Properties of structures based on laser-plasma Mn-doped GaAs and grown by MOC-hydride epitaxy

A method of doping GaAs with Mn using the laser evaporation of a metal target during MOC-hydride epitaxy is developed. The method is used to form both homogeneously doped GaAs:Mn layers and two-dimensional structures, including a δ-doped GaAs:Mn layer and a In_xGa_1?x As quantum well separated by a GaAs spacer with a thickness of d= 3–6 nm. It is shown that, at room temperature, the formed structures have magnetic and magnetooptical properties most probably caused by the presence of MnAs clusters. In the low-temperature region (～ 30 K), the anomalous Hall effect is observed. This effect is attributed to the exchange interaction between Mn ions via 2D-channel holes.     

Effect of thermal annealing on the photoluminescence of structures with InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells and a low-temperature GaAs layer δ-doped with Mn

The effects of isochronal thermal annealing (at 325–725°C) on the radiative properties of InGaAs/GaAs nanoheterostructures containing a low-temperature GaAs layer δ-doped with Mn grown by laser deposition are studied. A decrease in the photoluminescence intensity and increase in the ground transition energy are observed upon thermal impact for quantum wells located near the low-temperature GaAs layer. The distribution of Mn atoms in the initial and annealed structures is obtained by secondary-ion mass spectrometry. A qualitative model of the observed effects of thermal annealing on the radiative properties of the structures is discussed; this model takes into account two main processes: diffusion of point defects (primarily gallium vacancies) from the GaAs coating layer deep into the structure and Mn diffusion in both directions by the dissociation mechanism. Magnetization studies show that, as a result of thermal annealing, an increase in the proportion of the ferromagnetic phase at room temperature (presumably, MnAs clusters) in the low-temperature GaAs coating layer takes place.     

High quality GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells grown on (111)A substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Growth of GaAs and AlGaAs epitaxial layers on both (111)A and (111)13 faces of GaAs substrates was studied by the atmospheric metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) technique. We show that GaAs and AlGaAs layers with excellent surface quality can be grown at relatively low temperatures and V/III ratios (600°C, 15) on the (111)A face, whereas for layers on the (111)13 face a higher growth temperature (720°C) was required. GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) structures were successfully grown for the first time on the (111)A GaAs face by the MOVPE technique. The effects of various growth conditions on the surface morphology of the epilayers were studied. For the (111)A surface a wide growth window with temperatures in the range 600°-660°C and V/III ratios varying from 15 to 45 was established for obtaining excellent surface morphology. The properties of the QWs were investigated by high resolution X-ray diffractometry, photoluminenscence and photoreflectance measurements. These measurements indicate that the QWs are of very high structural and optical quality.     

Ferromagnetism of low-dimensional structures based on III-Mn-V semiconductors in the vicinity of the insulator-to-metal transition

The structural and transport properties of the GaAs/Mn/GaAs/In _x Ga_{1 − x} As/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) with the Mn layer distant from the QW and the Mn content ranging from 4 to 10% that correspond to the reentrant metal-to-insulator transition observed in the bulk GaMnAs are studied. The X-ray diffractometry and reflectometry are used to reconstruct the distribution profile of the Mn layers and to demonstrate the absence of the Mn atoms in the QW volume. The mobility of holes in the objects under study is greater than the known mobilities for the GaMnAs magnetic heterostructures by more than two orders of magnitude, which makes it possible to observe the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, proving the 2D character of the hole energy spectrum. A significant role of the 2D holes in the ferromagnetic ordering of the Mn layer is demonstrated under such conditions. The supporting evidence results from the observation of a maximum on the curves of the resistance versus temperature (at 25–40 K), whose position is in agreement with the calculated Curie temperature for the structures with indirect exchange interaction via the 2D-hole channel and the observation of the negative spin-dependent magnetoresistance (NM) and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) that correlates with the theoretically calculated results for the ferromagnetic 2D III-Mn-V systems. The features of the NM and AHE revealed in the structures with the dielectric conduction indicate the effects of phase separation lying in the fragmentation of the sample into mesoscopic ferromagnetic domains separated by tunnel transparent paramagnetic layers. Such NM and AHE features are also observed in the weakly dielectric InMnAs films, which points to an important role of such effects in the III-Mn-V systems in the vicinity of the insulator-to-metal transition.     

