Lateral photoconductivity of Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots

The spectral dependences of the lateral photoconductivity of Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots are studied. The photoresponse of the Ge/Si structures with Ge nanoclusters is detected in the range 1.0–1.1 eV at T = 290 K, whereas the photocurrent in the single-crystal Si substrate is found to be markedly suppressed. This result can be attributed to the effect of elastic strains induced in the structure on the optical absorption of Si. At temperatures below 120 K, the heterostructures exhibit photosensitivity in the spectral range 0.4–1.1 eV, in which the Si single crystal is transparent. The photocurrent in this range is most likely due to the transitions of holes from the ground states localized in the quantum dots to the extended states of the valence band.     

Specific features of the spectra and relaxation kinetics of long-wavelength photoconductivity in narrow-gap HgCdTe epitaxial films and heterostructures with quantum wells

The spectra and relaxation kinetics of interband photoconductivity are investigated in narrow-gap Hg_{1 ? x} Cd _x Te epitaxial films with x = 0.19–0.23 and in structures with HgCdTe-based quantum wells (QWs), having an interband-transition energy in the range of 30–90 meV, grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs (013) substrates. A long-wavelength sensitivity band caused by impurities or defects is found in the spectra of the structures with quantum wells in addition to the interband photoconductivity. It is shown that the lifetimes of nonequilibrium carriers in the structures with QWs is less than in bulk samples at the same optical-transition energy. From the measured carrier lifetimes, the ampere-watt responsivity and the equivalent noise power for a film with x = 0.19 at a wavelength of 19 μm are estimated. When investigating the relaxation kinetics of the photoconductivity at 4.2 K in high excitation regime, it is revealed that radiative recombination is dominant over other mechanisms of nonequilibrium-carrier recombination.     

Bimodality in Arrays of In<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>As Hybrid Quantum-Confined Heterostructures Grown on GaAs Substrates

Hybrid quantum-confined heterostructures grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) via the deposition of In_0.4Ga_0.6As layers with various nominal thicknesses onto vicinal GaAs substrates are studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The photoluminescence spectra of these structures show the superposition of two spectral lines, which is indicative of the bimodal distribution of the size and/or shape of light-emitting objects in an array. The dominant spectral line is attributed to the luminescence of hybrid “quantum well–dot” nanostructures in the form of a dense array of relatively small quantum dots (QDs) with weak electron and hole localization. The second, lower intensity line is attributed to luminescence from a less dense array of comparatively larger QDs. Analysis of the behavior of the spectral line intensities at various temperatures showed that the density of larger QDs grows with increasing thickness of the InGaAs layer.     

Photoelectric properties of GaAs/InAs heterostructures with quantum dots

The capacitive photovoltage and photoconductivity spectra of GaAs/InAs heterostructures with quantum dots is discussed. For these structures, which were fabricated by metallorganic gas-phase epitaxy, the photosensitivity spectrum has a sawtoothed shape in the wavelength range where absorption by the quantum dots takes place, which is characteristic of a δ-function-like density of states function. The spectra also exhibit photosensitivity bands associated with the formation of single-layer InAs quantum wells in the structure. An expression is obtained for the absorption coefficient of an ensemble of quantum dots with a prespecified size distribution. It is shown that the energy distribution of the joint density of states, the surface density of quantum dots, and the effective cross section for trapping a photon can all be determined by analyzing the photosensitivity spectrum based on this assumption. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 31, 1100–1105 (September 1997)     

“Exciton” photoconductivity in GaAs crystals

The spectral dependence of the photoconductivity in epitaxial GaAs of high purity and crystalline perfection grown on a semiinsulating GaAs substrate are measured at 1.7 and 77 K and analyzed theoretically. The developed theory of photoconductivity spectra takes into consideration the analytical shape of the exciton absorption edge in semiconductor crystals, the transport of photogenerated charge carriers, the finite thickness of the crystal, and the presence of surface recombination centers. It is shown that, when the excitation photon energy is lower than the band gap, the photoconductivity spectrum is determined by elementary excitations of the exciton type, while at higher excitation energies the spectrum is determined by surface states as well as by processes associated with optical-phonon emission. It is found that, in the samples under study, the probability of the direct formation of excitons upon the absorption of light can be comparable to the probability of their formation from a thermalized electron-hole gas.     

Tunnel-coupled InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells: Structure, composition, and energy spectrum

An integrated approach to the analysis of tunnel-coupled InGaAs/GaAs quantum well heterostructures is suggested. In the approach, both experimental and theoretical investigation methods are used. Transmission electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry is used to determine the spatial distribution of the InGaAs alloy??s composition. The photoluminescence and photoconductivity spectra of the structures are recorded experimentally. In order to interpret the results in more detail, computer simulation of the epitaxial growth is performed. By simultaneously solving the Schr?dinger equation and the Poisson equation, the energy states are calculated for the quantum-confined hetertostructure with initial and real composition profiles. The results of calculations are correlated with the data obtained for interband optical transitions from the analysis of the photoluminescence and photoconductivity spectra. Good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results is gained. The approach suggested in the study provides a means for refining the real geometrical features of the structure, for correlating the spectral results with the real composition profile of the structure, and for correcting the structural and growth parameters to improve the optical characteristics of the structure.     

Molecular orbital topology and optical properties of galliumarsenide clusters

The oscillator strength is expressed in terms of a density matrix formulation for optical absorption and is calculated for a GaAs cluster by using the self-consistent-field Xα-scattered wave cluster molecular orbital method. The discrete value of oscillator strength due to optical excitation defined by the selection rule leads to a model of the fundamental nature of the excitonic absorption behavior in GaAs bulk material and quantum well structure. Calculated results of band-to-band transition and exciton states are found to agree well with absorption spectra published in literature. The implication of the excitonic states for the nonlinear-optical behavior observed in GaAs quantum well structures is discussed. The presence of excitonic states may cause a `saturation' phenomenon which will lead to the optical nonlinearity     

QUANTUM MECHANICAL MODEL AND SIMULATION OF GaAs／AlGaAs QUANTUM WELL INFRARED PHOTODETECTOR—Ⅱ ELECTRICAL ASPECTS

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｄｏｎＩｎｔｈｅｆｉｒｓｔｐａｒｔ ,ｗｅｈａｖｅｄｉｓｃｕｓｓｅｄｔｈｅｏｐｉｔｉｃａｌａｓｐｅｃｔｓａｂｏｕｔｔｈｅｑｕａｎｔｕｍｗｅｌｌｉｎｆｒａｒｅｄｐｈｏｔｏｄｅｔｅｃ ｔｏｒ .Ｈｅｒｅｗｅｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｅｄｉｓｃｕｓｓｉｏｎｓａｂｏｕｔｔｈｅｅｌｅｃｔｒｉｃａｌａｓｐｅｃｔｅｓｏｆｔｈｅｄｅｖｉｃｅｍｏｄｅｌａｎｄｓｉｍｕｌａｔｉｏｎ .1　ＤａｒｋＣｕｒｒｅｎｔａｎｄＰｈｏｔｏｃｕｒｒｅｎｔＤｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｅｄｅｆｆｅｃｔｓｏｆｅｘｔｅｒｎａｌｂｉａｓａｃｒｏｓｓｔｈ…     

Piezoelectric field determination in strained InGaAs quantum wells grown on [111]B GaAs substrates by differential photocurrent

The measurement of the differential photocurrent (DP) generated in PIN GaAs diodes with embedded strained InGaAs quantum wells has allowed us to determine the fields both in the GaAs barriers, as well as in the InGaAs strained quantum wells. Based on an electroreflectance (ER) setup, this technique relies on the generated photocurrent and does not require detection of the reflected light. The field in the GaAs barriers is obtained from DP Franz–Keldysh oscillations at photon energies above the GaAs bandgap, while the piezoelectric field in the wells is deduced from a phase change in the DP spectra under flat-band conditions in the quantum wells (QW). With optical power illuminations of a few nW, the in-well screening in these structures becomes negligible. With just 35 mV_RMS of modulating signal added to the diode bias and without photovoltaic effects due to the bias control of the sample, uncertainties in field calculations are reduced. The piezoelectric field values obtained at room temperature in MQW structures with 10 wells of 12 and 18% In content are close to those obtained by similar related techniques. For higher In content (20, 25 and 30%), single quantum well structures were used, also allowing the confirmation of pyroelectric behavior of the structures. Besides, direct comparisons of simultaneously grown [100] and [111] samples clearly reveal the earlier relaxation of the first ones when their QW absorption feature disappears.     

