The effects of quantum dot coverage in InAs/(In)GaAs nanostructures for long wavelength emission

We present a study on the effects of quantum dot coverage on the properties of InAs dots embedded in GaAs and in metamorphic In_0.15Ga_0.85As confining layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates. We show that redshifted emission wavelengths exceeding 1.3 μm at room temperature were obtained by the combined use of InGaAs confining layers and high quantum dot coverage. The use of high InAs coverage, however, leads to detrimental effects on the optical and electrical properties of the structures. We relate such behaviour to the formation of extended structural defects originating from relaxed large-sized quantum dots that nucleate in accordance to thermodynamic equilibrium theories predicting the quantum dot ripening. The effect of the reduced lattice-mismatch of InGaAs metamorphic layers on quantum dot ripening is discussed in comparison with the InAs/GaAs system.     

1.43 /spl mu/m InAs bilayer quantum dot lasers on GaAs substrate

An edge emitting quantum dot (QD) laser at 1430 nm is demonstrated with a structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrate. The active region is based on three InAs bilayer QDs embedded in a conventional AlGaAs/GaAs waveguide. The threshold current density is 134 A/cm/sup 2/. Output power of 23 mW per facet is achieved.     

InAs／GaAs亚单层结构的静压光谱研究

在１５Ｋ下测量了ＩｎＡｓ／ＧａＡｓ亚单层结构的静压光致发光，静压范围为０～８ＧＰａ．常压下ＩｎＡｓ层中重空穴激子的发光峰随ＩｎＡｓ层厚的减小向高能移动，同时峰宽变窄，强度减小．其压力行为与ＧａＡｓ基体的基本一致，表明量子阱（线、点）模型仍适用于ＩｎＡｓ／ＧａＡｓ亚单层结构．得到平均厚度为１／３单分子层的样品中由于附加的横向限制效应引起的电子和空穴束缚能的增加分别为２３和４２ｍｅＶ     

InAlAs/InGaAs复合限制层对InAs量子点发光性质的影响

系统研究了InAlAs/InGaAs复合限制层对InAs量子点光学性质的影响;发现InAs量子点的基态发光峰位、半高宽以及基态与第一激发态的能级间距都强烈地依赖于InAlAs薄层的厚度和In的组分;得到了室温发光波长在1.35μm,基态与第一激发态的能级间距高达103 meV的InAs量子点的发光特性。这一结果对实现高T_0的长波长InAs量子点激光器的室温激射具有重要意义。     

Fiber coupled high count-rate single-photon generated from InAs quantum dots

In this work,we achieve high count-rate single-photon output in single-mode (SM) optical fiber.Epitaxial and dilute InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) are embedded in a GaAs/AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) with a micro-pillar cavity,so as to improve their light emission extraction in the vertical direction,thereby enhancing the optical SM fiber's collection capabil-ity (numerical aperture:0.13).By tuning the temperature precisely to make the quantum dot exciton emission resonant to the micro-pillar cavity mode (Q ～ 1800),we achieve a fiber-output single-photon count rate as high as 4.73 × 106 counts per second,with the second-order auto-correlation g2(0) remaining at 0.08.     

Transition Mechanism of InAs Quantum Dot to Quantum Ring Revealed by Photoluminescence Spectra

The transition mechanism of InAs quantum dot (QD) to quantum ring (QR) was investigated. After the growth of InAs QDs, a thin layer of GaAs was overgrown on the InAs QD and the sample was annealed at the same temperature for a period of time. It was found that the central part of the InAs islands started to out diffuse and formed ring shape only after a deposition of a critical thickness (1 ~ 2 nm) of GaAs capped layer depending on the size of InAs QDs. This phenomenon was revealed by photoluminescence measurement and atomic force microscopy image. It is suggested that the strain energy provided by the GaAs overgrown layer is responsible for the InAs to diffuse out of the island to form QR.     

Surface Morphology and Photoluminescence of 1.3μm Wavelength In（Ga） As／GaAs Quantum Dots

Self-organized In0.5 Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum island structure emitting at 1.35 μm at room temperature has been successfully fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE) via cycled(InAs)1/(GaAs)1 monolayer deposition method.Photoluminescence(PL) measurement shows that very narrow PL linewidth of 19.2 meV at 300 K has been reached for the first time,indicating effective suppression of inhomogeneous broadening of optical emission from the In0.5Ga0.5As islands structure.Our results provide important information for optimizing the epitaxial structures of 1.3μm wavelength quantum dot （QD） devices.     

