Optical Carrier Injection Research Articles

Ultrafast strong-field terahertz nonlinear nanometasurfaces

Abstract Strong-field terahertz (THz)–matter interaction permits the investigation of nonequilibrium behaviors in the nonperturbative zone. However, the unavailability of a high-field free-space THz source with high repetition rates, excellent beam quality, and high stability hinders its development. In this work, we obtain the nonlinear modulation dynamics of a “THz-nano” metasurface on silicon substrates using a time-resolved strong-field THz-pump THz-probe (TPTP) with a thousand orders local field enhancement through confining THz waves into nano-gaps (15 nm, λ/33,000). By switching the THz field strength, we successfully realize a self-modulation ∼50 GHz frequency shift, which is further verified via the TPTP ultrafast time-resolution technique. The phenomenon is attributed to the impact ionization (IMI) of the silicon substrate under the excitation of extremely confined strong THz fields in nano-gaps. Both strong-field induced intervalley scattering (IVS) and IMI effects of photodoped silicon occurring in nano-gaps and large-area substrates were also observed by 800 nm optical injection of carriers. These aforementioned findings provide a robust research platform for the realization of ultrafast time resolution nanoscale strong-field THz–matter interaction and new ideas for nonextreme laboratories to realize extreme THz science, applications, and THz nonlinear modulation device development.

Spin-Dependent Phenomena in Semiconductor Micro-and Nanoparticles—From Fundamentals to Applications

The present overview of spin-dependent phenomena in nonmagnetic semiconductor microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) with interacting nuclear and electron spins is aimed at covering a gap between the basic properties of spin behavior in solid-state systems and a tremendous growth of the experimental results on biomedical applications of those particles. The first part of the review represents modern achievements of spin-dependent phenomena in the bulk semiconductors from the theory of optical spin orientation under indirect optical injection of carriers and spins in the bulk crystalline silicon (c-Si)—via numerous insightful findings in the realm of characterization and control through the spin polarization—to the design and verification of nuclear spin hyperpolarization in semiconductor MPs and NPs for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostics. The second part of the review is focused on the electron spin-dependent phenomena in Si-based nanostructures, including the photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen in porous Si and design of Si NPs with unpaired electron spins as prospective contrast agents in MRI. The experimental results are analyzed by considering both the quantum mechanical approach and several phenomenological models for the spin behavior in semiconductor/molecular systems. Advancements and perspectives of the biomedical applications of spin-dependent properties of Si NPs for diagnostics and therapy of cancer are discussed.

Diffusion and recombination of optically-injected carriers in a semiconductor wafer in 3-dimensions

In this work, we derive a general equation describing the transmission of a probe beam in a pump/probe experiment upon optical injection of carriers into a semiconductor. The pump/probe radial overlap equation generalizes previous pump/probe approaches by considering the pump and probe beam sizes relative to each other and to the diffusion length. The pump/probe equation leverages a powerful solution to the free-carrier density under optical injection that is also derived in this work. The free-carrier density solution extends the work of Luke and Cheng to 3-dimensions, incorporating the effects of radial diffusion in a plane parallel to the semiconductor surface. The pump/probe equation quantifies the magnitude of free-carrier absorption of a probe beam induced by free-carriers optically injected via a pump beam. We show that when the pump/probe beams are much smaller than the carrier diffusion length, radial diffusion effects dominate. Measurements in this regime can be used to uniquely and simultaneously determine both the effective carrier lifetime and the diffusion coefficient. The equation agrees well with experimental measurements using a recently developed single-beam pump/probe technique, which ensures a perfect overlap of the pump and probe beams. Based on this equation, measurement criteria are developed for accurate determination of carrier lifetime and to correct for the effects of radial diffusion.

Evidence of exciton dissociation into carriers induced by electric field in rubrene crystals

We investigated an optical carrier injection mechanism in an organic semiconductor rubrene crystal. We simultaneously measured exciton photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent under an electric field higher than 1 kV/cm at room temperature. An anti-correlation between the exciton PL intensity and photocurrent was observed. This directly indicates that carriers are generated through an exciton dissociation induced by the electric field. The estimated exciton dissociation efficiency is on the order of 10−2 for an excitation wavelength of 442 nm under an electric field of 12 kV/cm at room temperature. In addition, we revealed that both carriers and excitons are trapped at oxidation sites at the surface area of the crystal and more efficiently emit a modified luminescence.

