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We report on the comparative electronic state characteristics of particular GaInNAs/GaAs quantum well structures that emit near 1.3 and 1.5 μm wavelength at room temperature. While the electronic structure of the 1.3 μm sample is consistent with a standard quantum well, the 1.5 μm sample demonstrate quite different characteristics. By using photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectroscopy at various detection wavelengths, we demonstrate that the macroscopic electronic states in the 1.5 μm structures originate from phase-separated quantum dots instead of quantum wells. PL measurements with spectrally selective excitation provide further evidence for the existence of composition-separated phases. The evidence is consistent with phase segregation during the growth leading to two phases, one with high In and N content which accounts for the efficient low energy 1.5 μm emission, and the other one having lower In and N content which contributes metastable states and only emits under excitation in a particular wavelength range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid thermal annealing combined with SiO[sub 2] caps deposited on the surface of samples by different techniques is used to selectively disorder 1.3 µm GaInNAs/GaAs multiquantum wells which have been preannealed in situ to the stage of blueshift saturation. After thermal annealing under specific conditions, a shift in band gap of over 170 meV has been obtained in sputtered SiO[sub 2]-capped samples, while uncapped and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited SiO[sub 2]-capped samples demonstrated a negligible shift. Quantum well intermixing in sputtered SiO[sub 2]-capped samples originates from enhanced compositional interdiffusion due to the generation of point defects by ion bombardment during the sputtering process. Secondary ion mass spectrometry has confirmed that the enhanced blueshift was caused by the interdiffusion of group III atoms (In and Ga) between the quantum wells and barriers. Detailed photoluminescence and excitation spectroscopy were performed to study the optical properties of both intermixed and nonintermixed samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical properties of GaInNAs/GaAs multi-quantum wells were investigated by photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy, as well as by photoluminescence (PL), under various excitation intensities and at various temperatures. The PLE spectra demonstrated pronounced excitonic features and the corresponding transitions were identified. At low temperatures the PL spectra were sensitive to the excitation intensity. Under fixed excitation intensity, both the peak energy and the linewidth of photoluminescence showed anomalous temperature dependence, specifically an S-shaped temperature dependence of the peak energy and a N-shaped temperature dependence of linewidth in the PL spectra. The observed results are explained consistently in terms of the exciton localization effect due to the local fluctuations of nitrogen concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the continuous-wave amplification characteristics of an optically pumped 1.3-μm multiple-quantum-well GaInNAs-GaAs vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA). The VCSOA structure was monolithically grown by molecular beam epitaxy and operated in reflection mode in a fiber-coupled system. The maximum on-chip gain attained, limited by the onset of laser action, was 15.6 dB at 196 mW of 980-nm pump power. For a chip gain of 10.4 dB, the optical bandwidth was 10.8 GHz and the saturation output power was -9 dBm. By varying the pump laser power, a maximum extinction ratio of 22.3 dB was obtained. Temperature-Controlled tuneable operation of the device is also presented and demonstration of 9 dB of chip gain obtained over 9.5 um with an optical bandwidth of 12 GHz is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the influence of surface-related states on the relaxation of carriers within single (Ga,In)N/GaN quantum wells. Two identical samples that differ only in the thickness of the top GaN cap layer were studied. Photoluminescence and pump-probe measurements reveal significant variations in the quantum well integrated emission and the carrier relaxation decay times in the two samples, when probing both the ground and excited states of the wells. The variations are attributed to the presence of an efficient nonradiative relaxation channel associated with the proximity of the quantum well excitations to the surface-related states in the thin-cap sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparable microcavities with 3λ/2 (∼240 nm) active regions containing distributed (In,Ga)N quantum wells, grown on GaN substrates and bounded by two dielectric mirrors, have been fabricated by two different routes: one using laser lift-off to process structures grown on GaN-on-sapphire templates and the second using freestanding GaN substrates, which are initially processed by mechanical thinning. Both exploit the properties of an Al0.83In0.17N layer, lattice matched to the GaN substrate and spacer layers. In both cases cavity quality factors >400 are demonstrated by measurements of the cavity-filtered room-temperature excitonic emission near 410 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report the temperature dependent photoluminescence characteristics of a series of GaInNAsSb/Ga(N)As double quantum wells which all emit at 1.5–1.55 μm at room temperature and whose design is such that the quantum wells have nominally identical valence band profiles but show different confinement depth in the conduction band. The photoluminescence quenching at high temperature demonstrates a thermal activation energy independent of the conduction band offset and can be most plausibly attributed to the unipolar thermalization of holes from the quantum wells to the barriers. This effect will intrinsically limit the flexibility of heterostructure design using GaInNAs(Sb), as it would for any other material system with small valence band offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the influence of quantum-well intermixing (QWI) on the electronic band structure of GaInNAs/GaAs multiquantum wells. The band structures and optical transitions have been calculated based on the band-anticrossing (BAC) model and Fick’s interdiffusion law for both intermixed and nonintermixed samples, respectively. The calculated results are consistent with the true optical transitions observed by photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Our investigation indicates that BAC model is valid for interdiffused quantum wells and verifies that the QWI process in GaInNAs/GaAs multiquantum wells is induced mainly by the interdiffusion of In–Ga between the quantum wells and barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality GaInN(Sb)As/GaNAs double quantum wells (QWs) which emit at 1.54 μm wavelength at room temperature with a narrow linewidth of ∼34 meV (12 meV at 5 K) were fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates. Photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy were used to study the electronic states and optical properties of these heterostructures. By characterizing samples grown using different fluxes of Sb, the role played by Sb in the growth process and optical properties was elucidated. At low Sb flux, Sb atoms act mainly as a surfactant which improves the microstructure of the QWs and enhances the photoluminescence intensity. With an increase of Sb flux, some of the Sb atoms may incorporate into GaInNAs to form