Xiren Chen

Enhancement of room-temperature photoluminescence in InAs quantum dots

We report pronounced enhancement of room-temperature photoluminescence up to 80-fold induced by proton implantation and the rapid thermal annealing process in a multilayer InAs/GaAs quantum-dot structure. This effect is studied by a combination of material methods and resulted from both proton passivation and carrier capture enhancement effects. The maximum photoluminescence peak shift is about 23 meV, resulting from the intermixing of quantum dots. Linear dependence behavior as observed for both the nonradiative recombination time and carrier relaxation time on the ion-implantation dose. Maximum enhancement of the photoluminescence is observed for a proton implantation dose of 1.0×1014 cm−2 followed by rapid thermal annealing at 700 °C. These effects will be useful for quantum dot optoelectronic devices.

Shallow-terrace-like interface in dilute-bismuth GaSb/AlGaSb single quantum wells evidenced by photoluminescence

Photoluminescence (PL) measurements are performed on one GaSb/AlGaSb single-quantum-well (SQW) sample and two dilute-bismuth (Bi) GaSb/AlGaSb SQW samples grown at 360 and 380 °C, at low temperatures and under magnetic fields. Bimodal PL features are identified in the dilute-Bi samples, and to be accompanied by abnormal PL blueshift in the sample grown at 360 °C. The bimodal PL features are found to be from similar origins of band-to-band transition by magneto-PL evolution. Analysis indicates that the phenomenon can be well interpreted by the joint effect of interfacial large-lateral-scale islands and Al/Ga interdiffusion due to Bi incorporation. The interdiffusion introduces about 1-monolayer shrinkage to the effective quantum-well thickness, which is similar to the interfacial islands height, and the both together result in an unusual shallow-terrace-like interface between GaSbBi and AlGaSb. A phenomenological model is established, the Bi content of isoelectronic incorporation and the exciton reduced effective mass are estimated for the GaSbBi sample grown at 380 °C, and a value of about 21 meV/% is suggested for the bandgap bowing rate of GaSbBi. An effective routine is suggested for determining the Bi content and the depth of the shallow-terraces at interface in dilute-Bi SQW structures.

Realization of Vertically Aligned, Ultrahigh Aspect Ratio InAsSb Nanowires on Graphite

The monolithic integration of InAs(1-x)Sb(x) semiconductor nanowires on graphitic substrates holds enormous promise for cost-effective, high-performance, and flexible devices in optoelectronics and high-speed electronics. However, the growth of InAs(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires with high aspect ratio essential for device applications is extremely challenging due to Sb-induced suppression of axial growth and enhancement in radial growth. We report the realization of high quality, vertically aligned, nontapered and ultrahigh aspect ratio InAs(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires with Sb composition (xSb(%)) up to ∼12% grown by indium-droplet assisted molecular beam epitaxy on graphite substrate. Low temperature photoluminescence measurements show that the InAs(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires exhibit bright band-to-band related emission with a distinct redshift as a function of Sb composition providing further confirmation of successful Sb incorporation in as-grown nanowires. This study reveals that the graphite substrate is a more favorable platform for InAs(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires that could lead to hybrid heterostructures possessing potential device applications in optoelectronics.

Evolution of interfacial properties with annealing in InAs/GaSb superlattice probed by infrared photoluminescence

Postgrowth rapid-annealing effects are investigated by infrared photoluminescence (PL) in the InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) with intentional InSb interfaces. The changes in PL energy, linewidth, and integral intensity with temperature indicate that the PL process is dominated by electron–phonon interaction in the InSb-like interfaces and adjacent narrow portions of InAs layers. The interfacial electron level serves as a thermal escape channel for the first miniband electrons and affects the T2SL high-temperature properties. Annealing promotes the interfacial atom exchange and changes the electron thermal escape energy. It transforms the PL-related interfacial regions to InSb1−xAsx at annealing temperatures below 470 °C, activates In/Ga exchange, and transforms the regions to In1−yGaySb at 500 °C. The results indicate that an optimized annealing temperature is crucial for improving the T2SL performance by postgrowth annealing, and infrared PL can serve as an effective criterion for the optimization.

Midinfrared Photoluminescence up to 290 K Reveals Radiative Mechanisms and Substrate Doping-Type Effects of InAs Nanowires

Photoluminescence (PL) as a conventional yet powerful optical spectroscopy may provide crucial insight into the mechanism of carrier recombination and bandedge structure in semiconductors. In this study, mid-infrared PL measurements on vertically aligned InAs nanowires (NWs) are realized for the first time in a wide temperature range of up to 290 K, by which the radiative recombinations are clarified in the NWs grown on n- and p-type Si substrates, respectively. A dominant PL feature is identified to be from the type-II optical transition across the interfaces between the zinc-blend (ZB) and the wurtzite (WZ) InAs, a lower-energy feature at low temperatures is ascribed to impurity-related transition, and a higher-energy feature at high temperatures originates in the interband transition of the WZ InAs being activated by thermal-induced electron transfer. The optical properties of the ZB-on-WZ and WZ-on-ZB interfaces are asymmetric, and stronger nonradiative recombination and weaker carrier-phonon interaction show up in the NWs on p-type substrate in which built-in electric field forms and leads to carrier assembling around the WZ-on-ZB interface. The results indicate that wide temperature-range infrared PL analysis can serve as efficient vehicle for clarifying optical properties and bandedge processes of the crystal-phase interfaces in vertically aligned InAs NWs.

