Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics

D X centers, deep levels associated with donors in III-V semiconductors, have been extensively studied, not only because of their peculiar and interesting properties, but also because an understanding of the physics of these deep levels is necessary in order to determine the usefulness of III-V semiconductors for heterojunction device structures. Much progress has been made in our understanding of the electrical and optical characteristics of DX centers as well as their effects on the behavior of various device structures through systematic studies in alloys of various composition and with applied hydrostatic pressure. It is now generally believed that the DX level is a state of the isolated substitutional donor atom. The variation of the transport properties and capture and emission kinetics of the DX level with the conduction-band structure is now well understood. It has been found that the properties of the deep level when it is resonant with the conduction band, and is thus a metastable state, are similar to its characteristics when it is the stable state of the donor. And it has been consistently found that there is a large energy difference between the optical and thermal ionization energies, implying that this deep state is strongly coupled to the crystal lattice. The shifts in the emission kinetics due to the variation in the local environment of the donor atom suggest that the lattice relaxation involves the motion of an atom (the donor or a neighboring atom) from the group-III lattice site toward the interstitial site. Total energy calculations show that such a configuration is stable provided that the donor traps two electrons, i.e., has negative U. Verification of the charge state of the occupied DX level is needed as well as direct evidence for its microscopic structure.

We directly detect the coherent electromagnetic radiation originating from Bloch oscillations of charge carriers in an electrically biased semiconductor superlattice structure. The oscillation frequency can be tuned with the applied bias field from 0.5 THz to more than 2 THz, the detection limit of our measurement system.

Well-resolved sharply structured luminescence spectra at 1.54 μm were observed in erbium-implanted GaP, GaAs, InP, and Si. The optical transitions occur between the weakly crystal field split spin-orbit levels, 4I13/2→4I15/2, of Er3+(4f11). Typical spectral linewidths in GaAs are 2 cm−1(0.25 meV) at 6 K and 11 cm−1(1.36 meV) at room temperature.

The deposition of amorphous hydrogenated hard carbon (a–C:H) thin films from benzene vapor in a rf plasma is described. a–C:H was deposited on glass, quartz, Si, Ge, and GaAs. Negative self-bias VB and gas pressure P are shown to be the two significant parameters for an accurate control of the deposition process. The dependence of growth rate and deposition temperature on VB and P was determined; this gives an empirical relation for the average energy Ē of the ions forming the thin films. Refractive index (1.85–2.20 in the IR), optical gap (0.8–1.8 eV) and density (1.5–1.8 g/cm3) of a–C:H was measured. The optical gap varies linearly with the content of bonded hydrogen in the films. The density of a–C:H is proportional to the average ion energy Ē. We demonstrate the application of a–C:H as antireflective coating on Ge for 10.6 μm (reflection <0.2% at 10.6 μm) and as terminating layer of an optical multilayer stack.

This paper critically investigates the advantages and limitations of the current-transient methods used for the study of the deep levels in GaN-based high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), by evaluating how the procedures adopted for measurement and data analysis can influence the results of the investigation. The article is divided in two parts within Part I. 1) We analyze how the choice of the measurement and analysis parameters (such as the voltage levels used to induce the trapping phenomena and monitor the current transients, the duration of the filling pulses, and the method used for the extrapolation of the time constants of the capture/emission processes) can influence the results of the drain current transient investigation and can provide information on the location of the trap levels responsible for current collapse. 2) We present a database of defects described in more than 60 papers on GaN technology, which can be used to extract information on the nature and origin of the trap levels responsible for current collapse in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Within Part II, we investigate how self-heating can modify the results of drain current transient measurements on the basis of combined experimental activity and device simulation.

We directly observe the electromagnetic radiation emitted by electrons coherently oscillating between the two wells of a semiconductor coupled-quantum-well structure. Using time-resolved coherent detection of the submillimeter-wave radiation from these spatial charge oscillations, we trace up to fourteen oscillations at 1.5 THz before phase relaxation destroys the coherence of the oscillating wave packet. In addition to the oscillatory electromagnetic signal, we also observe an instantaneous signal from electric-field-induced optical rectification in the semiconductor structure.

The bulk and surface electronic structure of ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$ has proved controversial, prompting the current combined experimental and theoretical investigation. The band gap of single-crystalline ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$ is determined as $2.93\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.15$ and $3.02\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.15\text{ }\text{eV}$ for the cubic bixbyite and rhombohedral polymorphs, respectively. The valence-band density of states is investigated from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements and density-functional theory calculations. These show excellent agreement, supporting the absence of any significant indirect nature of the ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$ band gap. Clear experimental evidence for an $s\text{\ensuremath{-}}d$ coupling between $\text{In}\text{ }4d$ and $\text{O}\text{ }2s$ derived states is also observed. Electron accumulation, recently reported at the (001) surface of bixbyite material, is also shown to be present at the bixbyite (111) surface and the (0001) surface of rhombohedral ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$.

