Effects of piezoelectricity and spontaneous polarization on electronic and optical properties of wurtzite III-V nitride quantum wells

A theoretical model accounting for the macropolarization effects in wurtzite III-V nitrides quantum wells (QWs) is presented. Energy dispersions and exciton binding energies are calculated within the framework of effective-mass theory and variational approach, respectively. Exciton-associated transitions (EATs) are studied in detail. An energy redshift as high as 450 meV is obtained in Al0.25GaN0.75/GaN QWs. Also, the abrupt reduction of optical momentum matrix elements is derived as a consequence of quantum-confined Stark effects. EAT energies are compared with recent photoluminescence (PL) experiments and numerical coherence is achieved. We propose that it is the EAT energy, instead of the conduction-valence-interband transition energy that is comparable with the PL energy. To restore the reduced transition rate, we apply an external electric field. Theoretical calculations show that with the presence of the external electric field the optical matrix elements for EAT increase 20 times. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Determination of the macroscopic optical properties for the NAEC/PEK-c guest-host polymer films

The polyetherketone (PEK-c) guest-host polymer films doped with (4'-nitro)-3-azo-9-ethyl-carbazole (NAEC) were prepared. The films were poled by corona-onset poling at elevated temperature (COPET). The orientational order parameter of the chromophores NAEC in poled polymer film was determined by measuring the absorption spectra of the films before and after being poled. By using the two-level model, the measured dispersion of the refractive index of the polymer film, and the dispersion of the first hyperpolarizability of chromophore NAEC, the dispersion of the macroscopic second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) and linear electrooptic (EO) coefficients was evaluated for the NAEC/PEK-c guest-host polymer film. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fine structure of the plasmon resonance absorption peak of Ag nanoparticles embedded in partially oxidized Si matrix

Ag/Si nanocomposite films were prepared by the radio-frequency magnetron cosputtering method. The fine structure of the plasmon resonance absorption peak was found in film samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the samples were composed of a two-layer structure, which accounted for the structure of the optical absorption spectra. The peak located near 445 nm is the plasmon resonance absorption peak of Ag nanoparticles embedded in a partially oxidized Si matrix. Its intensity decreases with decreasing film thickness and disappears in a very thin sample. The peak located near 380 nm originates from the plasmon resonance absorption of the thoroughly oxidized surface layer of the sample. Its intensity does not change with increasing thickness, but it cannot be observed in the very thick sample. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Optical properties of nanocrystalline silicon embedded in SiO2

Nanocrystalline silicon embedded SiO2 matrix has been formed by annealing the a-SiOx films fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra of, the films have been studied in conjunction with micro-Raman scattering spectra. It is found that absorption presents an exponential dependence of absorption coefficient to photon energy in the range of 1.5-3.0 eV, and a sub-band appears in the range of 1.0-1.5 eV. The exponential absorption is due to the indirect band-to-band transition of electrons in silicon nanocrystallites, while the sub-band absorption is ascribed to transitions between surfaces and/or defect states of the silicon nanocrystallites. The existence of Stokes shift between absorption and photoluminescence suggests that the phonon-assisted luminescence would he enhanced due to the quantum confinement effects.

Comparative study of the structural properties of nanocrystalline Ge : H plasma deposited onto the cathode and the anode using high hydrogen dilutions

Nanocrystalline Ge:H thin films were deposited simultaneously on both electrodes of a conventional capacitively coupled reactor for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using highly H-2 diluted GeH4 as the source gas. The structure of the films was investigated by Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction as a function of substrate temperature, H-2 dilution, and r.f. power. The hydrogen concentrations and bonding configurations were determined by infrared absorption spectroscopy. For anodic deposition, the preferred crystallographic orientation and film crystallinity depend rather strongly on the deposition parameters. This dependence can be explained by changing surface mobilities of adsorbed precursors due to changes in the hydrogen coverage of the growing surface. Cathodic deposition is much less sensitive to variations in the deposition parameters. It generally results in films of high crystallinity with randomly oriented crystallizes. Some possible mechanisms for these differences between anodic and cathodic deposition are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Optical properties of Ge self-organized quantum dots in Si

Small-size, high-density, and vertical-ordering Ge quantum dots are observed in strained Si/Ge short-period superlattices grown on Si(001) at low growth temperature by molecular-beam epitaxy. The photoluminescence (PL) peak position, the strong PL at room temperature, and the high exciton binding energy suggest an indirect-to-direct conversion of the Ge quantum dots. This conversion is in good agreement with the theoretical prediction. The characteristic of absorption directly indicates this conversion. The tunneling of carriers between these quantum dots is also observed. [S0163-1829(98)03515-2].

Evaluation of thermal radiation dependent performance of GaSb thermophotovoltaic cell based on an analytical absorption coefficient model

Applying the model dielectric function method, we have expressed the absorption coefficient of GaSb analytically at room temperature relating to the contribution of various critical points of its electronic band structure. The calculated absorption spectrum shows good agreement with the reported experimental data obtained by spectral ellipsometry on nominally undoped sample. Based on this analytical absorption spectrum, we have qualitatively evaluated the response of active absorbing layer structure and its photoelectric conversion properties of GaSb thermophotovoltaic device on the perturbation of external thermal radiation induced by the varying radiator temperature or emissivity. Our calculation has demonstrated that desirable thickness to achieve the maximum conversion efficiency should be decreased with the increment of radiator temperature and the performance degradation brought by any structure deviation from its optimal one would be stronger meanwhile. For the popular radiator temperature, no more than 1500 K in a real solar thermophotovoltaic system, and typical doping profile in GaSb cell, a reasonable absorbing layer structure parameter should be controlled within 100-300 nm for the emitter while 3000-5000 nm for the base.

