Thomas J. Miller

Optical degradation of II-VI devices and heterostructures

We report the use of photoluminescence imaging as a quick and effective method for determining defect densities and giving insight into degradation mechanisms in II-VI CdxZn1-xSe quantum well devices and heterostructures grown on GaAs. From our use of photoluminescence imaging we have observed that the device lifetimes are dependent on the stacking fault density. The stacking faults serve as nonradiative recombination centers that generate the dark line defects. In our studies, degradation rates were found to be independent of chlorine doping, barrier material, and the removal of the GaAs substrate.