3 research outputs found
InAs/GaAs quantum-dot superluminescent light-emitting diode monolithically grown on a Si substrate
Building optoelectronic devices on a Si platform has been the engine behind the development of Si photonics. In particular, the integration of optical interconnects onto Si substrates allows the fabrication of complex optoelectronic circuits, potentially enabling chip-to-chip and system-to-system optical communications at greatly reduced cost and size relative to hybrid solutions. Although significant effort has been devoted to Si light generation and modulation technologies, efficient and electrically pumped Si light emitters have yet to be demonstrated. In contrast, III–V semiconductor devices offer high efficiency as optical sources. Monolithic integration of III–V on the Si platform would thus be an effective approach for realizing Si-based light sources. Here, we describe the first superluminescent light-emitting diode (SLD) monolithically grown on Si substrates. The fabricated two-section InAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) SLD produces a close-to-Gaussian emission spectrum of 114 nm centered at 1255 nm wavelength, with a maximum output power of 2.6 mW at room temperature. This work complements our previous demonstration of an InAs/GaAs QD laser directly grown on a Si platform and paves the way for future monolithic integration of III–V light sources required for Si photonics
Voltage recovery in charged InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells
The realization of high efficiency quantum dot intermediate band solar cells is challenging due to the thermally activated charge escaping at high temperatures. The enhancement in short circuit current of quantum dot solar cells is largely undermined by the voltage loss. In this paper, InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells with direct Si doping in the quantum dots are studied. The open circuit voltage is improved with increasing doping concentration in the quantum dots. The recovery of open circuit voltage as large as 105 mV is measured. This voltage recovery is attributed to suppressed charge thermal escaping from quantum dots. The suppressed thermal coupling is supported by the external quantum efficiency and photoluminescence measurements
Improvement of performance of InAs quantum dot solar cell by inserting thin AlAs layers
A new measure to enhance the performance of InAs quantum dot solar cell is proposed and measured. One monolayer AlAs is deposited on top of InAs quantum dots (QDs) in multistack solar cells. The devices were fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. In situ annealing was intended to tune the QD density. A set of four samples were compared: InAs QDs without in situ annealing with and without AlAs cap layer and InAs QDs in situ annealed with and without AlAs cap layer. Atomic force microscopy measurements show that when in situ annealing of QDs without AlAs capping layers is investigated, holes and dashes are present on the device surface, while capping with one monolayer AlAs improves the device surface. On unannealed samples, capping the QDs with one monolayer of AlAs improves the spectral response, the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor. On annealed samples, capping has little effect on the spectral response but reduces the short-circuit current, while increasing the open-circuit voltage, the fill factor and power conversion efficiency