Chen Yonghai

Investigation of oxygen vacancy and interstitial oxygen defects in ZnO films by photoluminescence and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

ZnO films prepared at different temperatures and annealed at 900 degrees C in oxygen are studied by photoluminescence (PL) and x-ray photoelection spectroscopy (XPS). It is observed that in the PL of the as-grown films the green luminescence (GL) and the yellow luminescence (YL) are related, and after annealing the GL is restrained and the YL is enhanced. The O 1s XPS results also show the coexistence of oxygen vacancy (Vo) and interstitial oxygen (O-i) before annealing and the quenching of the V-o after annealing. By combining the two results it is deduced that the GL and YL are related to the V-o and O-i defects, respectively.

Anisotropic Spin Splitting in Step Quantum Wells

By the method of finite difference, the anisotropic spin splitting of the AlxGa1–xAs/GaAs/AlyGa1–yAs/AlxGa1–xAs step quantum wells (QWs) are theoretically investigated considering the interplay of the bulk inversion asymmetry and structure inversion asymmetry induced by step quantum well structure and external electric field. We demonstrate that the anisotropy of the total spin splitting can be controlled by the shape of the QWs and the external electric field. The interface related Rashba effect plays an important effect on the anisotropic spin splitting by influencing the magnitude of the spin splitting and the direction of electron spin. The Rashba spin splitting presents in the step quantum wells due to the interface related Rashba effect even without external electric field or magnetic field.

Structural and photoluminescence properties of In0.9(Ga/Al)0.1As self-assembled quantum dots on InP substrate

Self-assembled In0.9Ga0.1As, In0.9Al0.1As, and InAs quantum dots (QD) were fabricated in an InAlAs matrix lattice-matched to an InP substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. Preliminary characterizations were performed using transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Experimental results reveal clear differences in QD formation, size distribution, and luminescence between the InAs and In-0.9(Ga/Al)(0.1)As samples, which show the potential of introducing ternary compositions to adjust the structural and optical properties of QDs on an InP substrate

New method for thickness determination and microscopic imaging of graphene-like two-dimensional materials

We employed the microscopic reflectance difference spectroscopy (micro-RDS) to determine the layer-number and microscopically image the surface topography of graphene and MoS2 samples. The contrast image shows the efficiency and reliability of this new clipping technique. As a low-cost, quantifiable, no-contact and non-destructive method, it is not concerned with the characteristic signal of certain materials and can be applied to arbitrary substrates. Therefore it is a perfect candidate for characterizing the thickness of graphene-like two-dimensional materials.

Effect of a step quantum well structure and an electric-field on the Rashba spin splitting

Spin splitting of conduction subbands in Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs/Al0.3Ga0.7 As step quantum wells induced by interface and electric field related Rashba effects is investigated theoretically by the method of finite difference. The dependence of the spin splitting on the electric field and the well structure, which is controlled by the well width and the step width, is investigated in detail. Without an external electric field, the spin splitting is induced by an interface related Rashba term due to the built-in structure inversion asymmetry. Applying the external electric field to the step QW, the Rashba effect can be enhanced or weakened, depending on the well structure as well as the direction and the magnitude of the electric field. The spin splitting is mainly controlled by the interface related Rashba term under a negative and a stronger positive electric field, and the contribution of the electric field related Rashba term dominates in a small range of a weaker positive electric field. A method to determine the interface parameter is proposed. The results show that the step QWs might be used as spin switches.

Electric Field Control of Interface Related Spin Splitting in Step Quantum Wells

Spin splitting of the AlyGa1-yAs/GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs/AlyGa1-yAs (x not equal y) step quantum wells (QWs) has been theoretically investigated with a model that includes both the interface and the external electric field contribution. The overall spin splitting is mainly determined by the interface contribution, which can be well manipulated by the external electric field. In the absence of the electric field, the Rashba effect exists due to the internal structure inversion asymmetry (SIA). The electric field can strengthen or suppress the internal SIA, resulting in an increase or decrease of the spin splitting. The step QW, which results in large spin splitting, has advantages in applications to spintronic devices compared with symmetrical and asymmetrical QWs. Due to the special structure design, the spin splitting does not change with the external electric field.

Voltage threshold behaviors of ZnO nanorod doped liquid crystal cell

With ZnO nanorods doped in only one poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) layer, we observed different threshold voltages with reverse DC voltages for a liquid crystal cell. The length and diameter of the ZnO nanorod used in our experiment were about 180 nm and 20 nm, respectively. When the PVA layer on the anodic side was doped, the threshold voltage was larger than that of the pure cell; conversely, when the PVA layer on the cathodic side was doped, the threshold voltage was smaller than that of the pure cell. These results can be explained by the internal electric field model. We also observed a resonance phenomenon with a low frequency AC voltage.

A Photovoltaic InAs Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetector

A photovoltaic quantum dot infrared photodetector with InAs/GaAs/AlGaAs structures is reported. The detector is sensitive to normal incident light. At zero bias and 78 K, a clear spectral response in the range of 2 -7 mu m has been obtained with peaks at 3.1, 4.8 and 5.7 mu m. The bandgap energies of GaAs and Al0.2Ga0.8As at 78K are calculated and the energy diagram of the transitions in the Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetector (QDIP) is given out. The photocurrent signals can be detected up to 110 K, which is state-of-the-art for photovoltaic QDIP. The photovoltaic effect in our detector is a result of the enhanced band asymmetry as we design in the structure.

Strain effects on optical polarisation properties in (112̄2) plane GaN films

We present the theoretical results of the electronic band structure of wurtzite GaN films under biaxial strains in the (112?2)-plane. The calculations are performed by the k ? p perturbation theory approach through using the effectivemass Hamiltonian for an arbitrary direction. The results show that the transition energies decrease with the biaxial strains changing from ?0.5% to 0.5%. For films of (112?2)-plane, the strains are expected to be anisotropic in the growth plane. Such anisotropic strains give rise to valence band mixing which results in dramatic change in optical polarisation property. The strain can also result in optical polarisation switching phenomena. Finally, we discuss the applications of these properties to the (112?2) plane GaN-based light-emitting diode and lase diode.

Uniaxial Strain Effects on Optical Properties of c-plane Wurtzite GaN

We investigate the uniaxial strain effect in the c-plane on optical properties of wurtzite GaN based on k center dot p theory, the spin-orbit interactions are also taken into account. The energy dispersions show that the uniaxial strain in the c-plane gives an anisotropic energy splitting in the k(x) - k(y) plane, which can reduce the density of states. The uniaxial strain also results in giant in-plane optical polarization anisotropy, hence causes the threshold carrier density reduced. We clarify the relations between the uniaxial strain and the optical polarization properties. As a result, it is suggested that the compressive uniaxial strain perpendicular to the laser cavity direction in the c-plane is one of the preferable approaches for the effcient improvement of GaN-based laser performance.