Interface-related in-plane optical anisotropy of quantum wells studied by reflectance-difference spectroscopy

The in-plane optical anisotropy of three groups of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structures has been studied by reflectance-difference spectroscopy (RDS). For GaAs/Al0.36Ga0.64As single QW structures, it is found that the optical anisotropy increases quickly as the well width is decreased. For an Al0.02Ga0.98As/AlAs multiple QW with a well width of 20nm, the optical anisotropy is observed not only for the transitions between ground states but also for those between the excited states with transition index n up to 5. An increase of the anisotropy with the transition energy, or equivalently the transition index n, is clearly observed. The detailed analysis shows that the observed anisotropy arises from the interface asymmetry of QWs, which is introduced by atomic segregation or anisotropic interface roughness formed during the growth of the structures. More, when the 1 ML InAs is inserted at one interface of GaAs/AlGaAs QW, the optical anisotropy of the QW can be increased by a factor of 8 due to the enhanced asymmetry of the QW. These results demonstrate clearly that the RDS is a sensitive and powerful tool for the characterization of semiconductor interfaces.

Simulation of polarization effects in AlGaN/GaN heterojunction

A method for introducing polarization effects in the simulation of GaN-based heterojunction devices is proposed. A delta doping layer is inserted at the interface of heterojunction and the ionized donors or acceptors act as polarization induced fixed charges. Thus polarization effects can be taken into account in a traditional device simulator. Ga-face and N-face single AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are simulated, and the simulation results show that carrier confinement takes place only in the former structure while not in the latter one. The sheet density of free electrons at the interface of Ga-face AlGaN/GaN increases with the Al composition and the thickness of AlGaN. The consistence of simulation results with the experiments and calculations reported elsewhere shows that this method can effectively introduce polarization effects in the simulation of GaN-based heterojunction devices.

The influence of AlN/GaN superlattice intermediate layer on the properties of GaN grown on Si(111) substrates

AlN/GaN superlattice buffer is inserted between GaN epitaxial layer and Si substrate before epitaxial growth of GaN layer. High-quality and crack-free GaN epitaxial layers can be obtained by inserting AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer. The influence of AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer on the properties of GaN films are investigated in this paper. One of the important roles of the superlattice is to release tensile strain between Si substrate and epilayer. Raman spectra show a substantial decrease of in-plane tensile strain in GaN layers by using AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer. Moreover, TEM cross-sectional images show that the densities of both screw and edge dislocations are significantly reduced. The GaN films grown on Si with the superlattice buffer also have better surface morphology and optical properties.

Reduction of dislocations in GaN epilayer grown on Si (111) substrates using a GaN intermedial layer

GaN intermedial layers grown under different pressures are inserted between GaN epilayers and AlN/Si(111) substrates. In situ optical reflectivity measurements show that a transition from the three-dimensional (3D) mode to the 2D one occurs during the GaN epilayer growth when a higher growth pressure is used during the preceding GaN intermedial layer growth, and an improvement of the crystalline quality of GaN epilayer will be made. Combining the in situ reflectivity and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements, it is suggested that the lateral growth at the transition of growth mode is favourable for bending of dislocation lines, thus reducing the density of threading dislocations in the epilayer.

Effects of ZnO interlayers on thick GaN/Si film prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

We have successfully prepared a high-quality 2 mu m-thick GaN film with three inserted 30 nm-thick ZnO interlayers on Si (111) substrate without cracks by magnetron sputtering. The effects of the thickness and number of ZnO interlayers on the crystal quality of the GaN films were studied. It was found that the GaN crystal quality initially improved with the increase of the thickness of ZnO interlayers, but deteriorated quickly when the thickness exceeded 30 nm. Multiple ZnO interlayers were used as an effective means to further improve the crystal quality of the GaN film. By increasing the number of interlayers up to three, the cracks can be constrained to a certain extent, and the crystal quality of the GaN film greatly improved. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stress and its effect on optical properties of GaN epilayers grown on Si(111), 6H-SiC(0001), and c-plane sapphire

