InAs Quantum Wells Research Articles

Limits to mobility in InAs quantum wells with nearly lattice-matched barriers

The growth and the density dependence of the low temperature mobility of a series of two-dimensional electron systems confined to un-intentionally doped, low extended defect density InAs quantum wells with Al$_{1-x}$Ga$_{x}$Sb barriers are reported. The electron mobility limiting scattering mechanisms were determined by utilizing dual-gated devices to study the dependence of mobility on carrier density and electric field independently. Analysis of the possible scattering mechanisms indicate the mobility was limited primarily by rough interfaces in narrow quantum wells and a combination of alloy disorder and interface roughness in wide wells at high carrier density within the first occupied electronic sub-band. At low carrier density the functional dependence of the mobility on carrier density provided evidence of coulombic scattering from charged defects. A gate-tuned electron mobility exceeding 750,000 cm$^{2}$/Vs was achieved at a sample temperature of 2 K.

Nonlinear behavior of the emission in the periodic structure of InAs monolayers embedded in a GaAs matrix

We report time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements performed at different temperatures for the Bragg structure containing 60 InAs monolayer-based quantum wells (QWs) periodically arranged in a GaAs matrix. TRPL data reveal an appearance of the additional superradiant (SR) mode originated from coherent collective interaction of QWs. The SR mode is not manifested in the case if a small number of QWs is excited, then only an exciton emission related to the InAs QWs dominates the PL spectrum. The SR mode demonstrates a superlinear dependence of the intensity and radiative decay rate on the excitation power and its intensity increases at elevated temperatures compared to the excitonic emission. The photoluminescence delay time is much shorter for the SR mode indicating that the relaxation of hot excitons can occur via stimulated scattering processes. The specific behavior of the SR emission can have a strong potential for different applications such as optical logic devices, superluminescent diodes, optical switches, and low-threshold lasers. Time-resolved photoluminescence image at low temperature for the Bragg structure consisting of InAs monolayer-based quantum wells (inset).

Helicity-dependent photocurrent induced by the in-plane transverse electric current in an InAs quantum well.

We report the observation of a new type of helicity-dependent photocurrent induced by an in-plane transverse direct electric current in an InAs quantum well. The amplitude of the photocurrent depends linearly on the transverse current. Moreover, the observed incident azimuth-angle dependence of this photocurrent is different from that induced by the circular photogalvanic effect. This new photocurrent appears as a result of an asymmetrical carrier distribution in both the conduction and valence bands induced by the transverse current. The photoexcited carrier density created by interband transition processes is thus modulated and leads to the observed new azimuth-angle dependence. The observed efficient generation of the helicity-dependent photocurrent offers an effective approach to manipulate electron spins in two-dimensional semiconductor systems with the added advantage of electrical control of the spin-related photocurrent in spintronic applications.

High power cascade diode lasers emitting near 2 μm

High-power two-stage cascade GaSb-based type-I quantum well diode lasers emitting near 2 μm were designed and fabricated. Coated devices with cavity length of 3 mm generated about 2 W of continuous wave power from 100-μm-wide aperture at the current of 6 A. The power conversion efficiency peaked at 20%. Carrier recycling between quantum well gain stages was realized using band-to-band tunneling in GaSb/AlSb/InAs heterostructure complemented with optimized electron and hole injector regions. Design optimization eliminated parasitic optical absorption and thermionic emission, and included modification of the InAs quantum wells of electron and composition and doping profile of hole injectors. Utilization of the cascade pumping scheme yielded 2 μm lasers with improved output power and efficiency compared to existing state-of-the-art diodes.

Mid-infrared electroluminescence from InAs type-I quantum wells grown on InAsP/InP metamorphic buffers

We report room-temperature (RT) electroluminescence (EL) from InAs/InAsxP1−x quantum well (QW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) over a wide wavelength range of 2.50–2.94 μm. We demonstrate the ability to accurately design strained InAs QW emission wavelengths while maintaining low threading dislocation density, coherent QW interfaces, and high EL intensity. Investigation of the optical properties of the LEDs grown on different InAsxP1−x metamorphic buffers showed higher EL intensity and lower thermal quenching for QWs with higher barriers and stronger carrier confinement. Strong RT EL intensity from LEDs with narrow full-width at half-maximum shows future potential for InAs QW mid-infrared laser diodes on InAsP/InP.

