Potential well

About: Potential well is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1430 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30812 citations.

Improved quantum confinement of self-assembled high-density InAs quantum dot molecules in AlGaAs∕GaAs quantum well structures by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract: Self-assembled, multistack InAs quantum dot molecules (QDMs) were grown by a modified molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) technique, which involves multiple stacking and multiple cycling of the thin-capping-and-regrowth process, so as to obtain a large volume density of quantum dots on the sample. Furthermore, the high-density InAs QDMs were also grown sandwiched either between a double heterostructure (DHS) or between a quantum-well (QW) structure. It was found from microphotoluminescence (μ-PL) measurements that the QDMs sandwiched between these structures give broader PL spectra than those of the as-grown QDMs. The broadening of the PL spectra is associated with the poorer dot size uniformity, which arises from the long and complicated MBE growth processes. However, comparing between the QDMs in the DHS and in the QW structure, the latter give narrower PL spectra. The narrower PL spectra for the QDM-in-QW structure is attributed to the improved quantum confinement effect arising from the use of the QW.

Atomistic study of structural and electronic transport properties of silicon quantum dots for optoelectronic applications

Abstract: Introduction It is undisputed that the silicon became the material most widely used in electronics in recent decades[1,2]. The qualities of silicon are well known, from its abundance and low cost to its ability to easily combine with oxides, so that the material has become essential in integrated electronic circuits and CMOS technology. A step further, though, is the idea of integrating electronics and photonics on the same silicon-based technology[3]. However, new strategies are needed to overcome the two principal obstacles of a possible bulk Si photonics: the indirect band gap and the band gap amplitude, suitable for operation only in the infrared range. Due to the quantum confinement of electric charges in silicon quantum dots (Si QDs)[4], the value of the energy gap of the material increases as the size of QD decreases, giving values greater than bulk Si and making Si QDs good candidates for tunable-band gap devices. Several applications have been developed in recent years using these new properties, from light-emitting devices [5] to solar cell tandem type [6] or other opto-electronic devices [7]. Objectives of this Thesis This Thesis initiated a collaboration between our group and the group of Prof. Ossicini of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who has been modeling Si QDs for the last five years[8-14]. In this context, we contributed with the capacity to study the transport properties of these models by taking advantage of mixing two different techniques, Transfer Hamiltonian (TH) and Density Functional Theory (DFT). Thus, the aim of this work was to develop an approach to study transport in nanostructures by taking advantage of the atomistic information that ab initio methods can provide. In particular, the transport through a single Si QD embedded in a SiO2 dielectric matrix and the influence of the Si QD size, the amorphization level, and the doping were studied. Results and conclusions About the size of QDs In the case of embedded QDs of few nanometers, the strong non-planar interface between Si and SiO2 require a different treatment with respect to common planar Si/SiO2 devices. In this PhD Thesis, we have shown that, for small QD sizes, the particle-in-a-box model cannot describe accurately DOS and band offset, because of the large contribution of interface states. In this regime an ab initio approach is necessary to take into account the atomistic detail of the interface between the Si QD and the first shell of O atoms surrounding it. Regarding the electronic transport in Si QDs, a correlation between electron (hole) barrier value and electron (hole) current was found, obtaining larger current values for smaller energy barriers. Specifically, a contrary dependence on Si QD size and amorphization level is found for electron and hole current. On one hand, electron (hole) current is higher for large (small) Si QDs, and, on the other hand, it is enhanced for