Carrier Recombination Dynamics Investigations of Strain-Compensated InGaAsN Quantum Wells

Lifang Xu Lifang Xu,L J Mawst,J M Pikal,C S Menoni,J Y T Huang,Jeng-Ya Yeh Jeng-Ya Yeh,N Tansu,D Patel

doi:10.1109/jphot.2012.2233465

Lifang Xu Lifang Xu, L J Mawst + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/jphot.2012.2233465

Copy DOI

Abstract

The time evolution of the photoluminescence (PL) of 1300-nm emitting InGaAsN/ GaAs/GaAsP strain-compensated single quantum well (QW) in the temperature range of T 1/4 10 K - 300 K is investigated. The PL spectra observed at the early stages of carrier recombination is dominated by two transitions. These two transitions are identified as the first quantized electron state to heavy-hole state (e1-hh1) and electron to light-hole state (e1-lh1) from the analysis of polarized photocurrent measurements in combination with k · p simulation of the band structure. At longer time delays, the dilute-nitride QW exhibits carrier localization at low temperatures and faster recombination time at higher temperatures. The PL dynamics characteristics observed in the InGaAsN QW are different from those measured from the InGaAs QW.

Highlights

Dilute-nitride quantum wells (QWs) have been instrumental for realizing alloys with band gaps around 0.95 eV at room temperature suitable for enabling the uncooled telecom laser diodes emitting at $1300 nm or beyond [1]–[10]
The behavior of the InGaAsN QW is in contrast to that measured in the InGaAs QW, of which the localization is absent at low temperature and the carrier lifetime increases with temperature as expected when radiative recombination dominates
In InGaAsN QW, the higher energy peak is separated from the lower energy peak by 120 (130) meV

Summary

Introduction

Dilute-nitride quantum wells (QWs) have been instrumental for realizing alloys with band gaps around 0.95 eV at room temperature suitable for enabling the uncooled telecom laser diodes emitting at $1300 nm or beyond [1]–[10]. The use of strain-compensated InGaAsN QW with GaAsP barrier layers had resulted in very low threshold current density for laser devices emitting in the 1300-nm and 1400-nm spectral regimes [9], [10]. Though low-threshold current density devices have been realized for dilute-nitride lasers in. The 1300- to 1400-nm spectral regime, several key issues still remain of great interest to improve the temperature insensitivity of the threshold current at elevated temperature, as well as to improve the understanding of the effect of nitrogen incorporation into the InGaAsN QW on the optical response of the materials [33]–[36]. Time-resolved PL indicates that, at early stages after photoexcitation, carrier recombination takes place simultaneously for both light hole and heavy hole states. The dilute-nitride QW exhibits carrier localization at low temperatures and faster recombination lifetime at higher temperatures. The behavior of the InGaAsN QW is in contrast to that measured in the InGaAs QW, of which the localization is absent at low temperature and the carrier lifetime increases with temperature as expected when radiative recombination dominates

Experimental Works

Results and DiscussionVAnalysis

Summary