We present a comprehensive, up-to-date compilation of band parameters for the technologically important III–V zinc blende and wurtzite compound semiconductors: GaAs, GaSb, GaP, GaN, AlAs, AlSb, AlP, AlN, InAs, InSb, InP, and InN, along with their ternary and quaternary alloys. Based on a review of the existing literature, complete and consistent parameter sets are given for all materials. Emphasizing the quantities required for band structure calculations, we tabulate the direct and indirect energy gaps, spin-orbit, and crystal-field splittings, alloy bowing parameters, effective masses for electrons, heavy, light, and split-off holes, Luttinger parameters, interband momentum matrix elements, and deformation potentials, including temperature and alloy-composition dependences where available. Heterostructure band offsets are also given, on an absolute scale that allows any material to be aligned relative to any other.

Band parameters for III–V compound semiconductors and their alloys

http://nathan.instras.com/documentDB/paper-44.pdf

Surface photovoltage phenomena: theory, experiment, and applications

Six years after their birth, terahertz quantum-cascade lasers can now deliver milliwatts or more of continuous-wave coherent radiation throughout the terahertz range — the spectral regime between millimetre and infrared wavelengths, which has long resisted development. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art and future prospects for these lasers, including efforts to increase their operating temperatures, deliver higher output powers and emit longer wavelengths.

Terahertz quantum-cascade lasers

A new type of optical transition in GaAs quantum wells has been observed. The dipole occurs between two envelope states of the conduction‐band electron wave function, and is called a quantum well envelope state transition (QWEST). The QWEST is observed by infrared absorption for two structures with 65‐A‐thick‐ and 82‐A‐thick wells. The transitions exhibit resonant energies of 152 and 121 meV respectively, full width at half‐maximum linewidths as narrow as 10 meV at room temperature, and an oscillator strength of 12.2. The material is anticipated to have subpicosecond relaxation times and be ideal for low‐power optical digital logic.

First observation of an extremely large‐dipole infrared transition within the conduction band of a GaAs quantum well

J. Y. Tsao,* S. Chowdhury, M. A. Hollis,* D. Jena, N. M. Johnson, K. A. Jones, R. J. Kaplar,* S. Rajan, C. G. Van de Walle, E. Bellotti, C. L. Chua, R. Collazo, M. E. Coltrin, J. A. Cooper, K. R. Evans, S. Graham, T. A. Grotjohn, E. R. Heller, M. Higashiwaki, M. S. Islam, P. W. Juodawlkis, M. A. Khan, A. D. Koehler, J. H. Leach, U. K. Mishra, R. J. Nemanich, R. C. N. Pilawa-Podgurski, J. B. Shealy, Z. Sitar, M. J. Tadjer, A. F. Witulski, M. Wraback, and J. A. Simmons

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Ultrawide-Bandgap Semiconductors: Research Opportunities and Challenges

This letter describes high electron mobility transistors (HEMT's) utilizing a conducting channel which is a single In 0.15 Ga 0.85 AS quantum well grown pseudomorphically on a GaAs substrate. A Hall mobility of 40 000 cm2/V.s has been observed at 77 K. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations have been observed at 4.2 K which verify the existence of a two-dimensional electron gas at the In 0.15 Ga 0.85 As/GaAs interface. HEMT's fabricated with 2-µm gate lengths show an extrinsic transconductance of 90 and 140 mS/mm at 300 and 77 K, respectively-significantly larger than that previously reported for strained-layer superlattice In x Ga 1-x As structures which are nonpseudomorphic to GaAs substrates. HEMT's with 1-µm gate lengths have been fabricated, which show an extrinsic transconductance of 175 mS/mm at 300 K which is higher than previously reported values for both strained and unstrained In x Ga 1-x As FET's. The absence of Al x Ga 1-x As in these structures has eliminated both the persistent photoconductivity effect and drain current collapse at 77 K.

An In 0.15 Ga 0.85 As/GaAs pseudomorphic single quantum well HEMT

Ex situ nonalloyed ohmic contacts were made to n‐ and p‐type GaAs using low‐temperature molecular beam epitaxy. For n‐type GaAs, Ag, and Ti/Au nonalloyed contacts displayed specific contact resistitivities of mid 10−7 Ω cm2. For p‐type GaAs, nonalloyed Ti/Au contacts with specific contact resistivities of about 10−7 Ω cm2 were obtained.

/pdf/very-low-resistance-nonalloyed-ohmic-contacts-using-low-4de8nbzzcy.pdf

Very low resistance nonalloyed ohmic contacts using low‐temperature molecular beam epitaxy of GaAs

The fabrication of a GaAs detector which operates in the 1.3- to 1.5- mu m optical range is reported. The detector is a P-i-N photodiode with an intrinsic layer composed of undoped GaAs which was grown at 225 degrees C and subsequently annealed at 600 degrees C. This growth process has been demonstrated to produce a high density of As precipitates in the low-temperature grown region, which the authors show to exhibit absorption through internal photoemission. The internal Schottky barrier height of the As precipitates is found to be 0.7 eV, leading to reasonable room-temperature responsivity out to around 1.7 mu m. >

1.3- mu m P-i-N photodetector using GaAs with As precipitates (GaAs:As)

Carbon tetrabromide (CBr4) and bromoform (CHBr3) have been studied as carbon doping sources for GaAs grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) with elemental Ga and thermally cracked AsH3. Hole concentrations in excess of 1×1020 cm−3 have been measured by Hall effect in both CBr4‐ and CHBr3‐doped GaAs, which agrees closely with the atomic C concentration from secondary‐ion mass spectrometry, indicating complete electrical activity of the incorporated carbon. The GaAs growth rate is unaffected by the CBr4 and CHBr3 fluxes over the range of dopant flow investigated. The efficiencies of carbon incorporation from CBr4 and CHBr3 are, respectively, 750 and 25 times that of trimethylgallium (TMG), which is commonly employed as a carbon doping source in metalorganic MBE (MOMBE). The sensitivity of carbon incorporation to varying substrate temperature and V/III ratio has been observed to be significantly reduced with CBr4 and CHBr3 from that obtained under similar growth conditions with TMG in MOMBE.

High carbon doping efficiency of bromomethanes in gas source molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaAs

GaAs epilayers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy under normal conditions, except a substrate temperature of 250 °C was used instead of the normal 600 °C. This results in an excess of arsenic of about 1.5% in the epilayer. The epilayers also contained regions that were delta doped with silicon, beryllium, and indium. Samples were annealed for 30 s at 600, 700, and 800 °C to investigate the effects of the Si, Be, and In impurities on the precipitation of the excess As. It was found that the As precipitates form preferentially on planes of Si while forming preferentially between planes of Be. The isoelectronic impurity In appeared to have no effect on the precipitation process.

Jerry M Woodall

Papers

An In 0.15 Ga 0.85 As/GaAs pseudomorphic single quantum well HEMT

Very low resistance nonalloyed ohmic contacts using low‐temperature molecular beam epitaxy of GaAs

1.3- mu m P-i-N photodetector using GaAs with As precipitates (GaAs:As)

High carbon doping efficiency of bromomethanes in gas source molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaAs

Formation of two‐dimensional arsenic‐precipitate arrays in GaAs