Time-resolved vacuum Rabi oscillations in a quantum-dot–nanocavity system

We report time-domain observation of vacuum Rabi oscillations in a single quantum dot strongly coupled to a nanocavity under incoherent optical carrier injection. We realize a photonic crystal nanocavity with a very high quality factor of >80,000 and employ it to clearly resolve the ultrafast vacuum Rabi oscillations by simple photoluminescence-based experiments. We found that the time-domain vacuum Rabi oscillations were largely modified when changing the pump wavelength and intensity, even when marginal changes were detected in the corresponding photoluminescence spectra. We analyze the measured time-domain oscillations by fitting to simulation curves obtained with a cavity quantum electrodynamics model. The observed modifications of the oscillation curves were mainly induced by the change in the carrier capture and dephasing dynamics in the quantum dot, as well as the change in bare-cavity emission. This result suggests that vacuum Rabi oscillations can be utilized as a highly sensitive probe for the quantum dot dynamics. Our work points out a powerful alternative to conventional spectral-domain measurements for a deeper understanding of the vacuum Rabi dynamics in quantum dot-based cavity quantum electrodynamics systems.

Modeling of networks and globules of charged domain walls observed in pump and pulse induced states

Experiments on optical and STM injection of carriers in layered MX2 materials revealed the formation of nanoscale patterns with networks and globules of domain walls. This is thought to be responsible for the metallization transition of the Mott insulator and for stabilization of a “hidden” state. In response, here we present studies of the classical charged lattice gas model emulating the superlattice of polarons ubiquitous to the material of choice 1T − TaS2. The injection pulse was simulated by introducing a small random concentration of voids which subsequent evolution was followed by means of Monte Carlo cooling. Below the detected phase transition, the voids gradually coalesce into domain walls forming locally connected globules and then the global network leading to a mosaic fragmentation into domains with different degenerate ground states. The obtained patterns closely resemble the experimental STM visualizations. The surprising aggregation of charged voids is understood by fractionalization of their charges across the walls’ lines.

Optical coupling between atomically thin black phosphorus and a two dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity

Atomically thin black phosphorus (BP) is an emerging two dimensional (2D) material exhibiting bright photoluminescence in the near infrared region. Coupling its radiation to photonic nanostructures will be an important step toward the realization of 2D material based nanophotonic devices that operate efficiently in the near infrared region, which includes the technologically important optical telecommunication wavelength bands. In this letter, we demonstrate the optical coupling between atomically thin BP and a 2D photonic crystal nanocavity. We employed a home-build dry transfer apparatus for placing a thin BP flake on the surface of the nanocavity. Their optical coupling was analyzed through measuring cavity mode emission under optical carrier injection at room temperature.

Two optical routes of cold carrier injection in silicon revealed by time-resolved excitation spectroscopy

We reveal two routes of optical carrier injection in pure silicon by means of high-resolution excitation spectroscopy on nanosecond cyclotron resonances. Free carriers are generated either by the band-to-band transition assisted by phonon emission, or via two-body collisions of excitons. The first route was previously masked by a strong excitonic response in steady-state optical spectra at low temperatures. Furthermore, valley polarization is achieved for the cold carriers created by the second route with optimized excess energy. These optical carrier injection routes are crucial to initialize the momentum and valley degrees of freedom of carriers in order to enable versatile applications of indirect-bandgap semiconductors.

Optically pumped subwavelength-scale metallodielectric nanopatch resonators

We discuss subwavelength-scale semiconductor metal-optic resonators placed on the metal substrate with various top metal plate sizes. Albeit with large optical losses, addition of metal layers converts a leaky semiconductor nano-block into a highly-confined optical cavity. Optically pumped lasing action is observed with the extended top metal layer that can significantly suppress the radiation losses. Careful investigation of self-heating effects during the optical carrier injection process shows the importance of temperature-dependent material properties in the laser rate equation model and the overall laser performances.

Investigation of terahertz surface plasmon modulation with optical injection of free carriers

Optical modulation of terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (THz SPPs) propagating in an intrinsic indium antimonide surface is demonstrated in this paper. The modulation is mediated by the modification of free carrier density with optical illumination. Simulation and experimental results show that a THz modulator can be realized by tuning the propagation lengths of THz SPPs, which could be controlled to be larger or shorter than the distance of two razor blades used for the coupling of the THz wave and the THz SPPs. In comparison with conventional THz modulation approaches, this method of manufacturing is simpler and the switching bandwidth is wider. The maximum modulation frequency of the modulators is anticipated to be above gigahertz, thus leading to the possibility of communication applications using the THz baseband.

