In(Ga)As/GaAs self-organized quantum dot lasers: DC andsmall-signal modulation properties

Self-organized growth of InGaAs/GaAs strained epitaxial layers gives rise to an ordered array of islands via the Stranski-Krastanow growth mode, for misfits >1.8%. These islands are pyramidal in shape with a base diagonal of ~20 nm and height of ~6-7 nm, depending of growth parameters. They therefore exhibit electronic properties of zero-dimensional systems, or quantum dots. One or more layers of such quantum dots can be stacked and vertically coupled to form the gain region of lasers. We have investigated the properties of such single-layer quantum dot (SLQD) and multilayer quantum dot (MLQD) lasers with a variety of measurements, including some at cryogenic temperatures. The experiments have been complemented with theoretical calculations of the electronic properties and carrier scattering phenomena in the dots. Our objective has been to elucidate the intrinsic behavior of these devices. The lasers exhibit temperature independent threshold currents up to 85 K, with T₀⩽670 K. Typical threshold currents of 200-μm long room temperature lasers vary from 6 to 20 mA. The small-signal modulation bandwidths of ridge waveguide lasers are 5-7.5 GHz at 300 K and increased to >20 GHz at 80 K. These bandwidths agree well with electron capture times of ~30 ps determined from high-frequency laser impedance measurements at 300 K and relaxation times of ~8 ps measured at 18 K by differential transmission pump-probe experiments. From the calculated results we believe that electron-hole scattering intrinsically limits the high-speed performance of these devices, in spite of differential gains as high as ~7×10^-14 cm² at room temperature     

Electric-field sensor based on a double quantum dot in a microcavity

A scheme for an optical quantum external-electric-field sensor based on a double quantum dot placed in a high-Q semiconductor microcavity is proposed. A model of the dynamic processes occurring in this system is developed, its spectral characteristics are investigated, and the noise stability of the sensor is examined. It is demonstrated that, owing to design features, the device has a number of advantages, including high sensitivity, the presence of different excitation and measurement channels, and the possibility of accurate determination of the spatial field distribution.     

Effect of He+ ion irradiation on the photosensitivity spectra of In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum well and quantum dot heterostructures

The effect of He⁺ ion implantation on the photosensitivity spectra of InGaAs/GaAs quantum well and InAs/GaAs quantum dot heterostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) epitaxy is studied.     

Optical investigation of piezoelectric field effects on excitonic properties in (111)B-grown (In, Ga)As/GaAs quantum wells

The excitonic properties in two (111)B-grown In_0·15Ga_0·85As/GaAs multiple quantum well p-i-n diodes are investigated by thermally-detected optical absorption and electroreflectance rneasurements. The lineshape of the electroreflectance spectra is analysed by means of a multilayer model enabling the energies and the oscillator strengths of excitonic transitions to be deduced. The excitonic characteristic values are calculated by using a variational method. The determination of the variation of the binding energy with in-well field leads to an accurate value of the piezoelectric field in the InGaAs layers. The theoretical oscillator strengths are compared to those obtained from electroreflectance for different excitonic transitions.     

Room-temperature self-organised In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As quantum dot laser on silicon

The first room-temperature operation of In/sub 0.5/Ga/sub 0.5/As quantum dot lasers grown directly on Si substrates with a thin (/spl les/2 /spl mu/m) GaAs buffer layer is reported. The devices are characterised by J/sub th//spl sim/1500 A/cm/sup 2/, output power >50 mW, and large T/sub 0/ (244 K) and constant output slope efficiency (/spl ges/0.3 W/A) in the temperature range 5-95/spl deg/C.     

Submicron p-channel (Al,Ga)As/(In,Ga)As HIGFETs

Submicron p-channel (Al,Ga)As/(In,Ga)As HIGFETs have been optimized for application to high-performance complementary GaAs circuits. Major issues with submicron and deep submicron (L_g⩽0.5-μm) P-channel HIGFETs have been the severe short-channel effects, such as high subthreshold leakage currents and high output conductances. With optimization of the p-type self-aligned implant schedule, control of impurity contamination at the substrate/buffer interfaces and increase of the resistivity of the unintentionally-doped GaAs buffers, high-performance submicron devices have been realized. Typically, 0.5-μm P-HIGFETs yielded room temperature transconductances of 90 mS/mm, drain currents at V_gs =V_ds=-1.5 V of 63 mA/mm, and subthreshold leakage currents near 1 nA. Subthreshold slope of 90 mV/decade and output conductances under 5 mS/mm were realized     