[1 1 1]B-oriented GaAsSb grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

We report the GaAsSb bulk layers and GaAsSb/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) grown on (1 1 1)B GaAs substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy. We found that Sb composition in the GaAsSb epilayers is very sensitive to the substrate temperature. The composition drops from 0.35 to 0.16 as the substrate temperature increases from 450 to 550 °C. The [1 1 1]B-oriented GaAsSb epilayers show phase separation when the substrate temperature is lower than 525 °C. For a GaAsSb/GaAs multiple quantum wells (MQWs) structure composed of five periods of 5 nm GaAs_0.73Sb_0.27 QW and 30 nm GaAs barrier, the room temperature photoluminescence emission is located at 1255, 80 nm longer than the [1 0 0]-oriented sample with the same Sb composition. The peak wavelength shows significant blue shift as the excitation level increases, which evidences the type-II band alignment in this heterostructure.     

Ferromagnetism and anomalous transport in GaAs doped by implantation of Mn and Mg ions

GaAs layers doped by implantation of Mn and Mg ions to increase the hole concentration were synthesized and studied. Measurements using a SQUID magnetometer showed that there is ferromagnetism at temperatures as high as 400 K, which is related to the formation of the MnAs and Mn _y Ga_{1 ? y} clusters as a result of high-temperature annealing, in addition to the formation of the Ga_{1 ? x} Mn _x As alloy. The anomalous Hall effect was observed at temperatures in the range from 4.2 to 200 K. As temperature was increased starting with 4.2 K, the negative magnetoresistance with extremely large magnitude transformed into a giant positive magnetoresistance at T ≈ 35 K.     

Giant modulation of magnetism in(Ga,Mn)As ultrathin films via electric field

Taking the advantages of semiconducting properties and carrier-mediated ferromagnetism in(Ga,Mn)As,a giant modulation of magnetism via electric field in(Ga,Mn)As ultrathin film has been demonstrated.Specifically,huge interfacial electric field is obtained by using ionic liquid as the gate dielectric.Both magnetization and transport measurements are employed to characterize the samples,while the transport data are used to analyze the electric filed effect on magnetism.Complete demagnetization of(Ga,Mn)As film is then realized by thinning its thickness down to ~2 nm,during which the degradation of ferromagnetism of(Ga,Mn)As ultrathin film induced by quantum confinement effect is suppressed by inserting a heavily-doped p-type GaAs buffer layer.The variation of the Curie temperature is more than 100 K,which is nearly 5-times larger than previous results.Our results provide a new pathway on the efficient electrical control of magnetism.     

Influence of growth temperatures on the quality of InGaAs/GaAs quantum well structure grown on Ge substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of an In_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs quantum well（QW） structure（x equals to 0.17 or 0.3） on offcut（100） Ge substrate has been investigated.The samples were characterized by atomic force microscopy,photoluminescence（PL）,and high resolution transmission electron microscopy.High temperature annealing of the Ge substrate is necessary to grow GaAs buffer layer without anti-phase domains.During the subsequent growth of the GaAs buffer layer and an In_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs QW structure,temperature plays a key role. The mechanism by which temperature influences the material quality is discussed.High quality In_xGa_1-x As/GaAs QW structure samples on Ge substrate with high PL intensity,narrow PL linewidth and flat surface morphology have been achieved by optimizing growth temperatures.Our results show promising device applications forⅢ-Ⅴcompound semiconductor materials grown on Ge substrates.     

