Photoluminescence of InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures: role of depletion fields and polarization fields

Abstract

We report on low temperature photoluminescence (PL) in InxGa1–xN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with x in the range 0.1 and highly Si doped barriers of In0.01Ga0.99N. The MQW was placed either in the near surface depletion field or at the n-side depletion field of a pn-junction. At low temperatures the PL and electroluminescence (EL) spectra are quite different at no, low, or reverse bias, the PL appearing at higher energy. At high forward bias a spectral component at the EL position appears in PL. This proves a strong influence of the depletion field on the optical spectra. Preliminary results are also reported for Al0.07Ga0.93N/GaN structures, with near surface MQWs with 5 QWs, both Si-doped and nominally undoped. These structures show clear spectral features related to nonequivalent QWs in a graded depletion field.