High-performance self-aligned (Al,Ga)As/(In,Ga)As pseudomorphicHIGFETs

Transconductance as high as 676 mS/mm at 300 K was observed to 0.7×10-μm² n-channel devices (HIGFETs) made on epilayers with Al_0.3Ga_0.7As insulator thickness of 200 Å and In_0.15Ga_0.85As channel thickness of 150 Å. An FET K value (K=W_g Uε/2aL_g) as large as 10.6 mA/V ² was also measured from another device with transconductance of 411 mS/mm. The high K values are achieved under normal FET operation without hole-injection or drain-avalanche breakdown effects. These results demonstrate the promise of pseudomorphic (Al,Ga)As/(In,Ga)As HIGFETs for high-performance circuit applications     

Quantum light source devices of In(Ga)As semiconductor self-assembled quantum dots

A brief introduction of semiconductor self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) applied in single-photon sources is given. Single QDs in confined quantum optical microcavity systems are reviewed along with their optical properties and coupling characteristics. Subsequently, the recent progresses in In(Ga)As QDs systems are summarized including the preparation of quantum light sources, multiple methods for embedding single QDs into different microcavities and the scalability of single-photon emitting wavelength. Particularly, several In(Ga)As QD single-photon devices are surveyed including In(Ga)As QDs coupling with nanowires, InAs QDs coupling with distributed Bragg reflection microcavity and the In(Ga)As QDs coupling with micropillar microcavities. Furthermore, applications in the field of single QDs technology are illustrated, such as the entangled photon emission by spontaneous parametric down conversion, the single-photon quantum storage, the chip preparation of single-photon sources as well as the single-photon resonance-fluorescence measurements.     

Influence of composition and anneal conditions on the optical properties of (In, Ga)As quantum dots in an (Al, Ga)As matrix

The optical properties of structures containing InGaAs quantum dots in GaAs and AlGaAs matrices grown by molecular-beam epitaxy are investigated. It is shown that increasing the In content in the quantum dots has the effect of raising the energy of carrier localization and increasing the energy distance between the ground state and the excited states of carriers in the quantum dots. An investigation of the influence of postgrowth annealing on the optical properties of the structures shows that the formation of vertically coupled quantum dots and the use of a wide-gap AlGaAs matrix enhances the thermal stability of the structures. Moreover, high-temperature (830 °C) thermal annealing can improve the quality of the AlGaAs layers in structures with vertically coupled InGaAs quantum dots in an AlGaAs matrix. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using postgrowth annealing to improve the characteristics of quantum dot lasers. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 33, 91–96 (January 1999)     

In(Ga)As量子点红外探测器

讨论了量子点红外探测器的工作原理、性能参数、暗电流形成机理及其优势,介绍了In(Ga)As量子点红外探测器的主要结构、性能和取得的最新结果,最后探讨了如何进一步提高量子点红外探测器的性能。指出要实现量子点红外探测器的优势,必须优化量子点生长条件,让量子点更小、更均匀和密度更大;必须提高量子点的掺杂控制和掺杂水平,实现每个量子点中有1～2个电子;必须降低量子点生长中引入的应力,增加量子点有源区的层数;此外,还必须寻求新的量子点红外探测器结构。     

Nonclassical Light Sources Based on Selectively Positioned Deterministic Microlens Structures and (111) In(Ga)As Quantum Dots

Semiconductors - The results of investigations of the optical characteristics of nonclassical light sources based on selectively positioned microlens structures and single (111) In(Ga)As quantum...     

一种基于混合量子点的橙光量子点LED制备

为研究混合量子点(QD)发光二极管(QLED)的性能, 利用红、绿量子点混合作为发光层,制备了结构为 ITO/PEDOT:PSS/poly-TPD/QDs(红、绿1∶1混合)/ZnO/Al的橙光QLED,并与 结构为 ITO/PEDOT:PSS/poly-TPD/QDs(红光)/ZnO/Al的红光QLED进行了对比。实验结果表明, 基于红、绿QD混合的橙光QLED的制备方法是有效的,制备的橙光QLED 电流密度和亮度均小 于红光QLED, 但电流效率远大于红光QLED。研究发现,器件性能与各功能层能级以及厚度密切相关,应通 过选取适当能 级的发光层材料,将注入的空穴以及电子同时限制在发光层内从而提高器件的电流效率,并 调节各功能层 厚度使得载流子注入平衡从而提高器件性能。     

Operation of strained-layer (In,Ga)As quantum well lasers preparedon (112)B GaAs substrate

The operation of (In,Ga)As quantum well lasers prepared on [112]-oriented GaAs substrates is reported. Threshold current densities as low as 187 A/cm² for a 1.57 mm-long device have been obtained under pulsed-mode operation. The demonstration of laser action in a heterostructure grown on the [112]-oriented substrate is important for the design of blue-green light emitters by second harmonic generation     

Optical and morphological properties of In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots grown on novel index surfaces

Optical and morphological properties of self assembled In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dot systems, grown on high index (N11) substrates, for a wide range of orientations, coverages and compositions, are presented and reviewed. The use of high Miller index substrate orientations permits to intervene on major quantum dots properties such as shape, size distribution, transition energy and emission polarisation, thus opening a wide range of device design opportunities.     

