Photocarrier escape time in quantum-well light-absorbing devices: Effects of electric field and well parameters

We analyze the dependence of the carrier escape time from a single-quantum-well optoelectronic device on the aplied electric field and well width and depth. For this purpose, a new simple and computationally efficient theory is developed. This theory is accurate in the case of electrons, and the assessment of the applicability for holes is given. Semi-analytical expressions for the,escape times are derived. Calculations are compared to experimental results and previous numerical simulations. Significant correlations between the Position,of quantum-well energy levels and the value of the escape time are found. the main escape mechanism At room temperature is established to be thermally assisted tunneling/emission through near-barrier-edge states. The formation of a new eigenstate in the near-barrier-edge energy region is found to reduce the electron escape time significantly, which can be used for practical device optimization

Quantum-well design for monolithic optical devices with gain and saturable absorber sections

We propose a new design of semiconductor quantum-well heterostructures, which can be used to improve the performance of monolithic mode-locked diode lasers and all-optical signal-processing devices with gain and saturable absorber sections. Numerical modeling shows that this design can increase the carrier sweep-out rate from the absorber section by several orders of magnitude, while retaining high carrier confinement on the ground level making for efficient signal amplification by the gain sections

High-field electron transport in doped ZnO

Current-voltage characteristics have been measured for ZnO:Ga and Zn:Sb epitaxial layers with electron densities ranging from 1.4x10(17) cm(-3) to 1.1 x 10(20) cm(-3). Two-terminal samples with coplanar electrodes demonstrate virtually ohmic behavior until thermal effects come into play. Soft damage of the samples takes place at high currents. The threshold power (per electron) for the damage is nearly inversely proportional to the electron density over a wide range of electron densities. Pulsed voltage is applied in order to minimize the thermal effects, and thus an average electric field of 150 kV cm(-1) is reached in some samples subjected to 2 ns voltage pulses. The results are treated in terms of electron drift velocity estimated from the data on current and electron density under the assumption of uniform electric field. The highest velocity of similar to 1.5 x 10(7) cm s(-1) is found at an electric field of similar to 100 kV cm(-1) for the sample with an electron density of 1.4 x 10(17) cm(-3). The nonohmic behavior due to hot-electron effects is weak, and the dependence of the electron drift velocity on the doping resembles the variation of mobility

Enhancement of the Curie temperature in GaMnAs/InGaMnAs superlattices

We report on an enhancement of the Curie temperature in GaMnAs/InGaMnAs superlattices grown by low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy, which is due to thin InGaMnAs or InGaAs films embedded into the GaMnAs layers. The pronounced increase of the Curie temperature is strongly correlated to the In concentration in the embedded layers. Curie temperatures up to 110 K are observed in such structures compared to 60 K in GaMnAs single layers grown under the same conditions. A further increase in T$_C$ up to 130 K can be achieved using post-growth annealing at temperatures near the growth temperature. Pronounced thickness fringes in the high resolution X-ray diffraction spectra indicate good crystalline quality and sharp interfaces in the structures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

Strongly Localized State of a Photon at the Intersection of the Phase Slips in 2D Photonic Crystal with Low Contrast of Dielectric Constant

Two-dimensional photonic crystal with a rectangular symmetry and low contrast (< 1) of the dielectric constant is considered. We demonstrate that, despite the {\em absence} of a bandgap, strong localization of a photon can be achieved for certain ``magic'' geometries of a unit cell by introducing two $\pi/2$ phase slips along the major axes. Long-living photon mode is bound to the intersection of the phase slips. We calculate analytically the lifetime of this mode for the simplest geometry -- a square lattice of cylinders of a radius, $r$. We find the magic radius, $r_c$, of a cylinder to be 43.10 percent of the lattice constant. For this value of $r$, the quality factor of the bound mode exceeds $10^6$. Small ($\sim 1$) deviation of $r$ from $r_c$ results in a drastic damping of the bound mode.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Dynamics of a map with power-law tail

We analyze a one-dimensional piecewise continuous discrete model proposed originally in studies on population ecology. The map is composed of a linear part and a power-law decreasing piece, and has three parameters. The system presents both regular and chaotic behavior. We study numerically and, in part, analytically different bifurcation structures. Particularly interesting is the description of the abrupt transition order-to-chaos mediated by an attractor made of an infinite number of limit cycles with only a finite number of different periods. It is shown that the power-law piece in the map is at the origin of this type of bifurcation. The system exhibits interior crises and crisis-induced intermittency.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figure

Strain induced variations in band offsets and built-in electric fields in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells

The band structure, quantum confinement of charge carriers, and their localization affect the optoelectronic properties of compound semiconductor heterostructures and multiple quantum wells (MQWs). We present here the results of a systematic first-principles based density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the dependence of the valence band offsets and band bending in polar and non-polar strain-free and in-plane strained heteroepitaxial In x Ga1- xN(InGaN)/GaN multilayers on the In composition and misfit strain. The results indicate that for non-polar m-plane configurations with [12¯10]InGaN // [12¯10]GaN and [0001]InGaN // [0001]GaN epitaxial alignments, the valence band offset changes linearly from 0 to 0.57 eV as the In composition is varied from 0 (GaN) to 1 (InN). These offsets are relatively insensitive to the misfit strain between InGaN and GaN. On the other hand, for polar c-plane strain-free heterostructures with [101¯0]InGaN // [101¯0]GaN and [12¯10]InGaN // [12¯10]GaN epitaxial alignments, the valence band offset increases nonlinearly from 0 eV (GaN) to 0.90 eV (InN). This is significantly reduced beyond x ≥ 0.5 by the effect of the equi-biaxial misfit strain. Thus, our results affirm that a combination of mechanical boundary conditions, epitaxial orientation, and variation in In concentration can be used as design parameters to rapidly tailor the band offsets in InGaN/GaN MQWs. Typically, calculations of the built-in electric field in complex semiconductor structures often must rely upon sequential optimization via repeated ab initio simulations. Here, we develop a formalism that augments such first-principles computations by including an electrostatic analysis (ESA) using Maxwell and Poisson\u27s relations, thereby converting laborious DFT calculations into finite difference equations that can be rapidly solved. We use these tools to determine the bound sheet charges and built-in electric fields in polar epitaxial InGaN/GaN MQWs on c-plane GaN substrates for In compositions x = 0.125, 0.25,…, and 0.875. The results of the continuum level ESA are in excellent agreement with those from the atomistic level DFT computations, and are, therefore, extendable to such InGaN/GaN MQWs with an arbitrary In composition