Coherent control of current injection in zigzag graphene nanoribbons

We present Fermi's golden rule calculations of the optical carrier injection and the coherent control of current injection in graphene nanoribbons with zigzag geometry, using an envelope function approach. This system possesses strongly localized states (flat bands) with a large joint density of states at low photon energies; for ribbons with widths above a few tens of nanometers, this system also posses large number of (non-flat) states with maxima and minima close to the Fermi level. Consequently, even with small dopings the occupation of these localized states can be significantly altered. In this work, we calculate the relevant quantities for coherent control at different chemical potentials, showing the sensitivity of this system to the occupation of the edge states. We consider coherent control scenarios arising from the interference of one-photon absorption at $2\hbar\omega$ with two-photon absorption at $\hbar\omega$, and those arising from the interference of one-photon absorption at $\hbar\omega$ with stimulated electronic Raman scattering (virtual absorption at $2\hbar\omega$ followed by emission at $\hbar\omega$). Although at large photon energies these processes follow an energy-dependence similar to that of 2D graphene, the zigzag nanoribbons exhibit a richer structure at low photon energies, arising from divergences of the joint density of states and from resonant absorption processes, which can be strongly modified by doping. As a figure of merit for the injected carrier currents, we calculate the resulting swarm velocities. Finally, we provide estimates for the limits of validity of our model.

High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in Band Gap Tunable Bromide Containing Mixed Halide Perovskites.

Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite based semiconductor materials are attractive for use in a wide range of optoelectronic devices because they combine the advantages of suitable optoelectronic attributes and simultaneously low-cost solution processability. Here, we present a two-step low-pressure vapor-assisted solution process to grow high quality homogeneous CH3NH3PbI3-xBrx perovskite films over the full band gap range of 1.6-2.3 eV. Photoluminescence light-in versus light-out characterization techniques are used to provide new insights into the optoelectronic properties of Br-containing hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites as a function of optical carrier injection by employing pump-powers over a 6 orders of magnitude dynamic range. The internal luminescence quantum yield of wide band gap perovskites reaches impressive values up to 30%. This high quantum yield translates into substantial quasi-Fermi level splitting and high "luminescence or optically implied" open-circuit voltage. Most importantly, both attributes, high internal quantum yield and high optically implied open-circuit voltage, are demonstrated over the entire band gap range (1.6 eV ≤ Eg ≤ 2.3 eV). These results establish the versatility of Br-containing perovskite semiconductors for a variety of applications and especially for the use as high-quality top cell in tandem photovoltaic devices in combination with industry dominant Si bottom cells.

Observation of excitonic fine structure in a 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductor.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers (TMD 1Ls), have attracted increasing attention owing to the underlying fundamental physics (e.g., many body effects) and the promising optoelectronic applications such as light-emitting diodes. Though much progress has been made, intrinsic excitonic states of TMD 1Ls are still highly debated in theory, which thirsts for direct experimental determination. Here, we report unconventional emission and excitonic fine structure in 1L WS2 revealed by electrical doping and photoexcitation, which reflects the interplay of exciton, trion, and other excitonic states. Tunable excitonic emission has been realized in a controllable manner via electrical and/or optical injection of charge carriers. Remarkably enough, the superlinear (i.e., quadratic) emission is unambiguously observed which is attributed to biexciton states, indicating the strong Coulomb interactions in such a 2D material. In a nearly neutral 1L WS2, trions and biexcitons possess large binding energies of ∼ 10-15 and 45 meV, respectively. Moreover, our finding of electrically induced robust emission opens up a possibility to boost the luminous efficiency of emerging 1L TMD light emitting diodes.

Exciton-correlated hole tunneling in mixed-type GaAs quantum wells

We report an experimental study on the tunneling of holes in a mixed-type GaAs quantum-well structure, in which an electron-hole bilayer forms through optical carrier injection. In this bilayer system, an interlayer correlation between holes and excitons can strongly enhance the hole tunneling rate, opening a new avenue for optical control of transport processes in semiconductors. Interlayer hole tunneling is characterized with respect to these excitonic correlations, as well as carrier densities, temperature, and magnetic field, providing valuable insights on the tunneling process.

Self-frequency summing in quantum dot photonic crystal nanocavity lasers

We demonstrate self-frequency summing in photonic crystal nanocavity lasers with quantum dot gain. Two dipole modes and a hexapole mode, supported in the cavity, simultaneously showed lasing oscillation in the near infrared wavelength region under optical carrier injection. Meanwhile, within the same laser cavity, the internally generated three laser fields are up-converted to exhibit sharp visible emission lines via intra-cavity nonlinear frequency summing (and doubling) processes. This self-frequency summing process in active nanocavities will pave the way for developing nanoscale nonlinear optical light sources.