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.     

Growth optimization and optical properties of GaAs-(Ga,Al)As quantum well structures on UV-ozone prepared nominal (111)B GaAs surfaces

GaAs and (Ga,Al)As---GaAs quantum well (QW) structures have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on nominal (111)B oriented GaAs substrates. The substrate preparation technique involving UV-ozone oxidation was observed to lead to a rough surface after oxide desorption. Mirror-like layer surfaces have nevertheless been achieved by applying a careful procedure during the first stages of growth in order to recover surface flatness. New evidence of planarization is presented, based on the frequency analysis of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) intensity oscillations during growth. QWs grown at a moderate substrate temperature (about 610°C) have been obtained with sharp excitonic transitions whose photoluminescence (PL) emission linewidths are comparable to those obtained on misoriented (111)B substrates. In contrast, the use of higher substrate temperatures was found to provide rougher interfaces due to GaAs sublimation during growth interruption at each interface, as revealed by continuous wave and time-resolved PL measurements.     

采用Ga(In,As)P异变缓冲层的GaP/Si衬底上InAs量子阱

本工作在GaP/Si衬底上基于In0.83Al0.17As异变缓冲层实现了InAs/In0.83Al0.17As量子阱的生长.研究了GaxIn1-xP和GaAsyP1-y递变缓冲层对量子阱结构材料性能的影响.采用GaxIn1-xP组分渐变缓冲层的样品X射线衍射倒易空间衍射峰展宽更小,表明样品中的失配位错更少.两个样品均...     

Anisotropy of the spatial distribution of In(Ga)As quantum dots in In(Ga)As-GaAs multilayer heterostructures studied by X-ray and synchrotron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy

High-resolution X-ray and synchrotron (crystal truncation rods) diffraction methods and transmission electron microscopy have been employed to study MBE-grown multilayer In(Ga)As-GaAs heterostructures with arrays of vertically coupled In(Ga)As quantum dots (QDs) in a GaAs matrix. Additional (vertical and lateral) spatial ordering of QDs in perfect crystalline structures, giving rise to undulations of the crystalline planes and quasi-periodic elastic strain, was shown to be essentially anisotropic with respect to crystallographic directions of the [110] type. The anisotropy of the QD formational system of can be accounted for by assuming that the spatial ordering of the QDs and the corrugation of the crystal planes are the initial stages of relaxation of the elastic strain introduced into the system by the QDs. The anisotropic relief of the crystal planes (corrugated growth surface) results from the formation of a system of spatially ordered quantum quasi-wires uniformly filled with QDs. In a multilayer heterostructure with high crystal perfection, the anisotropic relief of the crystal planes is inherited by overlying layers and its amplitude decreases gradually with increasing distance from the source of elastic strain—the superstructure containing In(Ga)As QDs in the given case.     

Analysis of mechanisms of carrier emission in the p-i-n structures with In(Ga)As quantum dots

With the help of the photocurrent spectroscopy, the mechanism of emission of charge carriers from energy levels of the (In,Ga)As/(Al,Ga)As quantum dots of different design are studied. Thermal activation is shown to be the main mechanism of carrier emission from the quantum dots for the isolated layer of quantum dots separated by wide (Al,Ga)As spacer layers. At a small width of the (Al,Ga)As spacer layer, when electron binding of separate layers of the quantum dots in the vertical direction takes place, the role of the tunneling mechanism of carrier emission between the vertically coupled quantum dots increases.     

In0.5Ga0.5As/In0.5Al0.5As应变耦合量子点的形貌和光学性质

提出了利用分子束外延方法生长In0.5Ga0.5As/In0.5Al0.5As应变耦合量子点,并分析量子点的形貌和光学性质随GaAs隔离层厚度变化的特点.实验结果表明,随着耦合量子点中的GaAs隔离层厚度从2 nm增加到10 nm,In0.5Ga0.5As量子点的密度增大、均匀性提高,Al原子扩散和浸润层对量子点PL谱的影响被消除,而且InAlAs材料的宽禁带特征使其成为InGaAs量子点红外探测器中的暗电流阻挡层.由此可见,选择合适的GaAs隔离层厚度形成InGaAs/InAlAs应变耦合量子点将有益于InGaAs量子点红外探测器的研究.