Photocurrent in self-organized InAs quantum dots in 1.3 μm InAs/InGaAs/GaAs semiconductor laser heterostructures

The photocurrent spectra of InAs/InGaAs/GaAs laser heterostructures with self-organized InAs quantum dots (QDs) are studied. The study has been performed with a sample illuminated perpendicularly or in parallel to the QD plane. The optical density of QDs, maximum gain in the laser structure, radiative recombination time, and polarization characteristics of absorption have been determined from the experiment. The photocurrent spectra were correlated with specific features of lasing. The absorption spectrum is interpreted as a superposition of optical transitions between states of the discrete energy spectrum, those between the states of the continuous spectrum, and “mixed” transitions.     

Lateral photoconductivity of multilayer Ge/Si structures with Ge quantum dots

Spectra of lateral photoconductivity of multilayer Ge/Si structures with Ge quantum dots, fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy are studied. The photoresponse caused by optical transitions between hole levels of quantum dots and Si electronic states was observed in the energy range of 1.1–0.3 eV at T = 78 K. It was shown that the electronic states localized in the region of Si band bending near the Ge/Si interface mainly contribute to lateral photoconductivity. The use of the quantum box model for describing hole levels of quantum dots made it possible to understand the origin of peaks observed in the photoconductivity spectra. A detailed energy-level diagram of hole levels of quantum dots and optical transitions in Ge/Si structures with strained Ge quantum dots was constructed.     

Terahertz emission and photoconductivity in n-type GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells: the role of resonant impurity states

Terahertz emission spectra in a longitudinal electric field and lateral photoconductivity spectra under terahertz illumination have been studied in structures with GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs). It is shown that the spectra contain features associated with electron transitions involving resonant impurity states related to the second quantum-well subband. Calculations of the energy spectrum of impurity states and matrix elements of optical transitions made by taking into account various positions of the impurity relative to the QW center confirm the assumptions made.     

GaAs/GaAlAs超晶格的光电流谱研究(英文)

The photocurrent (PC) spectroscopy of the GaAs/AlAs and GaAs/ AlGaAs superlattices (SLs) are studied by using a P-i-N photodiode structure in which the intrinsic regions are composed of SLs. The measurements were made at different temperatures ranging from 15K to 300K and with the application of transverse dc electric field. A sequence of exciton absorption peaks were observed and assigned according to the theoretical predictions based on the Kronig-Penney model calculations of sublevel energies in the coupled multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The SL structure parameters were checked by both the absolute peak positions and the heavy and light hole splittings. The quantum confined Stark effect of excitonic transitions in MQWs which is closely dependent on the barrier and well layer thicknesses was studied. The assignment of some forbidden transitions was proved by different ways. The PC spectroscopy was also measured by the excitation of linear polarized light in a side illumination mode.The anisotropic effect showed distinct features related to heavy and light holes, respectively.     

Coupling of electron states in the InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecule

Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) is used to study electron emission from the states in the system of vertically correlated InAs quantum dots in the p-n InAs/GaAs heterostructures, in relation to the thickness of the GaAs spacer between the two layers of InAs quantum dots and to the reverse-bias voltage. It is established that, with the 100 Å GaAs spacer, the InAs/GaAs heterostructure manifests itself as a system of uncoupled quantum dots. The DLTS spectra of such structures exhibit two peaks that are defined by the ground state and the excited state of an individual quantum dot, with energy levels slightly shifted (by 1–2 eV), due to the Stark effect. For the InAs/GaAs heterostructure with two layers of InAs quantum dots separated by the 40 Å GaAs spacer, it is found that the quantum dots are in the molecule-type phase. Hybridization of the electron states of two closely located quantum dots results in the splitting of the levels into bonding and antibonding levels corresponding to the electron ground states and excited states of the 1s ⁺, 1s ^?, 2p ⁺, 2p ^?, and 3d ⁺ types. These states manifest themselves as five peaks in the DLTS spectra. For these quantum states, a large Stark shift of energy levels (10–40 meV) and crossing of the dependences of the energy on the electric field are observed. The structures with vertically correlated quantum dots are grown by molecular beam epitaxy, with self-assembling effects.     

InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot heterostructures for 3–5 μm IR detectors

Specific features in the formation of InAs quantum dots (QD) by MOCVD were studied in relation to the growing time or equivalent thickness of the InAs layer. TEM and photoluminescence studies have shown that, as the growing time of QDs in a GaAs matrix becomes longer, both the size and shape of the QDs are modified; namely, the aspect ratio increases. Selectively doped multilayer InGaAs/GaAs QD structures were fabricated, and photoconductivity in the IR range was studied for lateral and vertical electron transport. Under a normal incidence of light, intraband photoconductivity in the mid-IR range, 2.5–5 μm, was observed at temperatures of up to 110 K.     

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.     