We demonstrate the coherent destruction of photogenerated excitons in semiconductor quantum wells within a few hundred femtoseconds of their excitation. Coherent control of carrier dynamics is achieved with phase-locked pairs of 100 fs infrared pulses. The technique induces an optical response which is faster than the inverse of the exciton linewidth superseding Fourier limits for a single pulse. Energy selectivity enables the coherent transfer of angular momentum between hole states. Such phase-tailored pulse trains can be utilized to investigate the generation process and intermediate virtual states in quantum structures.

The optical absorption of amorphous electrochromic display layers is explained as small polaron absorption. The necessary W5+ 5d‐electron localization is favored by the lattice disorder. This is concluded from the change of the optical properties to free‐electron‐like behavior upon crystallization of the layers. The increased electrocoloration stability of amorphous layers and the blue shift of the absorption peak in Mo‐doped films can also be explained within the model given.

AsGa antisite defects formed during plastic deformation of GaAs are identified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements. From photo-EPR results it can be concluded that the two levels of this double donor are located near Ec −0.75 eV and Ev +0.5 eV. These values are coincident with the Fermi level pinning energies at Schottky barriers. The upper level can be related to the ’’main electron trap’’ EL2 in GaAs. Photoluminescence experiments before and after thermal annealing suggest that AsGa defects reduce the near band edge luminescence efficiency. A dislocation climb model is presented which is able to explain AsGa formation during dislocation movement. The production of AsGa antisites during dislocation motion under injection conditions in light emitting devices may thus be connected with degradation of the light output.

Photonic active diamond nanoparticles attract increasing attention from a wide community for applications in drug delivery and monitoring experiments as they do not bleach or blink over extended periods of time. To be utilized, the size of these diamond nanoparticles needs to be around 4 nm. Cluster formation is therefore the major problem. In this paper we introduce a new technique to modify the surface of particles with hydrogen, which prevents cluster formation in buffer solution and which is a perfect starting condition for chemical surface modifications. By annealing aggregated nanodiamond powder in hydrogen gas, the large (>100 nm) aggregates are broken down into their core ( approximately 4 nm) particles. Dispersion of these particles into water via high power ultrasound and high speed centrifugation, results in a monodisperse nanodiamond colloid, with exceptional long time stability in a wide range of pH, and with high positive zeta potential (>60 mV). The large change in zeta potential resulting from this gas treatment demonstrates that nanodiamond particle surfaces are able to react with molecular hydrogen at relatively low temperatures, a phenomenon not witnessed with larger (20 nm) diamond particles or bulk diamond surfaces.

Hydrogenated amorphous (a-C:H) films were prepared by rf-plasma deposition from benzene vapor. Complete optical absorption spectra from the UV to the IR (0.2–20.0 μm) have been measured. The optical gap depends linearly on hydrogen content and Eopt can be varied between 0.8 and 1.8 eV. For energies below Eopt the films are almost transparent and absorption is especially low in the 2–6-μm region (e.g., α=15 cm−1 at λ=2.8 μm). Sharp C–H stretch absorption bands occur near 3.4 μm, giving insight into the microstructure of the films. A newly reported weak band at 3.03 μm is first evidence for C–C triple bonds (sp1 hybridization) in a-C:H, where sp3 (single) and sp2 (double) C–C bonds dominate.

Polarized-optical-absorption spectra of ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$ in ZnO are reported. The crystal-field transitions from the $^{4}A_{2}$ ground state to the $^{4}T_{2} (F)$, $^{4}T_{1} (F)$, and $^{2}E (G)$ multiplets are analyzed in detail. These bands consist of sharp zero-phonon lines and their vibronic sidebands, where coupling to 528-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ optical phonons and 100-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ acoustical phonons from the $M$ point of the ZnO Brillouin zone is shown to be dominant. In order to explain the level scheme derived from the spectra the Hamiltonian describing cubic and trigonal crystal field, Coulomb and spin-orbit interaction has been diagonalized within the full ${d}^{7}$ configuration. With $Dq=400$, $v=120$, ${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=320$, $B=760$, $C=3500$, and $\ensuremath{\zeta}=430$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ both the band positions and the electronic-fine-structure splittings are satisfactorily accounted for. In addition the $g$ factors of the ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$ ground state, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ and ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, are correctly predicted.

