A. N. Klochkov

Specific features of the photoluminescence of HEMT nanoheterostructures containing a composite InAlAs/InGaAs/InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well

The specific features of the photoluminescence and the electrical properties of doped nanoheterostructures containing a composite InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well with a thin InAs insert in the middle are studied. The insert thickness is varied in the range from 1.7 to 3.0 nm. It is established that the position of the peaks in the photoluminescence spectra in the photon energy range 0.6–0.8 eV correlates with the InAs insert thickness. Simulation of the band structure shows that the experimentally observed variation in the energy of optical transitions is associated with lowering of the energy of electron and hole states in the quantum well with increasing insert thickness. In the photon energy range 1.24–1.38 eV, optical transitions in the region of the InAlAs buffer-InP substrate interface are observed. The signal photon energy and intensity depend on the features of the formation of this heterointerface and on the conditions of substrate annealing. It is conceived that this is due to the formation of a transition region between the InAlAs buffer and the substrate.

Photoluminescence studies of In0.7Al0.3As/In0.75Ga0.25As/In0.7Al0.3As metamorphic heterostructures on GaAs substrates

The influence of the design of the metamorphic buffer of In0.7Al0.3As/In0.75Ga0.25As metamorphic nanoheterostructures for high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on their electrical parameters and photoluminescence properties is studied experimentally. The heterostructures are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs (100) substrates with linear or step-graded InxAl1 − xAs metamorphic buffers. For the samples with a linear metamorphic buffer, strain-compensated superlattices or inverse steps are incorporated into the buffer. At photon energies ħω in the range 0.6–0.8 eV, the photoluminescence spectra of all of the samples are identical and correspond to transitions from the first and second electron subbands to the heavy-hole band in the In0.75Ga0.25As/In0.7Al0.3As quantum well. It is found that the full width at half-maximum of the corresponding peak is proportional to the two-dimensional electron concentration and the luminescence intensity increases with increasing Hall mobility in the heterostructures. At photon energies ħω in the range 0.8–1.3 eV corresponding to the recombination of charge carriers in the InAlAs barrier region, some features are observed in the photoluminescence spectra. These features are due to the difference between the indium profiles in the smoothing and lower barrier layers of the samples. In turn, the difference arises from the different designs of the metamorphic buffer.

Energy spectrum and thermal properties of a terahertz quantum-cascade laser based on the resonant-phonon depopulation scheme

The dependences of the electronic-level positions and transition oscillator strengths on an applied electric field are studied for a terahertz quantum-cascade laser (THz QCL) with the resonant-phonon depopulation scheme, based on a cascade consisting of three quantum wells. The electric-field strengths for two characteristic states of the THz QCL under study are calculated: (i) “parasitic” current flow in the structure when the lasing threshold has not yet been reached; (ii) the lasing threshold is reached. Heat-transfer processes in the THz QCL under study are simulated to determine the optimum supply and cooling conditions. The conditions of thermocompression bonding of the laser ridge stripe with an n+-GaAs conductive substrate based on Au–Au are selected to produce a mechanically stronger contact with a higher thermal conductivity.

Photoluminescence properties of modulation-doped InxAl1–xAs/InyGa1–yAs/InxAl1–xAs structures with strained inas and gaas nanoinserts in the quantum well

The photoluminescence spectra of modulation-doped InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures with quantum wells containing thin strained InAs and GaAs inserts are investigated. It is established that the insertion of pair InAs layers and/ or a GaAs transition barriers with a thickness of 1 nm into a quantum well leads to a change in the form and energy position of the photoluminescence spectra as compared with a uniform In0.53Ga0.47As quantum well. Simulation of the band structure shows that this change is caused by a variation in the energy and wave functions of holes. It is demonstrated that the use of InAs inserts leads to the localization of heavy holes near the InAs layers and reduces the energy of optical transitions, while the use of GaAs transition barriers can lead to inversion of the positions of the light- and heavy-hole subbands in the quantum well. A technique for separately controlling the light- and heavy-hole states by varying the thickness and position of the GaAs and InAs inserts in the quantum well is suggested.

Application of photoluminescence spectroscopy to studies of In0.38Al0.62As/In0.38Ga0.62As/GaAs metamorphic nanoheterostructures

The results of studies of the surface morphology, electrical parameters, and photoluminescence properties of In0.38Al0.62As/In0.38Ga0.62As/In0.38Al0.62As metamorphic nanoheterostructures on GaAs substrates are reported. Some micron-sized defects oriented along the [011] and

Structural and electrophysical properties of In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As/InP HEMT nanoheterostructures with different combinations of InAs and GaAs inserts in quantum well

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Ultrafast Dynamics of Photoexcited Charge Carriers in In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As Superlattices under Femtosecond Laser Excitation

directions and corresponding to regions of outcropping of stacking faults are detected on the surface of some heterostructures. The Hall mobility and optical properties of the samples correlate with the surface defect density. In the photoluminescence spectra, four emission bands corresponding to the recombination of charge carriers in the InGaAs quantum well (1–1.2 eV), the InAlAs metamorphic buffer (1.8–1.9 eV), the GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice at the buffer-substrate interface, and the GaAs substrate are detected. On the basis of experimentally recorded spectra and self-consistent calculations of the band diagram of the structures, the compositions of the alloy constituents of the heterostructures are established and the technological variations in the compositions in the series of samples are determined.

Photoluminescence Studies of Si-Doped Epitaxial GaAs Films Grown on (100)- and (111)A-Oriented GaAs Substrates at Lowered Temperatures

The influence of the metamorphic buffer design and epitaxial growth conditions on the electrical and structural characteristics of metamorphic In0.38Al0.62As/In0.37Ga0.63As/In0.38Al0.62As high electron mobility transistor (MHEMT) nanoheterostructures has been investigated. The samples were grown on GaAs(100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The active regions of the nanoheterostructures are identical, while the metamorphic buffer InxAl1 − xAs is formed with a linear or stepwise (by Δx = 0.05) increase in the indium content over depth. It is found that MHEMT nanoheterostructures with a step metamorphic buffer have fewer defects and possess higher values of two-dimensional electron gas mobility at T = 77 K. The structures of the active region and metamorphic buffer have been thoroughly studied by transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the relaxation of metamorphic buffer in the heterostructures under consideration is accompanied by the formation of structural defects of the following types: dislocations, microtwins, stacking faults, and wurtzite phase inclusions several nanometers in size.