RESUMEN
In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of the optical properties of non-polar and polar GaN/AlGaN multi-quantum well (MQW) structures by time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) and pressure-dependent studies. The lack of internal electric fields across the non-polar structures results in an improved electron and hole wavefunction overlap with respect to the polar structures. Therefore, the radiative recombination presents shorter decay times, independent of the well width. On the contrary, the presence of electric fields in the polar structures reduces the emission energy and the wavefunction overlap, which leads to a strong decrease in the recombination rate when increasing the well width. Taking into account the different energy dependences of radiative recombination in non-polar and polar structures of the same geometry, and assuming that non-radiative processes are energy independent, we attempted to explain the 'S-shape' behavior of the PL energy observed in polar GaN/AlGaN QWs, and its absence in non-polar structures. This approach has been applied previously to InGaN/GaN structures, showing that the interplay of radiative and non-radiative recombination processes can justify the 'S-shape' in polar InGaN/GaN MQWs. Our results show that the differences in the energy dependences of radiative and non-radiative recombination processes cannot explain the 'S-shape' behavior by itself, and localization effects due to the QW width fluctuation are also important. Additionally, the influence of the electric field on the pressure behavior of the investigated structures was studied, revealing different pressure dependences of the PL energy in non-polar and polar MQWs. Non-polar MQWs generally follow the pressure dependence of the GaN bandgap. In contrast, the pressure coefficients of the PL energy in polar QWs are highly reduced with respect to those of the bulk GaN, which is due to the hydrostatic-pressure-induced increase in the piezoelectric field in quantum structures and the nonlinear behavior of the piezoelectric constant.
RESUMEN
In this paper, ab initio calculations are used to determine polarization difference in zinc blende (ZB), hexagonal (H) and wurtzite (WZ) AlN-GaN and GaN-InN superlattices. It is shown that a polarization difference exists between WZ nitride compounds, while for H and ZB lattices the results are consistent with zero polarization difference. It is therefore proven that the difference in Berry phase spontaneous polarization for bulk nitrides (AlN, GaN and InN) obtained by Bernardini et al. and Dreyer et al. was not caused by the different reference phase. These models provided absolute values of the polarization that differed by more than one order of magnitude for the same material, but they provided similar polarization differences between binary compounds, which agree also with our ab initio calculations. In multi-quantum wells (MQWs), the electric fields are generated by the well-barrier polarization difference; hence, the calculated electric fields are similar for the three models, both for GaN/AlN and InN/GaN structures. Including piezoelectric effect, which can account for 50% of the total polarization difference, these theoretical data are in satisfactory agreement with photoluminescence measurements in GaN/AlN MQWs. Therefore, the three models considered above are equivalent in the treatment of III-nitride MQWs and can be equally used for the description of the electric properties of active layers in nitride-based optoelectronic devices.
RESUMEN
Deep ultraviolet AlGaN-based nanorod (NR) arrays were fabricated by nanoimprint lithography and top-down dry etching techniques from a fully structural LED wafer. Highly ordered periodic structural properties and morphology were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with planar samples, cathodoluminescence measurement revealed that NR samples showed 1.92-fold light extraction efficiency (LEE) enhancement and a 12.2-fold internal quantum efficiency (IQE) enhancement for the emission from multi-quantum wells at approximately 277 nm. The LEE enhancement can be attributed to the well-fabricated nanostructured interface between the air and the epilayers. Moreover, the reduced quantum-confined stark effect accounted for the great enhancement in IQE.
RESUMEN
Growth and characterization of advanced group IV semiconductor materials with CMOS-compatible applications are demonstrated, both in photonics. The investigated GeSn/SiGeSn heterostructures combine direct bandgap GeSn active layers with indirect gap ternary SiGeSn claddings, a design proven its worth already decades ago in the III-V material system. Different types of double heterostructures and multi-quantum wells (MQWs) are epitaxially grown with varying well thicknesses and barriers. The retaining high material quality of those complex structures is probed by advanced characterization methods, such as atom probe tomography and dark-field electron holography to extract composition parameters and strain, used further for band structure calculations. Special emphasis is put on the impact of carrier confinement and quantization effects, evaluated by photoluminescence and validated by theoretical calculations. As shown, particularly MQW heterostructures promise the highest potential for efficient next generation complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible group IV lasers.
RESUMEN
There is considerable interest in the development of InAsSb-based nanowires for infrared photonics due to their high tunability across the infrared spectral range, high mobility, and integration with silicon electronics. However, optical emission is currently limited to low temperatures due to strong nonradiative Auger and surface recombination. Here, we present a new structure based on conical type II InAsSb/InAs multiquantum wells within InAs nanowires which exhibit bright mid-infrared photoluminescence up to room temperature. The nanowires are grown by catalyst-free selective area epitaxy on silicon. This unique geometry confines the electron-hole recombination to within the quantum wells which alleviates the problems associated with recombination via surface states, while the quantum confinement of carriers increases the radiative recombination rate and suppresses Auger recombination. This demonstration will pave the way for the development of new integrated quantum light sources operating in the technologically important mid-infrared spectral range.
RESUMEN
InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) are grown on (0001) sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with special growth parameters to form V-shaped pits simultaneously. Measurements by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrate the formation of MQWs on both (0001) and ([Formula: see text]) side surface of the V-shaped pits. The latter is known to be a semi-polar surface. Optical characterizations together with theoretical calculation enable us to identify the optical transitions from these MQWs. The layer thickness on ([Formula: see text]) surface is smaller than that on (0001) surface, and the energy level in the ([Formula: see text]) semi-polar quantum well (QW) is higher than in the (0001) QW. As the sample temperature is increased from 15 K, the integrated cathodoluminescence (CL) intensity of (0001) MQWs increases first and then decreases while that of the ([Formula: see text]) MQWs decreases monotonically. The integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity of (0001) MQWs increases significantly from 15 to 70 K. These results are explained by carrier injection from ([Formula: see text]) to (0001) MQWs due to thermal excitation. It is therefore concluded that the emission efficiency of (0001) MQWs at high temperatures can be greatly improved due to the formation of semi-polar MQWs.