Influence of alpha particle bombardment and postannealing on photoluminescence from GaAs/Al[sub 0.35]Ga[sub 0.65]As multiple quantum wells.

Multiple quantum well (MQW) samples grown by the molecular beam epitaxy method were irradiated by alpha particles from isotope [sup 239]Pu. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra and PL integrated intensity dependencies are presented at various alpha particle fluences, up to 10[sup 11] cm[sup -2]. The experimental results are in agreement with a model which assumes that point centers (residual impurities and point defects introduced during irradiation) are responsible for PL intensity decrease with the alpha particle fluence. It was found that annealing of irradiated MQW samples at a temperature above 650 K nearly restores the PL intensity. An enhancement of PL by more than an order of magnitude was observed at annealing temperatures higher than 850 K, just before GaAs and Al[sub 0.35]Ga[sub 0.65]As interdiffusion begins. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]