Quantum-confined stark effect and ultrafast absorption dynamics in bilayer inas quantum dot waveguide

A Stark shift of 40 nm at 1340 nm in a bilayer InAs/GaAs quantum dot ridge waveguide is reported. Time-resolved measurements indicate absorption recovery times of 7 ps at -8 V. Such favourable properties are desirable for intensity and phase modulators     

In segregation effects during quantum dot and quantum ring formation on GaAs(001)

In segregation during InAs growth on GaAs(001) is studied using a real time, in situ technique capable of measuring sample accumulated stress. A 50% surface In segregation of liquid-like stress free matter is deduced. A picture of growth below critical thickness for quantum dot formation is discussed on the basis of the equilibrium between pseudomorphic InAs and liquid In dominated by the stress energy. Quantum rings are produced when large (>10 nm height) quantum dots are covered with 2 nm of GaAs cap. A formation mechanism of the rings is presented. The possibility of tailoring photoluminescence emission through control over size and shape is demonstrated.     

Perspective:optically-pumped Ⅲ–Ⅴ quantum dot microcavity lasers via CMOS compatible patterned Si (001) substrates

Direct epitaxial growthⅢ–Ⅴquantum dot(QD)structures on CMOS-compatible silicon substrates is considered as one of the most promising approaches to achieve low-cost and high-yield Si-based lasers for silicon photonic integration.However,epitaxial growth ofⅢ–Ⅴmaterials on Si encounters the following three major challenges:high density of threading dislocations,antiphase boundaries and thermal cracks,which significantly degrade the crystal quality and potential device performance.In this review,we will focus on some recent results related to InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers on Si(001)substrates byⅢ–Ⅴ/Ⅳhybrid epitaxial growth via(111)-faceted Si hollow structures.Moreover,by using the step-graded epitaxial growth process the emission wavelength of InAs QDs can be extended from O-band to C/L-band.High-performance InAs/GaAs QD microdisk lasers with sub-milliwatts threshold on Si(001)substrates are fabricated and characterized.The above results pave a promising path towards the on-chip lasers for optical interconnect applications.     

The sandwich InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot structure for IR photoelectric detectors

A new possibility for growing InAs/GaAs quantum dot heterostructures for infrared photoelectric detectors by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy is discussed. The specific features of the technological process are the prolonged time of growth of quantum dots and the alternation of the low-and high-temperature modes of overgrowing the quantum dots with GaAs barrier layers. During overgrowth, large-sized quantum dots are partially dissolved, and the secondary InGaAs quantum well is formed of the material of the dissolved large islands. In this case, a sandwich structure is formed. In this structure, quantum dots are arranged between two thin layers with an increased content of indium, namely, between the wetting InAs layer and the secondary InGaAs layer. The height of the quantum dots depends on the thickness of the GaAs layer grown at a comparatively low temperature. The structures exhibit intraband photoconductivity at a wavelength around 4.5 μm at temperatures up to 200 K. At 90 K, the photosensitivity is 0.5 A/W, and the detectivity is 3 × 10⁹ cm Hz^1/2W^?1.     

Formation of dislocation defects in the process of burying of InAs quantum dots into GaAs

Evidence given by electron microscopy of dislocation relaxation of stresses near InAs quantum dots buried into GaAs is presented. It was found that dislocation defects not emerging to the film surface are formed in some buried quantum dots. This suggests that stress relaxation occurs in the buried state of the quantum dot, rather than at the stage of the formation and growth of an InAs island on the GaAs surface. Models of internal dislocation relaxation of buried quantum dots are presented.     

高性能InAs/GaAs量子点外腔激光器

为了获得高性能的量子点外腔激光器(ECL),利用InAs/GaAs量子点Fabry-Perot(FP)腔激光器研制了光栅外腔可调谐ECL。对InAs/GaAs量子点ECL进行了一系列的性能测试,主要包括单模稳定性测试、单模调谐范围测试、阈值电流密度测试、无跳模连续调谐测试和输出功率测试。在室温条件下获得了24.6nm的连续调谐范围,覆盖波长从999.2nm到1 023.8nm,并且实现了波长无跳模连续调谐。在调谐范围内最低阈值电流密度为1 525A/cm2,而且在中心波长处获得的单模输出功率为15mW,单模边模抑制比(SMSR)高达35dB。研究结果表明,通过构建光栅外腔可以实现高性能的InAs/GaAs量子点ECL。     

Effect of local structural defects on the precipitation of as in the vicinity of InAs quantum dots in a GaAs matrix

Electron-microscopy studies of GaAs structures grown by the method of molecular-beam epitaxy and containing arrays of semiconductor InAs quantum dots and metallic As quantum dots are performed. An array of InAs quantum dots is formed using the Stranski-Krastanow mechanism and consists of five layers of vertically conjugated quantum dots divided by a 5-nm-thick GaAs spacer layer. The array of As quantum dots is formed in an As-enriched GaAs layer grown at a low temperature above an array of InAs quantum dots using postgrowth annealing at temperatures of 400–600°C for 15 min. It is found that, during the course of structure growth near the InAs quantum dots, misfit defects are formed; these defects are represented by 60° or edge dislocations located in the heterointerface plane of the semiconductor quantum dots and penetrating to the surface through a layer of “low-temperature” GaAs. The presence of such structural defects leads to the formation of As quantum dots in the vicinity of the middle of the InAs conjugated quantum dots beyond the layer of “low-temperature” GaAs.     

