Luminescence characteristics of single and multiple aluminum gallium arsenide: gallium arsenide quantum-well heterostructure lasers

Thesis/Dissertation · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5255167

Kolbas, R M

Photopumped single quantum-well Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As-GaAs-Al/sub x/-Ga/sub 1-x/As (x approx. 0.6, L/sub z/=well width approx. 200 A) heterostructures are shown to operate (77/sup 0/K) on confined-particle transitions from the infrared to the red (6885 A, ..delta..lambda approx. 1300 A, ..delta..E identical with anti h..omega..-E/sub g/ approx. 293 MeV). Two fundamental limitations of single quantum-well AlGaAs-GaAs heterostructures are identified. The first is concerned with the highest energy emission obtainable, and is related to the position of the L indirect minima in GaAs. The location of the first indirect conduction band minima (L minima) is determined by a luminescence (emission) technique and is found to be approx. 294 MeV above the GAMMA band edge at 4.3/sup 0/K. The second limitation involves the loss of luminescence efficiency as the well thickness L/sub z/ approaches the carrier scattering path length l/sub p/, where l/sub p/ approx. 63 A is the electron scattering length with longitudinal optical (LO) phonons. In addition, the band discontinuities between AlGaAs and GaAs are measured by a technique based on the recombination of free electrons in the AlGaAs with bound holes in the GaAs well. The origin of quantum-well recombination radiation below the lowest allowed confined-article transition is discussed and is identified as phonon-assisted recombination. Phonon involvement is also shown to occur throughout the entire direct-gap range of these quantum-well heterostructures. In addition, data are presented indicating that the electron-phonon interaction is enhanced as the number of coupled quantum wells in the active region is increased. A qualitative analysis and discussion of the observed electron-phonon interaction are presented.

• OSTI ID: 5255167
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
LUMINESCENCE
PERFORMANCE
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
HETEROJUNCTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OPTICAL PUMPING
PHONONS
RECOMBINATION
VAPOR DEPOSITED COATINGS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
COATINGS
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
JUNCTIONS
LASERS
PNICTIDES
PUMPING
QUASI PARTICLES
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
430300* - Particle Accelerators- Auxiliaries & Components