S. N. Nikolaev

Electronic spectrum of non-tetrahedral acceptors in CdTe:Cl and CdTe:Bi,Cl single crystals

The electronic spectra of complex acceptors in compensated CdTe:Cl, CdTe:Ag,Cl, and CdTe:Bi,Cl single crystals are studied using low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements under both nonresonant and resonant excitation of distant donor–acceptor pairs (DAP). The wavelength modulation of the excitation source combined with the analysis of the differential PL signal is used to enhance narrow spectral features obscured because of inhomogeneous line broadening and/or excitation transfer for selectively excited DAPs. For the well-known tetrahedral (TD) AgCd acceptor, the energies of four excited states are measured, and the values obtained are shown to be in perfect agreement with the previous data. Moreover, splitting between the 2P3/2 (Г8) and 2S3/2 (Г8) states is clearly observed for AgCd centers located at a short distance (5–7u2009nm) from a hydrogen-like donor (ClTe). This splitting results from the reduction of the TD symmetry taking place when the acceptor is a member of a donor–acceptor pair. For ...

Electrical properties, photoconductivity, and photoluminescence of coarse-grained p-ZnTe

Electrical and photoelectric properties and also low-temperature photoluminescence of coarsegrained p-ZnTe with a resistivity of 3.3 × 1010Ω cm at 77 K have been studied. The coarse-grained ZnTe sample in the shape of a pipe was synthesized at 730°C from vapor phase in cocurrent flows of components. X-ray structure analysis showed that there are single-crystalline grains in both the [111] and [100] directions. In spite of nonequilibrium conditions of rapid crystallization, X-ray diffractometry measurements showed that the ZnTe crystallinity is good. The results of low-temperature photoluminescence confirm that there is an ordered distribution of impurities in the lattice. The set of impurities is limited to Cu, Ag, Li, and O. The photoconductivity and photoluminescence spectra indicate that there are poorly studied centers with levels deep m the band gap. In the regions with a low density of twins, there is observed a high quantum yield of photoluminescence, the absence of transitions related to complex defects, the presence of intrinsic emission with pronounced polaritonic structure, and manifestation of an ample structure of two-hole transitions that are absent in the crystals obtained under conditions of slow growth.

Visible Emission from a Dense Biexciton Gas in SiGe/Si Quantum Wells under External Anisotropic Strain

The effect of external anisotropic strain on the infrared and visible luminescence spectra of SiGe/Si quantum well heterostructures at liquid helium temperatures is investigated for the first time. It is shown that, at a temperature of T = 5 K, the stretching of the SiGe layer along the [100] direction leads to an increase in the relative intensity of the visible luminescence by a factor of 7/3 ≃ 2.3. This effect is absent when the sample is stretched along the [110] direction. These observations are explained by considering “bright” and “dark” biexciton states involved in multiparticle recombination. At a temperature of 2 K, the relative intensity of the visible luminescence increases upon stretching by a factor of 3.4–3.9, which may indicate either the splitting of the ground states of biexcitons with different electron configurations or the deviation of their distribution function from the Boltzmann law.

Kinetics of Low-Temperature Microphotoluminescence of Exciton-Impurity Complexes in CdZnTe Single Crystals

Low-temperature (6.5 K) microphotoluminescence near the intrinsic absorption edge of CdZnTe alloy single crystals is studied under conditions of non-resonant and resonant excitation by picosecond pulses. Characteristic relaxation times for free excitons and exciton-impurity complexes of various types are determined. A significant (by a factor of 4–8) decrease in the photoluminescence signal decay time of exciton-impurity complexes on neutral donors during the transition to the resonant excitation mode is detected. The detected sharp decrease in the photoluminescence signal decay time can indicate the manifestation of collective effects in this system of emitters.

Visible luminescence enhancement methods in SiGe/Si heterostructures

The possibility of increasing the photoluminescence signal of Si1−xGex/Si quantum wells in the visible spectral range due to a change in the conduction band structure and the interaction of many-body states with plasma oscillations of metal nanoparticles is studied. The sample band structure was controlled using a uniaxial strain of ∼10−4. It is found that such an approach allows an increase in the emission intensity of biexcitons in the quantum well (x = 9%) by a factor of 2.4 at a temperature of 5 K. Metal nanoparticles deposited on the sample surface with a protective layer thickness of 20 nm allowed us to increase the luminescence intensity of quantum wells approximately by a factor of 2.7.

Exciton emission of crystalline Zn(S)Se thin films arranged in microcavities based on amorphous insulating coatings

A technology for the production of fully hybrid microcavities on the basis of Zn(S)Se films and amorphous insulating SiO2/Ta2O5 coatings is proposed. The influence of all stages of the manufacturing cycle on the structure of exciton states in the Zn(S)Se films is demonstrated. This influence is reduced to four main effects: the appearance of a fine structure of emission lines related to free excitons; a decrease in the relative contribution of excitons bound at neutral acceptors to the exciton-emission spectrum; a shift of the emission lines related to exciton–impurity complexes and free excitons to lower frequencies; and a decrease in the splitting between emission lines related to heavy and light excitons. Samples of fully hybrid microcavities, in which the high structural and optical quality of Zn(S)Se films is retained, are fabricated.