen. The three-dimensional and planar modes of buffer layer growth are used. The transition to the three-dimensional mode of growth yields a substantial increase in the photoluminescence intensity of the quantum wells and a shift of the photoluminescence line to shorter wavelengths. These effects are attributed to the fact that, because of the extra three-dimensional localization of charge carriers in the quantum-well layer, the quantum-confined Stark effect relaxes. The effect of localization is supposedly due to spontaneous composition fluctuations formed in the AlGaN alloy and enhanced by the three-dimensional growth.