(Invited) Advanced CMOS Device Technologies Discussed Also with Transition-Metal Di-Chalcogenide (TMDC) Channel

Advanced CMOS device technology for a high-performance system-on-a-chip (SoC) LSI is firstly discussed by using benchmarking of published data [1-6], mainly-highlighted by a FinFET and beyond, as shown in Fig. 1. To enhance the performance of FinFET devices, a low-voltage operation less than 0.7 V with smaller variability of characteristics is highly required rather than an enlargement of channel width (Weff / Wfootprint). Here, Weff and Wfootprint mean effective and footprint channel widths. After that, higher-mobility channel devices are strongly needed with superimposed manner having an InGaAs high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT), InGaAs quantum well (QW), InAs QW, and InGaAs MISFET having an appropriate smaller bandgap. In this case, smooth thin-channel is promising to suppress the variability of characteristics. Therefore, an atomically-consistent semiconductor material such as a graphene and transition-metal di-chalcogenide (TMDC) are favorable candidates. Although the graphene has a zero band-gap, the TMDCs have superior properties such as an appropriate bandgap, for example, 1.2 eV in single-layer MoS2 film. Furthermore, they also yield higher mobility, transparent and mechanical robustness. In our experiments, a higher Hall mobility of electron with 28 cm2/Vs in 10-nm-thick MoS2 film is achieved even by using a magnetron sputtering process with MoS2 target for channel formation [7]. This might be caused by a suppression of carrier scattering due to contaminations such as alkali metals of sodium and potassium, impurities, crystal defects, and film roughness in the MoS2 film. In conclusion, the TMDC-channel MISFET could be suitable for high-performance SoC LSIs as not only advanced CMOS devices but also monolithic transistor to enhance the functionalities per chip area. Furthermore, it has a strong possibility achieving not only more-Moore and more-than-Moore but also more-comfort properties for high-performance human-interface (I/F) devices such as a transparent and flexible display. Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas: Grant Number 26105014, and the Center of Innovation Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency, JST.

Growth and characterization of (110) InAs quantum well metamorphic heterostructures

An understanding of the growth of (110) quantum wells (QWs) is of great importance to spin systems due to the observed long spin relaxation times. In this article, we report on the metamorphic growth and characterization of high mobility undoped InAs (110) QWs on GaAs (110) substrates. A low-temperature nucleation layer reduces dislocation density, results in tilting of the subsequent buffer layer and increases the electron mobility of the QW structure. The mobility varies widely and systematically (4000–16 000 cm2/Vs at room temperature) with deposition temperature and layer thicknesses. Low-temperature transport measurements exhibit Shubnikov de-Haas oscillations and quantized plateaus in the quantum Hall regime.

Studies of scattering mechanisms in gate tunable InAs/(Al,Ga)Sb two dimensional electron gases

A study of scattering mechanisms in gate tunable two dimensional electron gases confined to InAs/(Al,Ga)Sb heterostructures with varying interface roughness and dislocation density is presented. By integrating an insulated gate structure the evolution of the low temperature electron mobility and single-particle lifetime was determined for a previously unexplored density regime, 1011–1012 cm−2, in this system. Existing theoretical models were used to analyze the density dependence of the electron mobility and single particle lifetime in InAs quantum wells. Scattering was found to be dominated by charged dislocations and interface roughness. It was demonstrated that the growth of InAs quantum wells on nearly lattice matched GaSb substrate results in fewer dislocations, lower interface roughness, and improved low temperature transport properties compared to growth on lattice mismatched GaAs substrates.

InP-based type-I quantum well lasers up to 2.9 μm at 230 K in pulsed mode on a metamorphic buffer

This work reports on up to 2.9 μm lasing at 230 K of InP-based type-I quantum well lasers. This record long wavelength lasing is achieved by applying InP-based Sb-free structures with eight periods of strain-compensated InAs quantum wells grown on metamorphic In0.8Al0.2As template layers. The continuous-wave threshold current density is 797 A/cm2 and the idealized extrapolated threshold current density for infinite cavity length is as low as 58 A/cm2 per quantum well at 120 K. This scheme is a promising pathway for extending the wavelength range of type-I quantum well lasers on InP substrates.

