The advantages of using multi‐quantum‐well or superlattice systems as the absorbers in concentrator solar cells are discussed. By adjusting the quantum‐well width, an effective band‐gap variation that covers the high‐efficiency region of the solar spectrum can be obtained. Higher efficiencies should result from the ability to optimize separately current and voltage generating factors. Suitable structures to ensure good carrier separation and collection and to obtain higher open‐circuit voltages are presented using the (AlGa)As/GaAs/(InGa)As system. Efficiencies above existing single‐band‐gap limits should be achievable, with upper limits in excess of 40%.

A new approach to high‐efficiency multi‐band‐gap solar cells

The authors studied the effects of changing the barrier design of GaAs-Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As quantum wells on the electroabsorption, exciton saturation, and carrier sweep-out times. Five samples with x values ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 and barrier thicknesses from 35 to 95 AA were studied. Within this range, the authors find that the electroabsorption is not very sensitive to the barrier thickness, but that the ionization field of the excitons approximately doubles for an increase of x from 0.2 to 0.4. The samples with high, thick barriers have lower internal quantum efficiencies than those with low, thin barriers. It was found that the exciton saturation intensity increases with increasing applied field, and decreasing barrier thickness or height. Time-resolved electroabsorption measurements confirm the variation in sweep-out rates between samples, and indicate that the escape mechanism at low field is probably a thermally-assisted tunneling process. >

Quantum well carrier sweep out: relation to electroabsorption and exciton saturation

Quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers covering a wide range of the infrared and terahertz spectrum. Lasing action is achieved by using optical intersubband transitions between quantized states in specifically designed multiple-quantum-well heterostructures. A systematic improvement of quantum cascade lasers with respect to operating temperature, efficiency, and spectral range requires detailed modeling of the underlying physical processes in these structures. Moreover, the quantum cascade laser constitutes a versatile model device for the development and improvement of simulation techniques in nano- and optoelectronics. This review provides a comprehensive survey and discussion of the modeling techniques used for the simulation of quantum cascade lasers. The main focus is on the modeling of carrier transport in the nanostructured gain medium, while the simulation of the optical cavity is covered at a more basic level. Specifically, the transfer matrix and finite difference methods for solving the one-dimensional Schrodinger equation and Schrodinger-Poisson system are discussed, providing the quantized states in the multiple-quantum-well active region. The modeling of the optical cavity is covered with a focus on basic waveguide resonator structures. Furthermore, various carrier transport simulation methods are discussed, ranging from basic empirical approaches to advanced self-consistent techniques. The methods include empirical rate equation and related Maxwell-Bloch equation approaches, self-consistent rate equation and ensemble Monte Carlo methods, as well as quantum transport approaches, in particular the density matrix and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The derived scattering rates and self-energies are generally valid for n-type devices based on one-dimensional quantum confinement, such as quantum well structures.

Modeling techniques for quantum cascade lasers

The authors report a direct measurement of the absorption dynamics in an InAs p‐i‐n ridge waveguide quantum dot modulator. The carrier escape mechanisms are investigated via subpicosecond pump-probe measurements at room temperature, under reverse bias conditions. The optical pulses employed are degenerate in wavelength with the quantum dot ground state transition at 1.28μm. The absorption change recovers with characteristic times ranging from 62ps (0V)to∼700fs (−10V), showing a decrease of nearly two orders of magnitude. The authors show that at low applied fields, this recovery is attributed to thermionic emission while for higher applied fields, tunneling becomes the dominant mechanism.

Ultrafast electroabsorption dynamics in an InAs quantum dot saturable absorber at 1.3μm

We have studied the forward bias behavior of AlGaAs/GaAs p‐i‐n multiquantum well (MQW) photodiodes. In samples with low background impurity levels in the intrinsic region the high quantum efficiency observed in reverse bias is maintained into forward bias even for carriers photoexcited in the wells. We compare our MQW devices with structures which are identical apart from having AlGaAs intrinsic regions without quantum wells. The short‐circuit currents in the MQW structures are much higher than in the control samples though the open‐circuit voltages are somewhat smaller. In one case the energy conversion efficiency of the MQW device in white light is 110% higher than the control. We discuss the implications of our results for the development of low‐dimensional structure solar cells.

Short‐circuit current and energy efficiency enhancement in a low‐dimensional structure photovoltaic device

A simple, accurate, and fast algorithm for solving the one-dimensional time-independent Schrodinger equation is presented. The algorithm is based on the transfer matrix method. This makes it possible to calculate all bound and quasi-bound energy levels and the corresponding wave functions for an arbitrarily shaped potential profile. The results of calculations are compared with those obtained by other authors for various types of problems. A central part of this study deals with solving the Schrodinger equation in quantum-well structures. The results show that the transfer matrix method is as accurate as other methods, but it is easier to implement and, hence, is superior for calculations on small computer, such as a PC. >

Solving the Schrodinger equation in arbitrary quantum-well potential profiles using the transfer matrix method

Extended measurements and theory on the recently developed monolithic wavelength demultiplexer consisting of voltage-tunable superlattice p-i-n photodetectors in a waveguide confirmation are discussed. It is shown that the device is able to demultiplex and detect two optical signals with a wavelength separation of 20 nm directly into different electrical channels at a data rate of 1 Gb/s and with a crosstalk attenuation varying between 20 and 28 dB, depending on the polarization. The minimum acceptable crosstalk attenuation at a data rate of 100 Mb/s is determined to be 10 dB. The feasibility of using the device as a polarization angle sensor for linearly polarized light is also demonstrated. A theory for the emission of photogenerated carriers out of the quantum wells is included, since this is potentially a speed limiting mechanism in these detectors. It is shown that a theory of thermally assisted tunneling by polar optical phonon interaction is able to predict emission times consistent with the observed temporal response. >

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S.T. Eng

Papers

Solving the Schrodinger equation in arbitrary quantum-well potential profiles using the transfer matrix method

Tunable superlattice p-i-n photodetectors: characteristics, theory, and application