Influence of laser irradiation on optical properties of GaAsBi/GaAs quantum wells

Abstract

This paper is focused on investigation of the impact of laser irradiation on the structural and optical properties of bismide-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The MQW structures, composed of 5 GaAsBi quantum wells, 7 nm thick, separated by 10 nm-thick GaAs barriers, were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (100)-plane oriented semi-insulating substrates at 330°C temperature. The bismuth content in as-grown GaAsBi wells evaluated from the measurements of HR-XRD rocking curves was about 6%. HR-TEM and AFM studies of the MQWs evidenced sharp interfaces between the wells and barriers, and a smooth, droplet-free surface, respectively. HR-TEM images also evidenced a homogeneous bismuth distribution in the wells. The spatially-resolved photoluminescence study of GaAsBi/GaAs MQWs revealed the enhancement of PL emission efficiency of up to 80% with no shift of the spectral position after intense laser irradiation. The obtained results were explained by improvement of the GaAsBi crystal quality.