Recombination Of Excited Carriers Research Articles

Sub-nanosecond free carrier recombination in an indirectly excited quantum-well heterostructure

Nanometer-thick quantum-well structures are quantum model systems offering a few discrete unoccupied energy states that can be impulsively filled and that relax back to equilibrium predominantly via spontaneous emission of light. Here we report on the response of an indirectly excited quantum-well heterostructure, probed by means of time and frequency resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. This experiment provides access to the sub-nanosecond evolution of the free electron density, indirectly injected into the quantum wells. In particular, the modeling of the time-dependent photoluminescence spectra unveils the time evolution of the temperature and of the chemical potentials for electrons and holes, from which the sub-nanosecond time-dependent electron density is determined. This information allows to prove that the recombination of excited carriers is mainly radiative and bimolecular at early delays after excitation, while, as the carrier density decreases, a monomolecular and non-radiative recombination channel becomes relevant. Access to the sub-nanosecond chronology of the mechanisms responsible for the relaxation of charge carriers provides a wealth of information for designing novel luminescent devices with engineered spectral and temporal behavior.

CeO2 quantum dots decorated g-C3N4 nanosheets: A potential scaffold for fluorescence sensing of heavy metals and visible-light driven photocatalyst

Herein, we report the synthesis of g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure using a facile co-precipitation method. The as-synthesized g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure was examined by several techniques in order to understand the morphology, thermal, structural, optical and compositional properties. A strong interfacial contact was observed between g-C3N4 nanosheets and CeO2 quantum dots (QDs) as CeO2 QDs were deposited on g-C3N4 nanosheets with slight agglomeration. The as-synthesized heterostructure was successfully applied as a probe for the fluorescence sensing of heavy transition metals (Cu(II), Hg(II) and Ag(I)) and a visible light active photocatalyst for the decomposition of tetracycline (TC) in an aqueous phase. The g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure exhibited remarkable selectivity towards the sensing of Cu(II), Hg(II) and Ag(I) heavy metal ions because of strong binding affinity of these metal ions towards nitrogen and oxygen containing functional moieties present in g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure. Furthermore, a good linearity was observed between the relative FL intensity and concentration of Cu(II), Hg(II) and Ag(I) ions with detection limit estimated to be 26.2 µM, 17.5 µM and 14.9 µM, respectively. The high selectivity for these ions was due to their strong binding affinity towards nitrogen and oxygen containing functional groups in g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure. Moreover, the removal efficiency of 77.95% was acquired for degradation of tetracycline in 160 min using g-C3N4/CeO2 heterostructure under optimized conditions. The photocatalytic results of the heterostructure could be accredited to the reduction in the recombination of excited carriers across the interface of the heterojunction. Therefore, the present work provides an effective strategy for the preparation of fluorescent photocatalytic materials that can be utilized for the FL detection of harmful heavy metal ions as well as degradation of pollutants in an aqueous phase.

Photo- and electroluminescence of oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon structures for silicon-based optoelectronics

Oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SiO2/SiN0.9/SiO2/Si) structures have been fabricated by chemical vapor deposition. The elemental composition and light emission properties of “SiO2/SiN0.9/SiO2/Si” structures have been studied using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), photo- and electroluminescence (Pl, El). The RBS measurements has shown the presence of an intermediate silicon oxynitride layers at the SiO2–SiN0.9 interfaces.It has been shown that the photoluminescence of the SiO2/SiN0.9/SiO2/Si structure is due to the emission of a SiN0.9 layer, and the electroluminescence is attributed to the emission of silicon oxide and oxynitride layers. A broad intense band with a maximum at 1.9 eV dominates the Pl spectrum. This band attributed to the radiative recombination of excited carriers between the band tail states of the SiN0.9 layer. The origin of the less intense Pl band at 2.8 eV is associated with the presence of nitrogen defects in the silicon nitride.El was excited in the electrolyte-dielectric-semiconductor system. The electric field strength in the SiO2 layers reached 7–8 MV/cm and exceeded this parameter in nitride layer nearly four times. The electrons accelerating in electric field of 7–8 MV/cm could heat up to energies more than 5 eV. It is sufficient for the excitation of luminescence centres in the silicon oxide and oxynitride layers. The SiO2/SiN0.9/SiO2/Si composition El bands with quantum energies of 1.9 and 2.3 eV are related to the presence of silanol groups (Si–OH) and three-coordinated silicon atoms (≡Si•) in the silicon oxide layers. The El band with an energy of 2.7 eV is attributed to the radiative relaxation of silylene (O2=Si:) centers in the silicon oxynitride regions. It is observed the least reduction of this band intensity under the influence of strong electric fields after a charge flow of 1–3 C/cm2.

Optical transitions in InxGa1−xN alloys grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We present the results of optical studies of InxGa1−xN alloys (0<x<0.2) grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on top of thick GaN epitaxial layers with sapphire as substrates. Photoluminescence (PL) and photoreflectance measurements were performed at various temperatures to determine the band gap and its variation as a function of temperature for samples with different indium concentrations. Carrier recombination dynamics in the alloy samples were studied using time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. While the measured decay time for the alloy near-band-edge PL emissions was observed to be generally around a few hundred picoseconds at 10 K, it was found that the decay time decreased rapidly as the sample temperatures increased. This indicates a strong influence of temperature on the processes of trapping and recombination of excited carriers at impurities and defects in the InGaN alloys.

Optical Studies of MOCVD InxGa1-xN Alloys

ABSTRACTWe present the results of optical studies of InxGa1-xN alloys (0<x<0.2) grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on top of thick GaN epitaxial layers with sapphire as substrates. Photoluminescence (PL) and photoreflectance (PR) measurements were performed at various temperatures to determine the band gap and its variation as a function of temperature for samples with different indium concentrations. Carrier recombination dynamics in the alloy samples were studied using time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. While the measured decay time for the alloy near-band-edge PL emissions was observed to be generally around a few hundred picoseconds at 10 K, it was found that the decay time decreased rapidly as the sample temperatures increased. This indicates a strong influence of temperature on the processes of trapping and recombination of excited carriers at impurities and defects in the InGaN alloys.