量子阱平面光学各向异性的偏振差分反射谱研究

在室温下用偏振差分反射谱技术观察到了 Ga As/Al Ga As、In Ga As/Ga As和 In Ga As/In P三种量子阱材料的平面光学各向异性。我们发现 Ga As/Al Ga As量子阱 1 h→ 1 e跃迁的偏振度与阱宽成反比 ,与 In Ga As/In P量子阱的报道结果类似。 Ga原子偏析引起的界面不对称可以很好地解释这种行为。与之相反 ,In Ga As/Ga As量子阱的光学各向异性倾向于与阱宽成正比。目前还不能很好地解释这种现象。     

High-performance strain-compensated InGaAs-GaAsP-GaAs(λ=1.17 μm) quantum well diode lasers

This letter reports studies on highly strained and strain-compensated InGaAs quantum-well (QW) active diode lasers on GaAs substrates, fabricated by low-temperature (550°C) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth. Strain compensation of the (compressively strained) InGaAs QW is investigated by using either InGaP (tensile-strained) cladding layer or GaAsP (tensile-strained) barrier layers. High-performance λ=1.165 μm laser emission is achieved from InGaAs-GaAsP strain-compensated QW laser structures, with threshold current densities of 65 A/cm² for 1500-μm-cavity devices and transparency current densities of 50 A/cm². The use of GaAsP-barrier layers are also shown to significantly improve the internal quantum efficiency of the highly strained InGaAs-active laser structure. As a result, external differential quantum efficiencies of 56% are achieved for 500-μm-cavity length diode lasers     

The optical properties of heterostructures with quantum-confined InGaAsN layers on a GaAs substrate and emitting at 1.3–1.55 μm

Under study is the photoluminescence of two types of MBE-grown heterostructures with quantum-confined InGaAsN/GaAs layers: (1) conventional InGaAsN quantum wells (QWs) in GaAs, and (2) heterostructures with an active region consisting of a short-period GaAsN/InGaAsN superlattice that has an InGaAsN QW with a submonolayer InAs insertion at its center. At room temperature, the structures under study emit light in the range from ～1.3 to ～1.55 μm. In the second type of heterostructure, emission with a wavelength larger than 1.5 μm can be obtained at lower nitrogen and indium concentrations than in a conventional QW. This leads to a significant depression of the effects related to decomposition of an InGaAsN solid solution, thus improving the radiative efficiency of the InGaAsN QWs.     

On the delta-type doping of GaAs-based heterostructures with manganese compounds

Heterostructures, which incorporate GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells and are doped with spatially remote monatomic Mn layers, are formed on GaAs(001) substrate under conditions of multilayer buildup by the method of molecular-beam epitaxy. Combined studies of the obtained samples were performed by the method of secondary-ion mass spectrometry, by measurements of X-ray diffraction, and using a transmission electron microscope. The heterostructures under study with a doping impurity concentration amounting to 0.5 single layers are elastically stressed and demonstrate planar clearly defined interfaces without visible extended or point defects. A method for visualization of the distribution of the manganese concentration in the three-dimensional GaAs matrix in the vicinity of a quantum well is suggested. According to experimental results, there is a probability for manganese diffusion into the GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum well when the critical thickness of the GaAs buffer layer is decreased to a value smaller than 3 nm.     

In-situ monitoring, structural, and optical properties of ultrathin GaSb/GaAs quantum wells grown by OMVPE

We present a study of the growth of strained ultrathin GaSb quantum well (QW) layers in a GaAs host crystal by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). We report surface anisotropy features observed by reflectance difference spectroscopy (RDS) during exposure of the GaAs (001) surface to trimethylantimony (TMSb) and during subsequent growth interruption. We demonstrate the formation of a floating layer of Sb during growth of GaAs over GaSb quantum well layers. The periodic nature of the RDS signal during growth of multiple quantum well (MQW) structures allows us to construct time-resolved RDS spectra, detailing the evolution of the surface anisotropy. We show how x-ray diffraction (XRD) data may be used to determine the graded compositional profile resulting from Sb segregation at the GaAs/GaSb interface. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra at 2 K from MQW structures exhibit two peaks below the GaAs bandgap. The lower-energy peak, which we attribute to a type-II transition at the GaSb/GaAs interface, shifts logarithmically with excitation power density. The higher energy peak shows no shift with excitation power, and is attributed to a transition occurring within the graded barrier layers.     