The stress states in unintentionally doped GaN epilayers grown on Si(111), 6H-SiC(0001), and c-plane sapphire, and their effects on optical properties of GaN films were investigated by means of room-temperature confocal micro-Raman scattering and photoluminescence techniques. Relatively large tensile stress exists in GaN epilayers grown on Si and 6H-SiC while a small compressive stress appears in the film grown on sapphire. The latter indicates effective strain relaxation in the GaN buffer layer inserted in the GaN/sapphire sample, while the 50-nm-thick AlN buffer adopted in the GaN/Si sample remains highly strained. The analysis shows that the thermal mismatch between the epilayers and the substrates plays a major role in determining the residual strain in the films. Finally, a linear coefficient of 21.1+/-3.2 meV/GPa characterizing the relationship between the luminescent bandgap and the biaxial stress of the GaN films is obtained. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Numerical simulation of nc-Si : H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells

AMPS simulator, which was developed by Pennsylvania State University, has been used to simulate photovoltaic performances of nc-Si:H/c-Si solar cells. It is shown that interface states are essential factors prominently influencing open circuit voltages (V-OC) and fill factors (FF) of these structured solar cells. Short circuit current density (J(SC)) or spectral response seems more sensitive to the thickness of intrinsic a-Si:H buffer layers inserted into n(+)-nc-Si:H layer and p-c-Si substrates. Impacts of bandgap offset on solar cell performances have also been analyzed. As DeltaE(C) increases, degradation of VOC and FF owing to interface states are dramatically recovered. This implies that the interface state cannot merely be regarded as carrier recombination centres, and impacts of interfacial layer on devices need further investigation. Theoretical maximum efficiency of up to 31.17% (AM1.5,100mW/cm(2), 0.40-1.1mum) has been obtained with BSF structure, idealized light-trapping effect(R-F=0, R-B=1) and no interface states.

Modification of InAs quantum dot structure by the growth of the capping layer

InAs quantum dots inserted at the middle of a GaAs quantum well structure have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. We find that the growth condition of the overlayer on the InAs dots can lead to drastic changes in the structure of the dots. We attribute the changes to a combination of factors such as preferential growth of the overlayer above the wetting layers because of the strained surfaces and to the thermal instability of the InAs dots at elevated temperature. The result suggests that controlled sublimation, through suitable manipulation of the overlayer growth conditions, can be an effective tool to improve the structure of the self-organized quantum dots and can help tailor their physical properties to any specific requirements of the device applications. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Theoretical investigation on quantum well lasers with extremely low vertical beam divergence and low threshold current

A specially designed quantum well laser for achieving extremely low vertical beam divergence was reported and theoretically investigated. The laser structure was characterized by two low index layers inserted between the waveguide layers and the cladding layers. The additional layers were intended to achieve wide optical spread in the cladding layers and strong confinement in the active region. This enabled significant reduction of beam divergence with no sacrifice in threshold current density. The numerical results showed that lasers with extremely low vertical beam divergence from 20 degrees down to 11 degrees and threshold current density of less than 131 A/cm(2) can be easily achieved by optimization of the structure parameters. Influences of individual key structure parameters on beam divergence and threshold current density are analyzed. Attention is also paid to the minimum cladding layer thicknesses needed to maintain low threshold current densities and low internal loss. The near and far field patterns are given and discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Optical anisotropy of InAs monolayer in (311)-oriented GaAs matrix

In-plane optical anisotropy which comes from the heavy hole and the light hole transitions in an InAs monolayer inserted in (311)-oriented GaAs matrix is observed by reflectance difference spectroscopy. The observed steplike density of states demonstrates that the InAs layer behaves like a two-dimensional quantum well rather than isolated quantum dots. The magnitude of the anisotropy is in good agreement with the intrinsic anisotropy of (311) orientation quantum wells, indicating that there is little structural or strain anisotropy of the InAs layer grown on (311)-oriented GaAs surface.