Anomalous photoluminescence in InP1-xBix

Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) from InP1−xBix thin films with Bi concentrations in the 0–2.49% range reveals anomalous spectral features with strong and very broad (linewidth of 700 nm) PL signals compared to other bismide alloys. Multiple transitions are observed and their energy levels are found much smaller than the band-gap measured from absorption measurements. These transitions are related to deep levels confirmed by deep level transient spectroscopy, which effectively trap free holes and enhance radiative recombination. The broad luminescence feature is beneficial for making super-luminescence diodes, which can theoretically enhance spatial resolution beyond 1 μm in optical coherent tomography (OCT).

Photoluminescence probing of interface evolution with annealing in InGa(N)As/GaAs single quantum wells

The effects of thermal annealing on the interfaces of InGa(N)As/GaAs single quantum wells (SQWs) are investigated by excitation-, temperature-, and magnetic field-dependent photoluminescence (PL). The annealing at 750 °C results in more significant blueshift and narrowing to the PL peak than that at 600 °C. Each of the PL spectra can be reproduced with two PL components: (i) the low-energy component (LE) keeps energetically unchanged, while the high-energy component (HE) moves up with excitation and shows at higher energy for the In0.375Ga0.625As/GaAs but crosses over with the LE at a medium excitation power for the In0.375Ga0.625N0.012As0.988/GaAs SQWs. The HE is broader than the corresponding LE, the annealing at 750 °C narrows the LE and HE and shrinks their energetic separation; (ii) the PL components are excitonic, and the InGaNAs shows slightly enhanced excitonic effects relative to the InGaAs SQW; (iii) no typical S-shape evolution of PL energy with temperature is detectable, and similar blueshift and narrowing are identified for the same annealing. The phenomena are mainly from the interfacial processes. Annealing improves the intralayer quality, enhances the interfacial In-Ga interdiffusion, and reduces the interfacial fluctuation. The interfacial interdiffusion does not change obviously by the small N content and hence similar PL-component narrowing and blueshift are observed for the SQWs after a nominally identical annealing. Comparison with previous studies is made and the PL measurements under different conditions are shown to be effective for probing the interfacial evolution in QWs.

Optical properties and band bending of InGaAs/GaAsBi/InGaAs type-II quantum well grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

Photoluminescence (PL) properties of In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs0.96Bi0.04/In0.2Ga0.8As quantum well (QW) grown on GaAs substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy were studied by varying excitation power and temperature, respectively. The type-II transition energy shifts from 1.149 eV to 1.192 eV when increasing the excitation power from 10 mW to 150 mW at 4.5 K, which was ascribed to the band-bending effect. On the other hand, the type-II PL quenches quickly along with fast redshift with the increasing temperature due to the relaxation of the band bending caused by the thermal excitation process. An 8 band k.p model was used to analyze the electronic properties and the band-bending effect in the type-II QW. The calculated subband levels and transition energy fit well with the experiment results, and two thermal activation energies of 8.7 meV and 50 meV, respectively, are deduced. Published by AIP Publishing.

Infrared photoreflectance investigation of resonant levels and band edge structure in InSb

Temperature-dependent infrared photoreflectance (PR) is employed on InSb for clarifying resonant levels (RLs) and band edge structure. Abundant PR features are well resolved around the bandgap and are verified to be of electronic inter-level transitions rather than the Franz-Keldysh oscillations. The evolution of the critical energies with temperature reveals the nature of the PR processes, from which one acceptor RL, two donor RLs, and a shallow acceptor level are quantitatively identified, and a detailed band edge structure is derived. The results show that temperature-dependent infrared PR analysis can serve as an efficient vehicle for clarifying both bound and resonant levels in semiconductors.

Two-photon-absorption-induced nonlinear photoresponse in GaAs∕AlGaAs quantum-well infrared photodetectors

Using a free-electron laser(FEL) source, we have studied the two-photon-absorption (TPA) effect in GaAs∕AlGaAs quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP). The TPA-induced photoresponse in QWIPs has been measured under different FEL excitation power by the photoconductivity method. The effective-mass approximation theory is used for the QWIP structure to explain the photoresponse behavior. It is demonstrated that the TPA-induced photocarrier density is proportional to the square of the excitation power. Based on the experimental results, the TPA coefficients of QWIPs were obtained to be 0.0045, 0.0030, 0.0103, and 0.0061cm∕MW for the excitation lines of 10.6, 10.7, 11.9 and 13.2μm, respectively. The dependence the TPA coefficients on the excitation wavelength is explained by our theoretical model.Using a free-electron laser(FEL) source, we have studied the two-photon-absorption (TPA) effect in GaAs∕AlGaAs quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP). The TPA-induced photoresponse in QWIPs has been measured under different FEL excitation power by the photoconductivity method. The effective-mass approximation theory is used for the QWIP structure to explain the photoresponse behavior. It is demonstrated that the TPA-induced photocarrier density is proportional to the square of the excitation power. Based on the experimental results, the TPA coefficients of QWIPs were obtained to be 0.0045, 0.0030, 0.0103, and 0.0061cm∕MW for the excitation lines of 10.6, 10.7, 11.9 and 13.2μm, respectively. The dependence the TPA coefficients on the excitation wavelength is explained by our theoretical model.