Carrier Lifetime from Dynamic Electroluminescence

In this paper, the injection-level-dependent measurement of the effective minority carrier lifetime of solar cells from dynamic time-modulated electroluminescence is introduced. The analogy between optical and electrical injection of excess carriers is elaborated, the relevant specifications of the experimental setup are addressed, and an experimental proof of concept is given. Lifetime measurements over a very broad injection range are presented and found to agree well with dynamic photoluminescence measurements.

Gallium Indium Nitride-Based Green Lasers

In this review article, we describe group-III nitride laser diodes that emit light in the green spectral range, using epitaxial structures grown on gallium nitride (GaN) substrates with c- and semipolar-plane orientations. We address the motivation for these lasers, the challenges faced in creating them, and the progress made in this field to date. Different structural design choices are described, taking into account specific material properties and crystal growth requirements for these orientations. We review various properties of the materials involved, including optical gain, optical confinement, internal optical losses and carrier injection. We also discuss mechanical strain during the growth of active and passive regions, and the way in which it limits the structural design. Various aspects of laser chip fabrication are discussed, including self-aligned ridge waveguides and facet formation. Finally, we outline the status of green laser reliability and challenges in this area.

Two-photon indirect optical injection and two-color coherent control in bulk silicon

Using an empirical pseudopotential description of electron states and an adiabatic bond charge model for phonon states in bulk silicon, we theoretically investigate two-photon indirect optical injection of carriers and spins and two-color coherent control of the motion of the injected carriers and spins. For two-photon indirect carrier and spin injection, we identify the selection rules of band edge transitions, the injection in each conduction band valley, and the injection from each phonon branch at 4 K and 300 K. At 4 K, the TA phonon-assisted transitions dominate the injection at low photon energies, and the TO phonon-assisted at high photon energies. At 300 K, the former dominates at all photon energies of interest. The carrier injection shows anisotropy and linear-circular dichroism with respect to light propagation direction. For light propagating along the $<001>$ direction, the carrier injection exhibits valley anisotropy, and the injection into the $Z$ conduction band valley is larger than that into the $X/Y$ valleys. For $\sigma^-$ light propagating along the $<001>$ ($<111>$) direction, the degree of spin polarization gives a maximum value about 20% (6%) at 4 K and -10% (20%) at 300 K, and at both temperature shows abundant structure near the injection edges due to contributions from different phonon branches. Forthe two-color coherent current injection with an incident optical field composed of a fundamental frequency and its second harmonic, the response tensors of the electron (hole) charge and spin currents are calculated at 4 K and 300 K. We show the current control for three different polarization scenarios. The spectral dependence of the maximum swarm velocity shows that the direction of charge current reverses under increase in photon energy.

Theory of optical spin orientation in silicon

We theoretically investigate the indirect optical injection of carriers and spins in bulk silicon, using an empirical pseudopotential description of electron states and an adiabatic bond charge model for phonon states. We identify the selection rules, the contribution to the carrier and spin injection in each conduction band valley from each phonon branch and each valence band, and the temperature dependence of these processes. The transition from the heavy hole band to the lowest conduction band dominates the injection due to the large joint density of states. For incident light propagating along the $[00\overline{1}]$ direction, the injection rates and the degree of spin polarization of injected electrons show strong valley anisotropy. The maximum degree of spin polarization is at the injection edge with values $25%$ at low temperature and $15%$ at high temperature.

CW substrate-free metal-cavity surface microemitters at 300 K

In this paper substrate-free metal-cavity surface microemitters are demonstrated. The optical cavity is formed by a metal reflector, metal-surrounded sidewall and n-doped distributed-Bragg reflector, which provides optical feedback and carrier injection. We describe a simple design principle with the modal properties modified by geometry and metal-insulator cladding. Both resonant cavity light-emitting diodes (1.85 µm diameter and 0.6 µm height) and lasers (2.0 µm diameter and 2.5 µm height) are successfully fabricated and characterized. These two types of devices operate at room temperature under continuous-wave (CW) operation. Since the devices are substrate-free, they can be bonded to any substrates. From the threshold currents of the lasers, we obtain a high characteristic temperature of 425 K in the range of 10–27 °C. We also discuss a general approach to improve the diffraction from small-aperture devices.