Characterization of High Mobility InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs Composite Channels by THz Magneto-Photoresponse Spectroscopy

Inserted narrow InAs quantum wells in InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures have been used to achieve higher mobility for high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with ultra-low-power and low-noise amplification characteristics and for spin-based devices. Due to the large nonparabolicity of the conduction band of InAs and the penetration of the confined electronic envelope function into the adjacent layer(s), accurate calculations of effective mass and g-factor of charge carriers can be problematic. Methods of making precise determinations of the mass and other electronic parameters are thus of interest. We have applied magneto-photoresponse and -transmissions measurements at several THz laser frequencies in concert with dc magnetotransport measurements at low temperature (T = 1.6 K) to determine various electronic parameters (effective mass, carrier density, g-factor, mobility and the quantum scattering time) of the 2DEG in an InAs/In0.75Ga0.25As/In0.75Al0.25As inserted channel structure. This characterization method can also be used to probe the effect of strain, Rashba field, etc on the properties of charge carriers in such structures.

On the modified active region design of interband cascade lasers

Type II InAs/GaInSb quantum wells (QWs) grown on GaSb or InAs substrates and designed to be integrated in the active region of interband cascade lasers (ICLs) emitting in the mid infrared have been investigated. Optical spectroscopy, combined with band structure calculations, has been used to probe their electronic properties. A design with multiple InAs QWs has been compared with the more common double W-shaped QW and it has been demonstrated that it allows red shifting the emission wavelength and enhancing the transition oscillator strength. This can be beneficial for the improvements of the ICLs performances, especially when considering their long-wavelength operation.

InAs-based interband-cascade-lasers emitting around 7 μm with threshold current densities below 1 kA/cm2 at room temperature

Interband cascade lasers (ICLs) grown on InAs substrates with threshold current densities below 1 kA/cm2 are presented. Two cascade designs with different lengths of the electron injector were investigated. Using a cascade design with 3 InAs quantum wells (QWs) in the electron injector, a device incorporating 22 stages in the active region exhibited a threshold current density of 940 A/cm2 at a record wavelength of 7 μm for ICLs operating in pulsed mode at room temperature. By investigating the influence of the number of stages on the device performance for a cascade design with 2 QWs in the electron injector, a further reduction of the threshold current density to 800 A/cm2 was achieved for a 30 stage device.

Gate-controlled spin-orbit coupling in InAs/InGaAs quantum well structures.

We have investigated gate electric field controlled Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) constant (alpha) in In0.53Ga0.47As and InAs-inserted quantum well (QW) structures. More than three times larger gate controllability of a in the InAs-inserted QW has been observed compared to the In0.53Ga0.47As QW. The enhanced gate controllability of alpha directly results from the larger zero-field SOC in narrow band gap InAs QW. Furthermore, the lower contact resistance and higher electron mobility imply that the InAs QW is a more promising channel for spintronic device applications.

Effect of interfacial layer on the crystal structure of InAs/AlAs0.16Sb0.84/AlSb quantum wells

Ion channeling technique using MeV C2+ ions and high resolution X-ray diffraction were used to study the crystal quality of an InAs/AlSb-based quantum wells. We found that the InAs quality has a strong dependence on the type of the interface used. With the addition of the InSb-like interface, the crystal quality of the InAs channel was greatly improved. The InAs lattice was fully strained and aligned with the lattice of the buffer layer without any lattice relaxation. On the other hand, if the interface was of the AlAs type, the lattice of the InAs quantum well was relaxed and the crystal quality was poor. This explains why a superior InAs quantum well with high electron mobility and good surface morphology can be achieved with the use of the InSb interface.

Shubnikov-de Haas Oscillation and Potentiometric Methods for Spin–Orbit Interaction Parameter Measurement in an InAs Quantum Well

Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in double-sided-doped InAs quantum well (QW) structures has been investigated by means of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation and potentiometric measurements. Different doping density in two separate carrier supply layers induces the asymmetric potential gradient of the InAs QW and larger charge concentration on the side of a more heavily doped carrier supply layer. The Rashba SOI parameter (α) drastically increases from ~ 3.5×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-12</sup> to ~ 6.9×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-12</sup> eV-m as a gate electric field (Vg) decreases from 5 to -10 V. On the other hand, different distances between a ferromagnet and the InAs QW effectuate one order of magnitude difference in junction resistance area (RA). This experimental result distinctly reveals the junction RA between a ferromagnet and a semiconductor QW is a crucial factor to obtain a hysteresis loop-like potentiometric signal.

