Nonradiative recombination centers in GaAs:N δ-doped superlattice revealed by two-wavelength-excited photoluminescence

Abstract

We use two-wavelength-excited photoluminescence (PL) to investigate nonradiative recombination (NRR) centers in GaAs:N δ-doped superlattice (SL) structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The change in photoluminescence (PL) intensity due to the superposition of below-gap excitation at energies of 0.75, 0.80, 0.92, and 0.95 eV and above-gap excitation at energies of 1.69 or 1.45 eV into the GaAs conduction band and the E− band implies the presence of NRR centers inside the GaAs:N δ-doped SL and/or GaAs layers. The change in PL intensity as a function of the photon number density of below-gap excitation is examined for both bands, which enables us to determine the distribution of NRR centers inside the GaAs:N δ-doped SL and GaAs layers. We propose recombination models to explain the experimental results. Defect-related parameters that give a qualitative insight into the samples are investigated systematically by fitting the rate equations to the experimental data.