Optical anisotropy of InGaAs quantum dots

Polarization studies of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) synthesized in the submonolayer deposition mode (SMLQDs) on a singular GaAs (100) surface are carried out using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The influence of the effective In content in InGaAs SMLQDs and the effect of a wide-gap AlGaAs matrix on the optical anisotropy of the QDs are investigated. The highest degree (>15%) of optical anisotropy between the [011] and [0 $ \bar 1 $ 1] directions in the emission corresponding to the ground state of InGaAs/GaAs SMLQDs is observed for an effective In content of ～40%. The use of a wide-gap AlGaAs matrix resulted in an increase in the optical anisotropy of InGaAs SMLQDs by a factor of 1.5. It is found that vertical stacking of In(Ga)As/AlGaAs SMLQDs in the vertical-coupling mode (with spacer-layer thicknesses of 5–10 nm) leads to a further increase in the degree of optical anisotropy, which becomes as high as 25% on average. According to the data of transmission electron microscopy, the optical anisotropy of the ground-state photo-luminescence is predominantly caused by the anisotropy of the lateral dimensions of QDs in the [011] and [0 $ \bar 1 $ 1] directions.     

Structural and optical characterization of self-formed GaP/InP quantum dots

By growing (GaP)_1.5(InP)_1.88 and (InP)_1.88(GaP)_1.5 short-period superlattices (the former material is the first layer on the GaAs (311) substrate) by gas source MBE, composition-modulated quantum dots were self-formed in both cases. The dot size is about 20 nm in GaP/InP and 22 nm in InP/GaP sample. The photoluminescence energy is higher for the GaP/InP sample, corresponding to the difference in the dot size. The photoluminescence decay time of the InP/GaP sample is less dependent on the emission wavelength and temperature than that of the GaP/InP sample.     

Self-assembled InAs/InP quantum dots and quantum dashes: Material structures and devices

The advances in lasers, electronic and photonic integrated circuits (EPIC), optical interconnects as well as the modulation techniques allow the present day society to embrace the convenience of broadband, high speed internet and mobile network connectivity. However, the steep increase in energy demand and bandwidth requirement calls for further innovation in ultra-compact EPIC technologies. In the optical domain, advancement in the laser technologies beyond the current quantum well (Qwell) based laser technologies are already taking place and presenting very promising results. Homogeneously grown quantum dot (Qdot) lasers and optical amplifiers, can serve in the future energy saving information and communication technologies (ICT) as the work-horse for transmitting and amplifying information through optical fiber. The encouraging results in the zero-dimensional (0D) structures emitting at 980 nm, in the form of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), are already operational at low threshold current density and capable of 40 Gbps error-free transmission at 108 fJ/bit. Subsequent achievements for lasers and amplifiers operating in the O-, C-, L-, U-bands, and beyond will eventually lay the foundation for green ICT. On the hand, the inhomogeneously grown quasi 0D quantum dash (Qdash) lasers are brilliant solutions for potential broadband connectivity in server farms or access network. A single broadband Qdash laser operating in the stimulated emission mode can replace tens of discrete narrow-band lasers in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transmission thereby further saving energy, cost and footprint. We herein reviewed the1 progress of both Qdots and Qdash devices, based on the InAs/InGaAlAs/InP and InAs/InGaAsP/InP material systems, from the angles of growth and device performance. In particular, we discussed the progress in lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA), mode locked lasers, and superluminescent diodes, which are the building blocks of EPIC and ICT. Alternatively, these optical sources are potential candidates for other multi-disciplinary field applications.     

Wavelength controlled InAs/InP quantum dots for telecom laser applications

This article reviews the recent progress in the growth and device applications of InAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) for telecom applications. Wavelength tuning of the metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy grown single layer and stacked InAs QDs embedded in InGaAsP/InP (1 0 0) over the 1.55-μm region at room temperature (RT) is achieved using ultra-thin GaAs interlayers underneath the QDs. The GaAs interlayers, together with reduced growth temperature and V/III ratio, and extended growth interruption suppress As/P exchange to reduce the QD height in a controlled way. Device quality of the QDs is demonstrated by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements, revealing zero-dimensional carrier confinement and defect-free InAs QDs, and is highlighted by continuous-wave ground-state lasing at RT of narrow ridge-waveguide QD lasers, exhibiting a broad gain spectrum. Unpolarized PL from the cleaved side, important for realization of polarization insensitive semiconductor optical amplifiers, is obtained from closely stacked QDs due to vertical electronic coupling.     

Effects of growth interruption on the evolution of InAs/InP self-assembled quantum dots

We investigated the change in the structural and optical properties of InAs/InP quantum structures during growth interruption (GI) for various times and under various atmospheres in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Under AsH₃ + H₂ atmosphere, the mass transport for the 2D-to-3D transition was observed during the GI. Photoluminescence peaks from both quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wells were observed from the premature QD samples. The fully developed QDs showed the two distinct temperature regimes in the PL peak position, full width at half maximum (FWHM) and wavelength-integrated peak intensity. The two characteristic activation energies were obtained from the InAs/InP QDs: ∼10 meV for intra-dot excitation and 90 ∼ 110 meV for the excitation out of the dots, respectively. It was also observed that the QD evolution kinetics could be suppressed in PH₃ + H₂ and H₂ atmospheres. The proper control of GI time and atmosphere might be a useful tool to further improve the properties of QDs.     