Well-width dependence of the phase coherent photorefractive effect in ZnSe quantum wells

We report on the well-width dependence of the phase coherent photorefractive (PCP) effect in ZnSe/ZnMgSe single quantum wells (QWs) using 90 fs light pulses. The experiments are performed in a four-wave-mixing configuration at temperatures between 25 and 65 K. The ZnMgSe/ZnSe QWs with 10, 5 and 3 nm well width were grown on GaAs substrate using molecular beam epitaxy. With decreasing QW thickness we observe a reduction of the PCP diffraction efficiency. This is attributed to the higher electron energy in small QWs due to the quantum size effect, which leads to a reduced equilibrium density of captured electrons in the QW. With increasing temperature the PCP signal further decreases which is attributed to thermal activation of the QW electrons back to the GaAs substrate.     

Room-temperature electroreflectance and reflectance of a GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well structure

The room-temperature electroreflectance and reflectance of a GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well (QW) structure are studied. An oscillatory behavior of the electroreflectance signal as a function of the thickness of the top AlGaAs barrier layer is observed. The experimental data are analyzed using a dielectric function of QWs and the transfer matrix method for multilayer systems. This analysis allows the determination of the parameters of the QW and the barrier layers.     

Optical properties and defects in GaAsN and InGaAsN films and quantum well structures

Photoluminescence and microcathodoluminescence spectra of thick-film GaAsN and InGaAsN structures and GaAs/InGaAsN, AlGaAs/InGaAsN quantum wells (QWs) were studied for InGaAsN layers with low nitrogen concentration of 0.35–0.5%. It is shown that in thick-film structures the bandedge luminescence intensity is strongly decreased in the row homoepitaxial GaAs, GaAsN on GaAs buffer, GaAsN, GaAs on GaAsN buffer, InGaAsN which correlates with the increasing concentration of electron traps with activation energy 0.53–0.55 eV. The type of defect bands in the thick-film structures was found to strongly depend on composition of the layers. For the GaAs/InGaAsN QW structures the intensity of luminescence was found to be more than an order of magnitude higher than in InGaAsN single films.     

Effect of the dopant concentration on the luminescence properties of InGaAs/GaAs spin light-emitting diodes with a mn δ layer

The luminescence properties of light-emitting diodes based on GaAs/InGaAs heterostructures containing Mn-doped layers are studied. The dependences of the degree of electroluminescence circular polarization on the growth parameters, specifically, the Mn content and the hole concentration are obtained. A steady increase in the degree of electroluminescence circular polarization and in the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic structure with increasing hole concentration is observed, and a change in sign of the degree of circular polarization under variations in the Mn content is revealed. The data are interpreted on the basis of well-known models of ferromagnetism in structures based on ferromagnetic semiconductors.     

Structural studies of a ferromagnetic GaMnSb layer

The crystalline structure and composition of a GaMnSb film is studied. The film is produced on a GaAs (100) substrate by deposition from laser plasma in a hydrogen flux at a temperature of 400°C. The formation of GaMn inclusions in the GaSb:Mn matrix is detected. The stoichiometry ratio of the inclusions corresponds to that of the Ga_162.5Mn_101.5 compound.     

Mn／Sb多层膜的磁性和磁光特性

用超高真空蒸发技术在GaAs(100)和玻璃衬底上生长不同厚度Mn／Sb多层膜，并经短时间热退火(～1，20min)．磁化强度测量显示具有很强的室温铁磁特性．当多层膜厚度从700l增至1600A时，饱和强度增加了近一倍，极向和纵向克尔角也增加了，但不到一倍．这表明磁化强度和克尔角两者均依赖于多层摸的厚度，但不是简单的正比于厚度的关系．增加Mn／Sb多层膜的厚度能增强饱和磁化强度和极向和纵向克尔饱和角．X射线衍射谱图结果表明高质量单晶结构的Mn／Sb多层膜能用超高真空蒸发技术生长，对较厚的多层薄膜，热退火的时间可很短(约1min)．     

Study of metamorphic InGaAs/GaAs quantum well laser materials grown on GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

The GaAs based InGaAs metamorphic structures and their growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are investigated. The controlling of the source temperature is improved to realize the linearly graded InGaAs metamorphic structure precisely. The threading dislocations are reduced. We also optimize the growth and annealing parameters of the InGaAs quantum well (QW). The 1.3-μm GaAs based metamorphic InGaAs QW is completed. A 1.3-μm GaAs based metamorphic laser is reported.