Influence of dielectric properties of a substrate upon plasmon resonance spectrum of supported Ag nanoparticles

Plasmon resonance spectra of supported Ag nanoparticles are studied by depositing the particles on different substrates. It was found that the dielectric properties of the substrates have significant effects on the spectral line shape, except the resonance frequency. Beyond the plasmon resonance band, the spectral shape is mainly governed by the dielectric function, particularly its imaginary part, of the substrate. The plasmon resonance band, on the other hand, may be severely distorted if the substrate is absorbing strongly.

Nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor quantum wells under intense terahertz radiation

The nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor quantum wells driven by intense in-plane terahertz electric fields are investigated theoretically by employing the extended semiconductor Bloch equations. The dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect of the optical absorption near the band edge is analyzed with Coulomb correlation among the carriers included. The in-plane terahertz field induces a variety of behavior in the absorption spectra, including terahertz replicas of the (dark) 2p exciton and terahertz sidebands of the 1s exciton. The dependence of these interesting features on the intensity, frequency, and phase of the terahertz field is explored in detail.

Formation and Properties of a Novel Heavy-Metal Chalcogenide Glass Doped with a High Dysprosium Concentration

A novel heavy-metal chalcogenide glass doped with a high dysprosium ion (Dy(3+)) concentration was prepared by the well-established melt-quenching technique from high-purity elements. The results show that when Cadmium (Cd) is introduced into chalcogenide glass, the concentration of Dy(3+) ions doped in GeGaCdS glasses is markedly increased, the thermodynamic performance improves, and the difference between T(g) and T(x) is >120 degrees C. The Vickers microhardness is also modified greatly, about 245 kgf/mm(2). The optical spectra indicate that all absorption and emission bands of Dy(3+) are clearly observed and red-shifted with increasing Dy(3+) concentration.

LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXY GROWTH AND PROPERTIES OF GAINASSB/ALGAASSB/GASB HETEROSTRUCTURES

The GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb/GaSb heterostructures were grown by the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique. The materials were characterized by means of optical microscopy, electroprobe microanalysis (EPMA), double-crystal X-ray diffraction, capacitance-voltage (C-V) and Van der Pauw measurments, infrared absorption spectra, photoluminescence and laser Raman scattering. The results show that the materials have fine surface morphology, low lattice mismatch and good homogeneity. Room-temperature light-emitting diodes with an emission wavelength of 2.2-mu-m were obtained by using the GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb DH structures.

Effect of Si-Ge interdiffusion on the waveguide properties of SiGe-Si MQW photodetector

Because of Si-Ge interdiffusion in the Si-SiGe interface during the growth process, the square-wave refractive index distribution of a SiGe-Si multiple-quantum-web (MQW) will become smooth. In order to simulate the actual refractive index profile, a staircase approximation is applied. Based on this approach, the dispersion equation of the MQW waveguide is obtained by using a transfer matrix method, The effects of index changes caused by the interdiffusion on the optical field and the characteristics of the photodetector are evaluated by solving the dispersion equation, It is shown that the Si-Ge interdiffusion can result in a reduction of the effective absorption coefficient and the quantum efficiency.

Absorption and Raman spectra of Se-8-ring clusters in zeolite 5A

Samples with different weight ratio of Se to zeolite 5A (Se composition) have been prepared by loading Se into the cages of zeolite 5A and the measurements of the absorption and Raman spectra have been carried out for the prepared samples. The measured absorption edges of the samples close and blue shifted to the value for monoclinic Se containing Se-8-ring, suggesting the formation of Se-8-ring clusters dagger in the cages. The continuous and broadening features of the absorption spectra are interpreted by the strong electron-phonon coupling in Se-8-ring clusters. The sample with high Se composition has a red shift of the absorption band edge relative to the samples with less Se composition. It is tentatively attributed to the reason that with different Se composition, single Se-8-ring clusters and double Se-8-ring clusters are formed in the cages of zeolite 5A. A single broad band at about 262 cm(-1) is observed in the Raman spectra, that gives the further support of the formation of Se-8-ring clusters. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

Some new observation on the formation and optical properties of CdS clusters in zeolite-Y

CdS clusters in zeolite-Y have been prepared by the exchange of Cd2+ into the zeolite following by sulfurization with Na2S in solution. Blue-shifts from the bulk caused by quantum size effect and the change of absorption upon CdS loading are observed. Two absorption bands are detected for one of the sample and are assigned to the 1s-1s band and exciton transition, respectively. The exciton feature is more pronounced in the excitation spectrum than in the absorption spectrum, and the luminescence excited at the exciton band is stronger than that at the 1s-1s band. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

Strained MQW electro-absorption modulators with high extinction ratio and low capacitance

We fabricate an electro-absorption modulator for optical network system using a new strategy, the improved modulation properties of the strained InGaAs/InAlAs MQW show it's polarization independent, high extinction ratio (> 40dB) and low capacitance (C <0.6pF) which can achieve an ultra-high frequency(> 10GHz). The device is be used in 10Gbps optical time division multiplex (OTDM) system as a signal generator.