Effects of GaAs-spacer strain on vertical ordering of stacked InAs quantum dots in a GaAs matrix

Vertical ordering in stacked layers of InAs/GaAs quantum dots is currently the focus of scientific research because of its potential for optoelectronics applications. Transmission electron microscopy was applied to study InAs/GaAs stacked layers grown by molecular-beam-epitaxy with various thicknesses of GaAs spacer. Thickness dependencies of quantum dot size and their ordering were observed experimentally and, then, compared with the results of strain calculations based on the finite element method. The vertical ordering did occur when the thickness of the GaAs spacer was comparable with the dot height. The ordering was found to be associated with relatively large InAs dots on the first layer. Quantum dots tend to become larger in size and more regular in plane with increasing numbers of stacks. Our results suggest that the vertical ordering is not only affected by strain from the InAs dots on the lower layer, but by total strain configuration in the multi-stacked structure.     

The transition from thermodynamically to kinetically controlled formation of quantum dots in an InAs/GaAs(100) system

The results of experimental and theoretical studies of quantum dot formation in an InAs/GaAs(100) system in the case of a subcritical width of the deposited InAs layer (1.5–1.6 monolayers) are presented. It is shown that, in the subcritical range of InAs thicknesses (smaller than 1.6 monolayers), regardless of the deposition rate, the density of quantum dots increases and their size decreases in response to an increase in surface temperature. In the overcritical range of InAs thicknesses (more than 1.8 monolayers), the density of quantum dots increases and their size decreases in response to a decrease in temperature and an increase in the deposition rate. The observed behavior of quantum dot morphology is attributed to the transition from a thermodynamically to kinetically controlled regime of quantum dot formation near the critical thickness.     

Low threshold current operation of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers by metal organic chemical vapour deposition

Low threshold current operation of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition is reported. Continuous-wave lasing at room temperature with low threshold current (6.7 mA) was achieved at the wavelength of 1.18 /spl mu/m. The threshold current of 6.7 mA is the lowest value so far achieved in quantum dot lasers grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition. Comparison with photoluminescence spectra indicates that the observed lasing originates from the ground state of InAs quantum dots.     

Emission of electrons from the ground and first excited states of self-organized InAs/GaAs quantum dot structures

Capacitance- and conductance-voltage studies have been carried out on Schottky barrier structures containing a sheet of self-organized InAs quantum dots. The dots are formed in GaAs n-type matrices after the deposition of four monolayers of InAs. Quasi-static analysis of capacitance-voltage measurements indicates that there are at least two filled electron levels in the quantum dots, located 60 and 140 meV below the GaAs conduction band edge. The conductance of the structure depends on the balance between measurement frequency and the thermionic emission rate of carriers from the quantum dots. An investigation of the temperature-dependent conductance at different frequencies as a function of the reverse bias allows us to study separately the electron emission rates from the ground and first excited levels in the quantum dots. We estimate that the electron escape times from both levels of the quantum dots become comparable at room temperature and equal to about 100 ps.     

Size and shape modification of self assembled InAs quantum dots and stacked layers by in-situ etching

We present investigations of the structural and optical properties of in-situ etched, self assembled InAs islands using AsBr₃ within a molecular beam epitaxy system. This procedure allows reshaping and downsizing of quantum dots with atomic layer precision. The critical thickness of a second InAs layer on top of a thin GaAs layer covering a first InAs dot layer was investigated by RHEED using the 2D–3D transition due to the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. In-situ etching of the GaAs spacer layer results in an array of small dips on the surface due to enhanced etching at locally strained areas. The dips influence the nucleation of the second dot layer.     

Inhomogeneous gain effects in quantum dot lasers

A comparison of optical and electrical derivative spectroscopy on a dual-state lasing InAs/GaAs quantum dot bilayer device is presented. The junction voltage cannot be described by a quasi-Fermi level separation and only partial clamping above the laser threshold was observed, demonstrating inhomogeneous gain. There is also competition between transverse optical modes which must be taken into account for a full understanding of dual-state lasing