The blue Mg induced 2.8 eV photoluminescence (PL) band in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition grown GaN has been studied in a large number of samples with varying Mg content. It emerges near a Mg concentration of 1×1019 cm−3 and at higher concentrations dominates the room temperature PL spectrum. The excitation power dependence of the 2.8 eV band provides convincing evidence for its donor–acceptor (D–A) pair recombination character. It is suggested that the acceptor A is isolated MgGa while the spatially separated, deep donor (430 meV) D is attributed to a nearest-neighbor associate of a MgGa acceptor with a nitrogen vacancy, formed by self-compensation.

The feasibility of producing erbium-doped silicon light-emitting diodes by molecular beam epitaxy is demonstrated. The p-n junctions are formed by growing an erbium-doped p-type epitaxial silicon layer on an n-type silicon substrate. When the diodes are biased in the forward direction at 77 K they show an intense sharply structured electroluminescence spectrum at 1.54 μm. This luminescence is assigned to the internal 4f–4f transition 4I13/2→4I15/2 of Er3+ (4f11).

Structure and morphology of polycrystalline diamond films prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have been studied using x-ray texture analysis, angle-resolved optical reflection, and scanning electron microscopy. The films under investigation exhibit a pronounced 110 fiber texture, i.e., a preferential alignment of {110} planes perpendicular to the growth direction. By thinning a 180-μm-thick CVD diamond film in an oxygen discharge the dependence of the degree of 110 texture on the film thickness has been investigated. It was found that the crystals formed at the beginning of the film growth are randomly oriented, and that a preferential orientation of {110} planes develops with increasing film thickness. Computer simulations show that this behavior can be explained by evolutionary selection, i.e., competing growth of differently oriented crystals, which implies that 〈110〉 is the direction of fastest growth. In addition, angle-resolved optical reflection and scanning electron micrographs show that the surface of the diamond films consists of {111} faces. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

A method to determine the broadband small-signal equivalent circuit of field-effect transistors (FETs) is proposed. This method is based on an analytic solution of the equations for the Y parameters of the intrinsic device and allows direct determination of the circuit elements at any specific frequency or averaged over a frequency range. The validity of the equivalent circuit can be verified by showing the frequency independence of each element. The method can be used for the whole range of measurement frequencies and can be applied to devices exhibiting severe low-frequency effects.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

We present the first study of the dynamics of an extended electronic wave packet in a solid. The wave packet is created in a GaAs/AlGaAs double-quantum-well structure by ultrashort pulse excitation. We observe the oscillatory motion of the wave packet between the two wells by using time-resolved degenerate four-wave-mixing and pump-and-probe spectroscopy.

The refractive indices of AlxGa1−xAs epitaxial layers (0.176⩽x⩽1) are accurately determined below the band gap to wavelengths, λ&amp;lt;3 μm. The layers are grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy metal organic and chemical vapor deposition with thicknesses ranging from 4 to 10 μm. They form improper waveguide structures with the GaAs substrate. The measurements are based on the excitation of the improper waveguide modes with grating couplers at 23 °C. The refractive indices of the layers are derived from the modal propagation constants in the range of 730 nm&amp;lt;λ&amp;lt;830 nm with an estimated uncertainty of Δn=5×10−4. The temperature coefficient of the refractive index is investigated in the same spectral range. From the effective indices of the TE and TM modes, we derive the strain-induced birefringence and the elasto-optic coefficients. High-resolution x-ray diffraction is used to determine the strain of the layers. The layer compositions are obtained with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The measurement range of the refractive index is extended from the direct gap to λ&amp;lt;3 μm by observing the Fabry-Pérot interference fringes of the transmission spectra of isolated layers. The measured values of the refractive index and the elasto-optic coefficient are compared to calculated data based on semiempirical models described in the literature. Published data of the index of refraction on GaAs, AlAs and GaP are analyzed to permit the development of a modified Sellmeier approximation. The experimental data on AlxGa1−xAs can be fitted over the entire composition range 0⩽x⩽1 to provide an accurate analytical description as a function of composition, wavelength, and temperature.

Experimental studies on aluminum (Al) and boron (B) implantation in 4H/6H SiC are reported; the implantation is conducted at room temperature or elevated temperatures (500 to 700 °C). Both Al and B act as “shallow” acceptors in SiC. The ionization energy of these acceptors, the hole mobility and the compensation in the implanted layers are obtained from Hall effect investigations. The degree of electrical activity of implanted Al/B atoms is determined as a function of the annealing temperature. Energetically deep centers introduced by the Al+/B+ implantation are investigated. The redistribution of implanted Al/B atoms subsequent to anneals and extended lattice defects are monitored. The generation of the B-related D-center is studied by coimplantation of Si/B and C/B, respectively.