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Title: Phonon-wind-driven transport of photoexcited carriers in a semiconductor quantum well

Abstract

The in-plane transport of photoexcited carriers in GaAsAl/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As multiple quantum wells is measured optically with 10 ps and 4 ..mu..m resolution. The local carrier density is measured by the bleaching of the excitonic absorption line. The expansion of the photoexcited carriers following a 6-ps pump pulse is found to be a strong function of excitation power and ambient temperature. At low powers, with initial carrier densities n/sub 0/less than or equal to2 x 10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/, the spatial distribution is well described by a single expanding Gaussian profile corresponding to an effective diffusion constant D/sub e//sub f//sub f/(n/sub 0/,T). The power and temperature dependence suggests a phonon-wind driving mechanism. At higher densities (n/sub 0/>2 x 10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/) a narrow spatial profile appears which we attribute to ''thermal confinement'' of carriers within a phonon hot spot. After some delay, the ''confined''-carrier distribution is observed to undergo a rapid expansion. This unusual effect is attributed to the ''explosion'' of the phonon hot spot, as predicted by Kazakovtsev and Levinson.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Department of Physics and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
OSTI Identifier:
6567452
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 39:3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES; CARRIER DENSITY; EXCITONS; GALLIUM ARSENIDES; ABSORPTION SPECTRA; CARRIER MOBILITY; DIFFUSION; GAUSS FUNCTION; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; PHONONS; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE; TIME RESOLUTION; ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS; ARSENIC COMPOUNDS; ARSENIDES; DISTRIBUTION; FUNCTIONS; GALLIUM COMPOUNDS; MOBILITY; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; PNICTIDES; QUASI PARTICLES; RESOLUTION; SPECTRA; TIMING PROPERTIES; 360603* - Materials- Properties

Citation Formats

Smith, L M, Preston, J S, Wolfe, J P, Wake, D R, Klem, J, Henderson, T, and Morkoc, H. Phonon-wind-driven transport of photoexcited carriers in a semiconductor quantum well. United States: N. p., 1989. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.39.1862.
Smith, L M, Preston, J S, Wolfe, J P, Wake, D R, Klem, J, Henderson, T, & Morkoc, H. Phonon-wind-driven transport of photoexcited carriers in a semiconductor quantum well. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.39.1862
Smith, L M, Preston, J S, Wolfe, J P, Wake, D R, Klem, J, Henderson, T, and Morkoc, H. 1989. "Phonon-wind-driven transport of photoexcited carriers in a semiconductor quantum well". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.39.1862.
@article{osti_6567452,
title = {Phonon-wind-driven transport of photoexcited carriers in a semiconductor quantum well},
author = {Smith, L M and Preston, J S and Wolfe, J P and Wake, D R and Klem, J and Henderson, T and Morkoc, H},
abstractNote = {The in-plane transport of photoexcited carriers in GaAsAl/sub 0.3/Ga/sub 0.7/As multiple quantum wells is measured optically with 10 ps and 4 ..mu..m resolution. The local carrier density is measured by the bleaching of the excitonic absorption line. The expansion of the photoexcited carriers following a 6-ps pump pulse is found to be a strong function of excitation power and ambient temperature. At low powers, with initial carrier densities n/sub 0/less than or equal to2 x 10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/, the spatial distribution is well described by a single expanding Gaussian profile corresponding to an effective diffusion constant D/sub e//sub f//sub f/(n/sub 0/,T). The power and temperature dependence suggests a phonon-wind driving mechanism. At higher densities (n/sub 0/>2 x 10/sup 11/ cm/sup -2/) a narrow spatial profile appears which we attribute to ''thermal confinement'' of carriers within a phonon hot spot. After some delay, the ''confined''-carrier distribution is observed to undergo a rapid expansion. This unusual effect is attributed to the ''explosion'' of the phonon hot spot, as predicted by Kazakovtsev and Levinson.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.39.1862},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6567452}, journal = {Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 39:3,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 1989},
month = {Sun Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 1989}
}