Photoluminescence study of single-side doped n-AlGaAs/GaAs structures with quantum wells

Photoluminescence spectra of single-side doped n-AlGaAs/GaAs structures have been studied at different quantum well widths and temperatures. The sharp growth of the photoluminescence intensity due to the resonant capture of photoexcited holes by a quantum well has been observed for the first time in such structures. A theoretical model for calculating the quantum states in single-side doped structures is proposed. The self-consistent solution of the system of Schrödinger and Poisson equations is obtained by the perturbation method.     

QUANTUM MECHANICAL MODEL AND SIMULATION OF GaAs/AlGaAs QUANTUM WELL INFRARED PHOTO- DETECTOR-Ⅰ OPTICAL ASPECTS

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎｆｒａｒｅｄｄｅｔｅｃｔｏｒｔｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅｈａｓｂｅｅｎａｋｅｙｆａｃｔｏｒｉｎｔｈｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｏｆｔｈｅｉｎｆｒａｒｅｄｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙｆｏｒｍｏｒｅｔｈａｎ 4 0 ｙｅａｒｓ .Ｓｉｎｃｅ 1970 ,ｓｅｍｉｃｏｎｄｕｃｔｏｒｓｌｉｋｅＩｎＳｂａｎｄＨｇＣｄＴｅｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎｔｈｅｐｒｉｎｃｉｐａｌｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｓｆｏｒｖａｒｉｏｕｓｉｎｆｒａｒｅｄｄｅｔｅｃｔｏｒａｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｓ .Ｔｈｅｆｏｒｍａｔｏｆｔｈｅｉｎｆｒａｒｅｄｄｅｔｅｃｔｏｒｍｏｔｉｖａｔｅｄｂｙｓｍａｒｔｔｈｅｒｍａｌｉｍａｇｉｎｇｓｙｓｔｅｍｃｈａｎｇｅｄｆｒｏｍｓｉｎｇｌｅｅｌｅｍｅｎｔｄｅｖｉｃｅｔｏｆｏｃａｌｐｌａｎａｒｒａｙｓ(ＦＰＡｓ)ｉｎｔｈｅｍｉｄｄｌｅｏｆ 80’ｓ [1].Ｔｏｄａｙ’ｓｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙｏｆｉｎｆｒａｒｅｄｄｅｔｅｃｔｏｒｃｏｎｃｅｎｔｒａｔｅｓｌａｒｇｅｌｙｏｎｆｏｃａｌｐｌａｎａｒｒａｙｓ ,ｅｘｐｅｃｉａｌｌｙｆｏｒｓｅｎｓｉｔｉｖｅ ,ｈｏｍｏｇｅｎｅｏｕｓａｎｄｌａｒｇｅｆｏｒｍａｔｓｃａｌｅｄｅｖｉｃｅｓ .ＨｇＣｄＴｅ...     

Photoelectrical and electrical properties of polycrystalline CdxHg1−x Te layers on GaAs substrates

Temperature dependences of electrical conductivity, concentration, and mobility of electrons, as well as photoconductivity spectra and conductivity-illumination characteristics of Cd_0.8Hg_0.2Te polycrystalline layers grown on GaAs substrates are studied. The features of charge transport and photoconductivity of Cd_xHg_1?x Te/CdTe/GaAs structures are discussed. It is established that a high photoconductivity at a temperature of 300 K and a jump in conductivity-illumination characteristics at high levels of excitation are caused by the influence of electrically active grain boundaries, which produce the potential barriers for the drift and recombination of charge carriers. It is shown within the framework of the semiconductor barrier model with a random potential relief pattern that, for high levels of excitation by the radiation pulses of ruby or neodymium lasers, the height of potential barriers at the grain boundaries lowers due to screening by nonequilibrium carriers.     

Intraband photoconductivity induced by interband illumination in InAs/GaAs heterostructures with quantum dots

The effect of lateral intraband photoconductivity in undoped InAs/GaAs heterostructures with quantum dots (QDs) has been studied, with QD levels populated with carriers by means of interband optical excitation of varied power at different wavelengths. In the absence of interband illumination, no photoconductivity is observed in the mid-IR spectral range. At the same time, additional exposure of the structures to visible or near-IR light gives rise to a strong photoconductivity signal in the mid-IR spectral range (3?C5 ??m), associated with intraband transitions in QDs. The signal is observed up to a temperature of ??200 K. Use of interband optical pumping makes the intraband photoconductivity signal stronger, compared with similar structures in which doping serves to populate QD levels.