Improved Performance of 2.2-$\mu{\rm m}$ InAs/InGaAs QW Lasers on InP by Using Triangular Wells

InP-based InAs/InGaAs quantum well (QW) lasers emitting at wavelength about 2.2 μm have been demonstrated. To study the effects of triangular QWs on laser performance, lasers grown with digital alloy triangular QWs are discussed and rectangular InAs QW lasers are presented for reference. The use of triangular QWs improves laser performance in terms of threshold current density, output power, characteristic temperature, maximum operation temperature, quantum efficiency, and internal optical loss coefficient. By using triangular QWs, the threshold current density decreases from 2.58 to 1.42 kA/cm2 under continuous-wave driving condition at 300 K, and the output power increases from 3.6 to 10.4 mW/facet at an injection current of 400 mA. The maximum operation temperature reaches up to 330 K, about 20 K higher than the value of the laser with rectangular-shaped QWs.

Anomalous D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation in InAs (110) quantum wells under strong magnetic field: Role of Hartree-Fock self-energy

We investigate the influence of the Hartree-Fock self-energy, acting as an effective magnetic field, on the anomalous D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation in InAs (110) quantum wells when the magnetic field in the Voigt configuration is much stronger than the spin-orbit-coupled field. The transverse and longitudinal spin relaxations are discussed both analytically and numerically. For the transverse configuration, it is found that the spin relaxation is very sensitive to the Hartree-Fock effective magnetic field, which is very different from the conventional D'yakonov-Perel' spin relaxation. Even an extremely small spin polarization ($P=0.1\%$) can significantly influence the behavior of the spin relaxation. It is further revealed that this comes from the {\em unique} form of the effective inhomogeneous broadening, originated from the mutually perpendicular spin-orbit-coupled field and strong magnetic field. It is shown that this effective inhomogeneous broadening is very small and hence very sensitive to the Hartree-Fock field. Moreover, we further find that in the spin polarization dependence, the transverse spin relaxation time decreases with the increase of the spin polarization in the intermediate spin polarization regime, which is also very different from the conventional situation, where the spin relaxation is always suppressed by the Hartree-Fock field. It is revealed that this {\em opposite} trends come from the additional spin relaxation channel induced by the HF field. For the longitudinal configuration, we find that the spin relaxation can be either suppressed or enhanced by the Hartree-Fock field if the spin polarization is parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic field.

Optical characterization of InAs quantum wells and dots grown radially on wurtzite InP nanowires

Correlated micro-photoluminescence (μPL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements are reported for single core–shell InP–InAs wurtzite nanowires grown using metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy. Samples covering a radial InAs shell thickness of 1–12 ML were investigated. The effective masses for the wurtzite material were determined from the transition energy dependence of the InAs shell thickness, using a model based on linear deformation potential theory. InP cores with segments of mixed zincblende and wurtzite, on which quantum dots nucleated selectively, were also investigated. Narrow peaks were observed by μPL and the spatial origin of the emission was identified with CL imaging.

InAs/In0.83Al0.17As quantum wells on GaAs substrate with type-I emission at 2.9 μm

This work reports on InAs quantum wells (QWs) grown on GaAs-based metamorphic In0.83Al0.17As buffers for type-I mid-infrared (MIR) emission. X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements show that the GaAs-based quantum wells have similar lattice and strain conditions with the InP-based structure. Atomic force microscope shows the smoother surface of the structure on GaAs substrate. For the GaAs-based quantum wells, favorable photoluminescence emission at 2.9 μm at 300 K has been achieved, and the optical quality is comparable to the structure on InP substrate. It is promising to employ this metamorphic quantum well structure for the demonstration of GaAs-based antimony-free mid-infrared lasers.

Plasmons in spin-orbit coupled two-dimensional hole gas systems

We study the dynamical dielectric function of a two-dimensional hole gas, exemplified on [001]-GaAs and InAs quantum wells, within the Luttinger model extended to the two lowest subbands including bulk and structure inversion asymmetric terms. The plasmon dispersion shows a pronounced anisotropy for GaAs- and InAs-based systems. In GaAs this leads to a suppression of plasmons due to Landau damping in some orientations. Due to the large Rashba contribution in InAs, the lifetime of plasmons can be controlled by changing the electric field. This effect is potentially useful in plasmon field effect transistors as previously proposed for electron gases.