215 research outputs found
Quantum transport in weakly coupled superlattices at low temperature
We report on the study of the electrical current flowing in weakly coupled
superlattice (SL) structures under an applied electric field at very low
temperature, i.e. in the tunneling regime. This low temperature transport is
characterized by an extremely low tunneling probability between adjacent wells.
Experimentally, I(V) curves at low temperature display a striking feature, i.e
a plateau or null differential conductance. A theoretical model based on the
evaluation of scattering rates is developed in order to understand this
behaviour, exploring the different scattering mechanisms in AlGaAs alloys. The
dominant interaction in usual experimental conditions such as ours is found to
be the electron-ionized donors scattering. The existence of the plateau in the
I(V) characteristics is physically explained by a competition between the
electric field localization of the Wannier-Stark electron states in the weakly
coupled quantum wells and the electric field assisted tunneling between
adjacent wells. The influence of the doping concentration and profile as well
as the presence of impurities inside the barrier are discussed
Electronic transport in quantum cascade structures
The transport in complex multiple quantum well heterostructures is
theoretically described. The model is focused on quantum cascade detectors,
which represent an exciting challenge due to the complexity of the structure
containing 7 or 8 quantum wells of different widths. Electronic transport can
be fully described without any adjustable parameter. Diffusion from one subband
to another is calculated with a standard electron-optical phonon hamiltonian,
and the electronic transport results from a parallel flow of electrons using
all the possible paths through the different subbands. Finally, the resistance
of such a complex device is given by a simple expression, with an excellent
agreement with experimental results. This relation involves the sum of
transitions rates between subbands, from one period of the device to the next
one. This relation appears as an Einstein relation adapted to the case of
complex multiple quantum structures.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Ultimate performance of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors in the tunneling regime
Thanks to their wavelength diversity and to their excellent uniformity,
Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIP) emerge as potential candidates for
astronomical or defense applications in the very long wavelength infrared
(VLWIR) spectral domain. However, these applications deal with very low
backgrounds and are very stringent on dark current requirements. In this paper,
we present the full electro-optical characterization of a 15 micrometer QWIP,
with emphasis on the dark current measurements. Data exhibit striking features,
such as a plateau regime in the IV curves at low temperature (4 to 25 K). We
show that present theories fail to describe this phenomenon and establish the
need for a fully microscopic approach
Optical Transitions in Single-Wall Boron Nitride Nanotubes
Optical transitions in single-wall boron nitride nanotubes are investigated by means of optical absorption spectroscopy. Three absorption lines are observed. Two of them (at 4.45 and 5.5 eV) result from the quantification involved by the rolling up of the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) sheet. The nature of these lines is discussed, and two interpretations are proposed. A comparison with single-wall carbon nanotubes leads one to interpret these lines as transitions between pairs of van Hove singularities in the one-dimensional density of states of boron nitride single-wall nanotubes. But the confinement energy due to the rolling up of the h-BN sheet cannot explain a gap width of the boron nitride nanotubes below the h-BN gap. The low energy line is then attributed to the existence of a Frenkel exciton with a binding energy in the 1 eV range
Patch antenna terahertz photodetectors
We report on the implementation of 5 THz quantum well photodetector exploiting a patch antenna cavity array. The benefit of our plasmonic architecture on the detector performance is assessed by comparing it with detectors made using the same quantum well absorbing region, but processed into a standard 45° polished facet mesa. Our results demonstrate a clear improvement in responsivity, polarization insensitivity, and background limited performance. Peak detectivities in excess of 5 × 1012 cmHz1/2/W have been obtained, a value comparable with that of the best cryogenic cooled bolometers
On conversion of luminescence into absorption and the van Roosbroeck-Shockley relation
The problem of conversion of experimentally measured luminescence spectrum
into the absorption cross section is revisited. The common practice of using
the van Roosbroeck-Shockley (or Kubo-Martin-Schwinger or Kennard-Stepanov)
relation in this context is incorrect because luminescence from semiconductors
is essentially all due to the spontaneous emission component of the
recombination of carriers distributed far-from-equilibrium. A simple,
physically consistent, and practical prescription for converting the
luminescence spectra into absorption is presented and its relation to the
so-called nonequilibrium generalization of the van Roosbroeck-Shockley
relationship is discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
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