a quinary compound. In the latter case, the incorporation of Sb could also enhance the N composition in the QWs, which may be responsible for the further reduction of the band gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the temperature-dependent photoluminescence characterization of InNxAs1-x/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP multiple quantum wells with various N contents emitting in the midinfrared wavelength range. The emission wavelength in this material system can be tuned by the N content, but the bowing effect is much weaker than in GaNAs. The correlation between the optical properties and the interface quality is demonstrated by examining the barrier-related emission. The role played by N is elucidated by comparing quantum well samples having either zero, low (0.25%) or high (5%) N content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the effects of combined strain-compensating and strain-mediating layers of various widths on the optical properties of 1.3 μm GaInNAs/GaAs single quantum well structures grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). While the emission wavelength of GaInNAs/GaAs quantum wells can be redshifted by the adoption of strain-compensated GaNAs layers, the material quality is degraded by the increased stress at the well/barrier interface. This detrimental effect can be cured by inserting a strain-mediating InGaAs layer between them. Contrary to what is expected, however, the emission wavelength is blueshifted by the insertion of the InGaAs layer, which is attributed to the reduced N incorporation due to the improved interface quality. Our results indicate that the optical properties of MOVPE-grown GaInNAs/GaAs quantum wells can be optimized in quantum efficiency and emission wavelength by combination of strain-compensating and strain-mediating layers with suitable characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report optical studies of high-quality 1.3 μm strain-compensated GaInNAs/GaAs single-quantum-well structures grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy shows clearly the electronic structure of the two-dimensional quantum well. The transition energies between quantized states of the electrons and holes are in agreement with theoretical calculations based on the band anti-crossing model in which the localized N states interact with the extended states in the conduction band. We also investigated the polarization properties of the luminescence by polarized edge-emission measurements. Luminescence bands with different polarization characters arising from the electron to heavy-hole and light-hole transitions, respectively, have been identified and verify the transition assignment observed in the PLE spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A technique based on the Fresnel diffraction effect for the fabrication of nano-scale site-controlled ring structures in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well structures has been demonstrated. The ring structures have an internal diameter of 500 nm and a wall width of 300 nm. A 1 cm-1 Raman shift has been measured, signifying substantial strain relaxation from the fabricated structure. The 9 nm blueshift observed in the cathodoluminescence spectra can be attributed to band filling and/or screening of the piezoelectric field. A light emitting diode based on this geometry has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A size-dependent strain relaxation and its effects on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (QWs) in micro-pillars have been investigated through a combination of high spatial resolution cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging and numerical modeling. The pillars have diameters (d) ranging from 2 to 150 μm and were fabricated from a III-nitride light-emitting diode (LED) structure optimized for yellow-green emission at ∼560 nm. The CL mapping enables us to investigate strain relaxation in these pillars on a sub-micron scale and to confirm for the first time that a narrow (≤2 μm) edge blue-shift occurs even for the large InGaN/GaN pillars (d > 10 μm). The observed maximum blue-shift at the pillar edge exceeds 7 nm with respect to the pillar centre for the pillars with diameters in the 2-16 μm range. For the smallest pillar (d = 2 μm), the total blue-shift at the edge is 17.5 nm including an 8.2 nm 'global' blue-shift at the pillar centre in comparison with the unetched wafer. By using a finite element method with a boundary condition taking account of a strained GaN buffer layer which was neglected in previous simulation works, the strain distribution in the QWs of these pillars was simulated as a function of pillar diameter. The blue-shift in the QWs emission wavelength was then calculated from the strain-dependent changes in piezoelectric field, and the consequent modification of transition energy in the QWs. The simulation and experimental results agree well, confirming the necessity for considering the strained buffer layer in the strain simulation. These results provide not only significant insights into the mechanism of strain relaxation in these micro-pillars but also practical guidance for design of micro/nano LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an investigation of selective quantum-well intermixing (QWI) in 1.3-μm GaInNAs/GaAs multi quantum wells by silica-cap-induced disordering processes. After thermal annealing under specific conditions, controlled shifts of band gap at room temperature of over 200 nm have been observed in sputtered SiO[SUB2]-capped samples, while uncapped and SiO[SUB2]-capped samples by) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition demonstrated negligible shift. This selective modification of the band gap in GaInNAs quantum wells has been confirmed by detailed photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, and by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The controlled tuning of the band gap of GaInNAs/GaAs by QWI is important for a wide range of photonic integrated circuits and advanced device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the nitrogen-concentration dependence of optical transitions between quantized states of electrons and holes in GaInNAs/GaAs multi-quantum wells. Using low-temperature photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, systematic studies have been performed on a series of samples with nitrogen concentrations in the range 0%-1.14%. The observed data were compared with theoretical fitting based on the band anticrossing model in which the localized N states interact with the extended states in the conduction band, taking strain effects into account. Our results are consistent with the band anticrossing model, but with differing coupling strength between different quantum states of electrons in the quantum wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the electronic states in strained Ga[sub 0.62]In[sub 0.38]N[sub 0.015]As[sub 0.985]/GaAs multiple- quantum-well structures using photoluminescence and (polarized) photoluminescence excitation measurements at low temperature. From a theoretical fit to the experimental data, a type-I band alignment for the heavy holes with a strained conduction-band offset ratio of about 80% is obtained, while the light holes show an approximately flat band alignment. Additionally, our results suggest an increased effective electron mass in GaInNAs, possibly due to the interaction of the conduction band with nitrogen-related resonant states, an observation prospectively of benefit for GaInNAs-based diode lasers. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]