InP quantum dots in (1 0 0) GaP: Growth and luminescence

We describe the growth and optical emission from strained InP quantum wells and quantum dots grown on GaP substrates using gas-source molecular beam epitaxy. Self-organized quantum dot formation takes place for InP coverage greater than 1.8 monolayers on the (1 0 0) GaP surface. Atomic force and scanning-electron microscopy studies indicate that unburied dots have a lateral size of 60–100 nm and are about 20 nm high, with dot densities in the range of 2–6×10⁸ cm⁻² for InP coverage between 1.9 and 5.8 MLs. Intense photoluminescence is emitted from both the quantum wells and the quantum dots at energies of about 2.2 and 2.0 eV, respectively. Time-resolved measurements indicate rather long carrier lifetimes of about 19 ns in the quantum wells and about 3 ns in the quantum dots. The data indicate that the InP/GaP quantum wells form a type-II band system, with electrons in the X valleys of the GaP recombine with holes in the InP. Furthermore, in the InP/GaP quantum dot system, the conduction band edge in the X valley of the GaP is nearly aligned with that in the Γ valley of the InP. Rapid thermal annealing of the quantum dots results in at least a six-fold enhancement of integrated emission intensity as well as some Ga-In interdiffusion. The low interdiffusion activation energy indicates that the material near the interface between the GaP matrix and the InP dots is not free of defects.     

Optical properties and structure of InAs quantum dots in near-infrared band

The InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are studied as a function of growth temperature at a specific InAs coverage of 2.7 ML. The QDs density is significantly reduced from 8.0 × 1010 to 5.0 × 109 cm-2 as the growth temperature increases from 480℃ to 520℃, while the average QDs diameter and height becomes larger. The effects of the growth temperature on the evolution of bimodal QDs are investigated by combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL). Results show that the formation of the bimodal QDs depends on the growth temperature: at a growth temperature of 480℃,large QDs result from the small QDs coalition; at a growth temperature of 535℃, the indium desorption and InAs segregation result in the formation of small QDs.     

Growth and characterizations of InP self-assembled quantum dots embedded in InAIP grown on GaAs substrates

We report the characteristics of InP self-assembled quantum dots embedded in In_0.5Al_0.5P on GaAs substrates grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The InP quantum dots show increased average dot sizes and decreased dot densities, as the growth temperature increases from 475°C to 600°C with constant growth time. Above the growth temperature of 600°C, however, dramatically smaller and densely distributed self-assembled InP quantum dots are formed. The small InP quantum dots grown at 650°C are dislocation-free “coherent” regions with an average size of ∼20 nm (height) and a density of ∼1.5 × 10⁸ mm⁻². These InP quantum dots have a broad range of luminescence corresponding to red or organge in the visible spectrum.     

Growth and photoluminescence study of ZnSe quantum dots

We report detailed photoluminescence (PL) studies of ZnSe quantum dots grown by controlling the flow duration of the precursors in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system. The growth time of the quantum dots determines the amount of blue shift observed in the PL measurements. Blue shift as large as 320 meV was observed, and the emission was found to persist up to room temperature. It is found that changing the flow rate and the total number of quantum dot layers also affect the peak PL energy. The temperature dependence of the peak PL energy follows the Varshni relation. From analyzing the temperature-dependent integrated intensity of the photoluminescence spectra, it is found that the activation energy for the quenching of photoluminescence increases with decreasing quantum dot size, and is identified as the binding energy of the exciton in ZnSe quantum dot.     

Optical characterisation of MOVPE grown vertically correlated InAs/GaAs quantum dots

Structures with vertically correlated self-organised InAs quantum dots (QDs) in a GaAs matrix were grown by the low-pressure metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and characterised by different microscopic techniques. Photoluminescence in combination with photomodulated reflectance spectroscopy were applied for characterisation of QDs structures. We show that combination of both methods allows detecting optical transitions originating both from QDs and wetting (separation) layers, which can be than compared with those obtained from numerical simulations. On the basis of obtained results, we demonstrate that photoreflectance spectroscopy is an excellent tool for characterisation of QDs structures wetting layers and for identification of spacer thicknesses in vertically stacked QDs structures.     

Self-assembled quantum dots

The greatest success in semiconductor lasers has been brought by the ability to artificially structure new materials on an atomic scale by using advanced crystal growth methods such as MBE and MOVPE. Laser performance successes gained using quantum wells in optoelectronic devices can be extended by adopting quantum wire and quantum dot structures. There have been several reports of successful lasing action in semiconductor dot structures within the past year. This article reviews the recent progress in the development of quantum dot lasers.     