AlGaN/GaN/InGaN/GaN DH-HEMTs structure with an AlN interlayer grown by MOCVD

A novel AlGaN/GaN/GaN/GaN double heterojunction high electron mobility transistors (DH-HEMTS) structure with an AlN interlayer on sapphire substrate has been grown by MOCVD. The structure featured a 6-10 nm In0.1Ga0.9N layer inserted between the GaN channel and GaN buffer. And wer also inserted one ultrathin. AlN interlayer into the Al/GaN/GaN interface, which significantly enhanced the mobility of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) existed in the GaN channel. AFM result of this structure shows a good surface morphology and a low dislocation density, with the root-mean-square roughness (RMS) of 0.196 nm for a scan area of 5 mu m x 5 mu m. Temperature dependent Hall measurement was performed on this sample, and a mobility as high as 1950 cm(2)/Vs at room temperature (RT) was obtained. The sheet carrier density was 9.89 x10(12) cm(2), and average sheet resistance of 327 Omega/sq was achieved. The mobility obtained in this paper is about 50% higher than other results of similar structures which have been reported. (c) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of AlGaN on GaN template grown by MOCVD - art. no. 68410K

AlxGa1-xN layer was grown on sapphire substrate with GaN template by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition system (MOCVD). High temperature A1N (HT-A1N) interlayer was inserted between AlxGa1-xN layer and GaN template to solve the cracking problem that often appears on AlxGa1-xN surface when directly grown on high temperature GaN template. Optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and cathodoluminescence (CL) were used for characterization. It was found that the cracking was successfully eliminated. Furthermore, the crystalline quality of AlxGa1-xN layer with HT-A1N interlayer was much improved. Interference fringes were found in the HRXRD images. CL test showed that yellow emission was much reduced for AlGaN layer with HT-A1N interlayer.

High-performance multiplexed vibration sensor system based on fiber lasers - art. no. 683019

This paper describes a high-performance multiplexed vibration sensor system using fiber lasers. A serial vibration sensor array consists of four short cavity fiber lasers. The system employs a single, polarization-insensitive, unbalanced Michelson interferometer to translate individual laser wavelength shifts induced by vibration signals into interferometer phase shifts. A dense wavelength division demultiplexor (DWDM) with high channel isolation is inserted to demultiplex each laser signal as a wavelength filter. Finally, a digital phase demodulator based on the phase generated carrier technique is used to achieve high-resolution interrogation. Experimental results show that no observable crosstalk is measured on the output channels, and the minimal detectable acceleration of this system is similar to 200ng/root Hz at 250Hz, which is fundamentally limited by the frequency noise of the lasers.

VCSEL-based parallel optical transmission module

This paper describes the design process and performance of the optimized parallel optical transmission module. Based on 1x12 VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) array, we designed and fabricated the high speed parallel optical modules. Our parallel optical module contains a 1x12 VCSEL array, a 12 channel CMOS laser driver circuit, a high speed PCB (Printed Circuit Board), a MT fiber connector and a packaging housing. The L-I-V characteristics of the 850nm VCSEL was measured at the operating current 8mA, 3dB frequency bandwidth more than 3GHz and the optical output 1mW. The transmission rate of all 12 channels is 30Gbit/s, with a single channel 2.5Gbit/s. By adopting the integration of the 1x12 VCSEL array and the driver array, we make a high speed PCB (Printed Circuit Board) to provide the optoelectronic chip with the operating voltage and high speed signals current. The LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signals) was set as the input signal to achieve better high frequency performance. The active coupling was adopted with a MT connector (8 degrees slant fiber array). We used the Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) packaging. With the edge connector, the module could be inserted into the system dispense with bonding process.

Tunable Ag surface-plasmon-resonance wavelength and its application on the photochromic behavior of TiO2-Ag films

Surface and bulk plasmon resonance of noble metal particles play an essential role in the multicolor photochromism of semiconductor systems containing noble metal particles, Here we examined several key parameters affecting surface plasmon resonance wavelength (SPRW) of Ag particles and investigated the relation between surface plasmon and photochromic reaction wavelength. From the transmission spectra of sandwiched (TiO2/Ag/TiO2) and overcoated (Ag/TiO2) films deposited on quartz substrates at room temperature by rf helicon magnetron sputtering, we demonstrated that the SPRW can be made tunable by changing the surrounding media and thickness of the metal layer. The coloration and bleaching in visible light region due to photochromism were clearly observed for the films inserted with a 0.55 nm Ag layer.