Carrier quenching in InGaP/GaAs double heterostructures

Journal Article · Fri Aug 14 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4927847· OSTI ID:22494740

Driskell, Travis U.; Hudson, Andrew I.; LaLumondiere, Stephen D.; Lotshaw, William T. ^[1]; Forbes, David V.; Hubbard, Seth M. ^[2]

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1. The Aerospace Corporation, Physical Sciences Laboratories, P.O. Box 92957, Los Angeles, California 90009 (United States)
2. NanoPower Research Labs, Rochester Institute of Technology, 156 Lomb Memorial Dr., Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)

Photoluminescence measurements on a series of GaAs double heterostructures demonstrate a rapid quenching of carriers in the GaAs layer at irradiance levels below 0.1 W/cm{sup 2} in samples with a GaAs-on-InGaP interface. These results indicate the existence of non-radiative defect centers at or near the GaAs-on-InGaP interface, consistent with previous reports showing the intermixing of In and P when free As impinges on the InGaP surface during growth. At low irradiance, these defect centers can lead to sub-ns carrier lifetimes. The defect centers involved in the rapid carrier quenching can be saturated at higher irradiance levels and allow carrier lifetimes to reach hundreds of nanoseconds. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a nearly three orders of magnitude decrease in carrier lifetime at low irradiance in a simple double heterostructure. Carrier quenching occurs at irradiance levels near the integrated Air Mass Zero (AM0) and Air Mass 1.5 (AM1.5) solar irradiance. Additionally, a lower energy photoluminescence band is observed both at room and cryogenic temperatures. The temperature and time dependence of the lower energy luminescence is consistent with the presence of an unintentional InGaAs or InGaAsP quantum well that forms due to compositional mixing at the GaAs-on-InGaP interface. Our results are of general interest to the photovoltaic community as InGaP is commonly used as a window layer in GaAs based solar cells.

• OSTI ID: 22494740
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
14 SOLAR ENERGY
AIR
CARRIER LIFETIME
DEFECTS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM ARSENIDES
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECT
QUANTUM WELLS
QUENCHING
RADIANT FLUX DENSITY
SOLAR CELLS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TIME DEPENDENCE