Semiconductor quantum dots

Since the invention of semiconductor lasers, huge improvements in device performance have been achieved, and a large variety of specialized designs for different applications were conceived. Two major steps have played a key role in the improvement of device properties. The first step was the application of semiconductor heterostructures that allowed the separate optimization of optical and carrier confinement. The second step was the introduction of quantum films, also called quantum wells, in the carrier recombination zone (started in the 1980s). This permitted a strong reduction of threshold current density due to an increased density of states at the laser energy. This effect of increased density of states is related to the partial discretization of the allowed energy states of carriers, i.e., electrons and holes, and is based on quantum mechanical principles. One major advantage of quantum-dot structures results from the full three-dimensional carrier confinement on a nanometer scale. Therefore, a semiconductor quantum dots, InAs dots embedded in GaAs, behave like non- or weakly interacting single atoms. In addition, the realization of device-quality quantum dot structures became possible by the introduction of self-organized growth. Both, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) techniques, which are capable of the controlled deposition of a fraction of an atomic monolayer, can be used.     

Optical absorption and scattering at one-particle states of charge carriers in semiconductor quantum dots

A theory is developed for the interaction of an electromagnetic field with one-particle quantum-confined states of charge carriers in semiconductor quantum dots. It is shown that the oscillator strengths and dipole moments for the transitions involving one-particle states in quantum dots are rather large, exceeding the corresponding typical parameters of bulk semiconductor materials. In the context of dipole approximation it is established that the large optical absorption cross sections and attenuation coefficients in the quasi-zero-dimensional systems make it possible to use the systems as new efficient absorbing materials.     

Optical gain and absorption of quantum dots measured using an alternative segmented contact method

An alternative segmented-contact method for accurate measurement of the optical gain and absorption of quantum-dot and quantum-dash active materials with small optical gain is reported. The usual error from unguided spontaneous emission is reduced by subtracting signals acquired from three independently controlled sections as opposed to just two found in the conventional technique. The quantum-dot gain spectra are measured to a precision of less than 0.2 cm/sup -1/ at nominal gain values below 2 cm/sup -1/, and gain spectrum of quantum-dash sample is calculated with an error less than 0.3 cm/sup -1/ at a gain less than 1 cm/sup -1/. These accuracies are checked with a self-calibrating method. The internal optical mode loss measurement is also described.     

Applications of colloidal quantum dots

This paper addresses a number of major trends underlying the continuing effort to realize practical optoelectronic, electronic, and information-processing devices based on ensembles of quantum dots assembled in a variety of matrix materials. The great diversity of such structures makes it possible to fabricate numerous ensemble-based devices for applications underlying photoluminescent devices, light-emitting diodes, displays, photodetectors, photovoltaic devices, and solar cells. In addition, the application of colloidal quantum dots to allied technologies such as nanobiotechnology is considered for the case of monitoring conformational changes in biomolecules using luminescent quantum dots.     

Optical phenomena in InAs/GaAs heterostructures with doped quantum dots and artificial molecules

Spectra of intraband absorption of polarized mid-IR light were investigated in undoped, p-, and n-doped InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) covered with an InGaAs layer. Optical matrix elements for intraband electron and hole transitions in QDs have been calculated for different polarizations of light, and a good agreement with the experimental data is obtained. It is shown that the intraband absorption of light by electrons strongly exceeds the absorption by holes. Photoluminescence spectra and TEM images of structures with artificial molecules formed by pairs of QDs were studied.     

Optical properties of CdSe quantum dots grown on ZnSe and ZnBeSe by molecular beam epitaxy

We report detailed studies of the optical properties of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) grown on ZnSe and ZnBeSe by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). We performed steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements and observe that nonradiative processes dominate at room temperature (RT) in the CdSe/ZnBeSe QDs structures, though these nonradiative processes do not dominate in the CdSe/ZnSe QDs structures up to RT. We performed secondary ion-mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurement and propose that the oxygen incorporation in the ZnBeSe layers (possibly caused by the reactivity of Be) may contribute to the dominant nonradiative processes at high temperatures in the QDs grown on ZnBeSe.     

Ge quantum dots light-emitting devices

Si photonics becomes one of the research focuses in the field of photonics.Si-based light-emitting devices are one of the most important devices in this field.In this paper,we review the Si-based light...     

When sound meets quantum dots

THz acoustic phonons have wavelengths in the nm range and can be used as internal probes to investigate self-assemble quantum dots (QDs) structures. The interaction between delocalised acoustic phonons and an ensemble of localised electronic states yields interferences in the Raman scattering efficiency. Raman scattering interferences provide an image in reciprocal space of the electronic density and therefore allow one to probe the spatial ordering of QDs and the localisation of the electronic states. Spatial correlations functions are obtained by performing inverse Fourier transforms. Characteristic distances can be identified, provided that optical and acoustic wave reflexion effects are taken into account.