amorphous (crystalline) systems. On the effects of doping Finally, the DFT-TH technique was used to study the influence of impurity atoms, B for p-doping and P for n-doping, in embedded Si QDs. It is remarkable that this study is one of the first attempts to model with DFT the inclusion of impurity atoms in embedded Si QDs, after the wide knowledge of ab initio works on free-standing Si QDs of the last years. The principal features that we found were: • The impurity positions with lower formation energy are inside the dot for P-doping (P-dot) and at the interface for B-doping (B-int). • Relation between shift of the Fermi energy and improvement of conductivity in doped systems (due to the change in energy barriers). • Improvement of the conductivity for the most energetically favorable position of P-doping (P-dot) but not for the position of B-doping (B-int). • Change in the conductivity between doped and undoped is higher for P-doping than B-doping for a given Si QD size and impurity position, and decreases with QD size for a given specie and impurity position. Bibliography [1] M. Segal. Material history: Learning from silicon. Nature, 483, S43 (2012). [2] H. J. Leamy and J. H.Wernick. Semiconductor silicon: the extraordinary made ordinary. MRS Bulletin, 22, 47 (1997). [3] X. Hao, E.-C. Cho, G. Scardera, Y. Shen, E. Bellet-Amalric, D. Bellet, G. Conibeer and M. Green. Phosphorus-doped silicon quantum dots for all-silicon quantum dot tandem solar cells. Sol. Energ. Mat. Sol. C, 93, 1524 (2009). [4] J. P. Proot, C. Delerue and G. Allan. Electronic structure and optical properties of silicon crystallites: Application to porous silicon. Appl. Phys. Lett., 61, 1948 (1992). [5] Y. Berencen, J. M. Ramirez, O. Jambois, C. Dominguez, J. A. Rodriguez and B. Garrido. Correlation between charge transport and electrolumi-nescence properties of Si-rich oxide/nitride/oxide-based light emitting capacitors. J. Appl. Phys., 112, 033114 (2012). [6] G. Conibeer, I. Perez-Wur, X. Hao, D. Di and D. Lin. Si solid-state quantum dot-based materials for tandem solar cells. Nanoscale Res. Lett., 7, 193 (2012). [7] L. Pavesi, L. D. Negro, C. Mazzoleni, G. Franzo and F. Priolo. Optical gain in silicon nanocrystals. Nature, 408, 440 (2000). [8] M. Luppi and S. Ossicini. Ab initio study on oxidized silicon clusters and silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2: Beyond the quantum confinement effect. Phys. Rev. B, 71, 035340 (2005). [9] R. Guerra, I. Marri, R. Magri, L. Martin-Samos, O. Pulci, E. Degoli and S. Ossicini. Silicon nanocrystallites in a SiO2 matrix: Role of disorder and size. Phys. Rev. B, 79, 155320 (2009). [10] R. Guerra, E. Degoli and S. Ossicini. Size, oxidation, and strain in small Si/SiO2 nanocrystals. Phys. Rev. B, 80, 155332 (2009). [11] R. Guerra and S. Ossicini. High luminescence in small Si/SiO2 nanocrystals: A theoretical study. Phys. Rev. B, 81, 245307 (2010). [12] R. Guerra, E. Degoli, M. Marsili, O. Pulci and S. Ossicini. Local-fields and disorder effects in free-standing and embedded Si nanocrystallites. Phys. Status Solidi B, 247, 2113 (2010). [13] R. Guerra, M. Marsili, O. Pulci and S. Ossicini. Local-field effects in silicon nanoclusters. Phys. Rev. B, 84, 075342 (2011). [14] M. Govoni, I. Marri and S. Ossicini. Auger recombination in Si and GaAs semiconductors: Ab initio results. Phys. Rev. B, 84, 075215 (2011).

Pulsed Laser Deposition Films Based on CdSe-Doped Zinc Aluminophosphate Glass

Abstract: A composite material with applications in optoelectronics has been investigated. Pulsed laser deposition CdSe-doped glass film was prepared by the combinatorial deposition from two targets, namely pure CdSe and glass belonging to the 20Li2O-10Al2O3-7BaO-2La2O3-2ZnO-59P2O5 system. Exciton peaks in the Vis domain, related to electron–hole pairs transitions from the valence band to the conduction band, were revealed in the optical absorption spectra of the CdSe-doped film. CdSe quantum dots (QDs) band gap energy depends on the CdSe quantum confinement effect. CdSe-doped film photoluminescence exhibits peaks in the red domain assigned to CdSe transitions from the excited state to the ground state. The size of CdSe nanoclusters, determined from x-ray diffraction is correlated with scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy results. Vibration modes specific both to CdSe QDs and to the vitreous network have been evidenced by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy.