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Spectroscopic Studies in InGaN Quantum Wells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

S. E Chichibu,
T. Sota,
K. Wada,
S. P DenBaars and
S. Nakamura
S. E Chichibu
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan, chichibu@ims.tsukuba.ac.jpEECE Department, Waseda University, 34-1 Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
T. Sota
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan, chichibu@ims.tsukuba.ac.jpEECE Department, Waseda University, 34-1 Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
K. Wada
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan, chichibu@ims.tsukuba.ac.jpDepartment of Research and Development, Nichia Chemical Industries Ltd., 491 Oka, Kaminaka, Anan, Tokushima 774-8601, Japan
S. P DenBaars
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan, chichibu@ims.tsukuba.ac.jpMaterials and ECE Departments, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
S. Nakamura
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan, chichibu@ims.tsukuba.ac.jpDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
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Abstract

Fundamental electronic modulations in strained wurtzite If-nitride, in particular InxGa1-xN, quantum wells (QWs) were treated to explore the reason why practical InGaN devices emit bright luminescences in spite of the large threading dislocation (TD) density. The emission mechanisms were shown to vary depending on the well thickness L and InN molar fraction x. The electric field across the QW plane, F, which is a sum of the fields due to spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization and the pn junction field, causes the redshift of the ground state resonance energy through the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE). The absorption spectrum is modulated by QCSE, quantum-confined Franz-Keldysh effect (QCFK), and Franz-Keldysh (FK) effect from the barrires when, for the first approximation, potential drop across the well (F/L) exceeds the valence band discontinuity, δEv. Under large F/L, holes are confined in the triangular potential well formed at one side of the well. This produces apparent Stokes-like shift in addition to the in-plane net Stokes shift on the absorption spectrum. The QCFK and FK further modulate the electronic structure of the wells with L greater than the three dimensional (3D) free exciton (FE) Bohr radius, aB. When F/L exceeds ΔEc, both electron (e) and hole (h) confined levels drop into the triangular potential wells at opposite sides of the wells, which reduces the wavefunction overlap. Doping of Si in the barriers partially screens the F resulting in a smaller Stokes-like shift, shorter recombination decay time, and higher emission efficiency. Finally, the use of InGaN was found to overcome the field-induced oscillator strength lowering due to the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization. Effective in-plane localization of the QW excitons (confined excitons, or quantized excitons) in quantum disk (Q-disk) size potential minima, which are produced by nonrandom alloy potential fluctuation enhanced by the large bowing parameter and F, produces confined e-h pairs whose wavefunctions are still overlapped when L<aB. Their Coulomb interaction is more pronounced for F L<ΔEv.

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Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 537: Symposium G – GaN and Related Alloys , 1998, G2.7
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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