Low threshold for optical damage in AlGaN epilayers and heterostructures

Journal Article · Thu Nov 28 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4834520· OSTI ID:22258726

Saxena, Tanuj ^[1]; Tamulaitis, Gintautas ^[2]; Shatalov, Max; Yang, Jinwei; Gaska, Remis ^[3]; Shur, Michael S. ^[1]

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1. Department of ECSE, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)
2. Institute of Applied Research and Semiconductor Physics Department, Vilnius University, Sauletekio al. 9-III, Vilnius, LT-10222 (Lithuania)
3. Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc., 1195 Atlas Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29209 (United States)

Laser pulses with duration much shorter than the effective carrier lifetime cause permanent photoluminescence (PL) quenching and enhancement of PL decay rate in bare-faceted and capped AlGaN epilayers and multiple quantum wells at pulse energies about an order of magnitude lower than those causing the surface to melt and degrade. In contrast, GaN epilayers exhibit no photomodification in the same excitation intensity range. PL spectra and decay kinetics show that lattice heating is not responsible for the observed changes in AlGaN, which result from the formation of nonradiative recombination centers via recombination-enhanced defect reactions occurring at high nonequilibrium carrier densities.

• OSTI ID: 22258726
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 114, Issue 20; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CARRIER DENSITY
CARRIER LIFETIME
DECAY
DEFECTS
EXCITATION
GALLIUM NITRIDES
HEATING
LASERS
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
PULSES
QUANTUM WELLS
QUENCHING