P. D. Hodgson

Optical observation of single-carrier charging in type-II quantum ring ensembles

A high-purity GaSb/GaAs quantum ring system is introduced that provides both strong hole-confinement in the GaSb ring and electron confinement in its GaAs core. The latter is responsible for a reduced inhomogeous linewidth measured in photoluminescence, in comparison to the previous measurements made on nanostructures with differing morphology in this material system. This allows the resolution of multiple peaks in the photoluminescence due to discrete charging with holes, revealing the mechanism responsible for the excitation-power-induced blueshift.

The structural, electronic and optical properties of GaSb/GaAs nanostructures for charge-based memory

The potential for GaSb nanostructures embedded in GaAs to operate as charge-based memory elements at room temperature is introduced and explored. Cross-sectional scanning-tunnelling microscopy is employed to directly probe and optimize the growth of nanostructures by molecular beam epitaxy. The results of structural analysis are combined with electrical measurements made with deep-level transient spectroscopy, showing excellent agreement with theoretical calculations which model the electronic structure of the nanostructures using 8-band kp theory. Hole-localization energies exceeding 600 meV in quantum dots and near-100% material contrast between GaSb-rich quantum rings (QRs) and the surrounding GaAs matrix are revealed (no intermixing). Optical measurements confirm the depth of the hole localization, and demonstrate substantially lower inhomogeneous broadening than has previously been reported. Multiple peaks are partially resolved in ensemble photoluminescence of GaSb/GaAs QRs, and are attributed to charge states from discrete numbers of confined holes.

Blueshifts of the emission energy in type-II quantum dot and quantum ring nanostructures

We have studied the ensemble photoluminescence (PL) of 11 GaSb/GaAs quantum dot/ring (QD/QR) samples over >= 5 orders of magnitude of laser power. All samples exhibit a blueshift of PL energy, Delta E, with increasing excitation power, as expected for type-II structures. It is often assumed that this blueshift is due to band-bending at the type-II interface. However, for a sample where charge-state sub-peaks are observed within the PL emission, it is unequivocally shown that the blueshift due to capacitive charging is an order of magnitude larger than the band bending contribution. Moreover, the size of the blueshift and its linear dependence on occupancy predicted by a simple capacitive model are faithfully replicated in the data. In contrast, when QD/QR emission intensity, I, is used to infer QD/QR occupancy, n, via the bimolecular recombination approximation (I alpha n(2)), exponents, x, in Delta E alpha I-x are consistently lower than expected, and strongly sample dependent. We conclude that the exponent x cannot be used to differentiate between capacitive charging and band bending as the origin of the blueshift in type-II QD/QRs, because the bimolecular recombination is not applicable to type-II QD/QRs

GaSb quantum rings in GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs quantum wells

We report the results of continuous and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements on type-II GaSb quantum rings embedded within GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs quantum wells. A range of samples were grown with different well widths, compensation-doping concentrations within the wells, and number of quantum-ring layers. We find that each of these variants have no discernible effect on the radiative recombination, except for the very narrowest (5 nm) quantum well. In contrast, single-particle numerical simulations of the sample predict changes in photoluminescence energy of up to 200 meV. This remarkable difference is explained by the strong Coulomb binding of electrons to rings that are multiply charged with holes. The resilience of the emission to compensation doping indicates that multiple hole occupancy of the quantum rings is required for efficient carrier recombination, regardless of whether these holes come from doping or excitation.

Hydrogenation of GaSb/GaAs quantum rings

We present the results of photoluminescence measurements on hydrogenated type-II GaSb/GaAs quantum dot/ring (QD/QR) samples at temperatures ranging from 4.2 K to 400 K. Hydrogenation is found to suppress optically induced charge depletion (associated with the presence of carbon acceptors in this system). A redshift of the QD\QR emission energy of a few tens of meV is observed at temperatures ≥300 K, consistent with a reduction in average occupancy by ∼1 hole. These effects are accompanied by a reduction in PL intensity post-hydrogenation. We conclude that although hydrogenation may have neutralized the carbon acceptors, multiple hole occupancy of type-II GaSb/GaAs QD/QRs is very likely a precondition for intense emission, which would make extending the wavelength significantly beyond 1300 nm at room temperature difficult.