Cavity-enhanced optical Hall effect in two-dimensional free charge carrier gases detected at terahertz frequencies

The effect of a tunable, externally coupled Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity to resonantly enhance the optical Hall effect signatures at terahertz frequencies produced by a traditional Drude-like two-dimensional electron gas is shown and discussed in this communication. As a result, the detection of optical Hall effect signatures at conveniently obtainable magnetic fields, for example by neodymium permanent magnets, is demonstrated. An AlInN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistor structure grown on a sapphire substrate is used for the experiment. The optical Hall effect signatures and their dispersions, which are governed by the frequency and the reflectance minima and maxima of the externally coupled Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity, are presented and discussed. Tuning the externally coupled Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity strongly modifies the optical Hall effect signatures, which provides a new degree of freedom for optical Hall effect experiments in addition to frequency, angle of incidence and magnetic field direction and strength

Infrared dielectric functions and optical phonons of wurtzite YxAl1-xN (0 <= x <= 0.22)

YAlN is a new member of the group-III nitride family with potential for applications in next generation piezoelectric and light emitting devices. We report the infrared dielectric functions and optical phonons of wurtzite (0001) YxAl1-xN epitaxial films with 0 <= x <= 0.22. The films are grown by magnetron sputtering epitaxy on c-plane Al2O3 and their phonon properties are investigated using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The infrared-active E-1(TO) and LO, and the Raman active E-2 phonons are found to exhibit one-mode behavior, which is discussed in the framework of the MREI model. The compositional dependencies of the E-1(TO), E-2 and LO phonon frequencies, the high-frequency limit of the dielectric constant, epsilon(infinity), the static dielectric constant, epsilon(0), and the Born effective charge Z(B) are established and discussed

Terahertz optical-Hall effect characterization of two-dimensional electron gas properties in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures

The free-charge carrier mobility, sheet density, and effective mass of a two-dimensional electron gas are exemplarily determined in the spectral range from 640 GHz to 1 THz in a AlGaN/GaN heterostructure using the optical-Hall effect at room temperature. Complementary midinfrared spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements are performed for analysis of heterostructure constituents layer thickness, phonon mode, and free-charge carrier parameters. The electron effective mass is determined to be (0.22 ± 0.04)m0. The high-frequency sheet density and carrier mobility parameters are in good agreement with results from dc electrical Hall effect measurements, indicative for frequency-independent carrier scattering mechanisms of the two-dimensional carrier distribution

Infrared to vacuum-ultraviolet ellipsometry and optical Hall-effect study of free-charge carrier parameters in Mg-doped InN

Infrared to vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry and far-infrared optical Hall-effect measurements are applied to conclude on successful p-type doping of InN films. A representative set of In-polar Mg-doped InN films with Mg concentrations ranging from 1.2 x 10(16) cm(-3) to 3.9 x 10(21) cm(-3) is investigated. The data are compared and discussed in dependence of the Mg concentration. Differences between n-type and p-type conducting samples are identified and explained. p-type conductivity in the Mg concentration range between 1.1 x 10(18) cm(-3) and 2.9 x 10(19) cm(-3) is indicated by the appearance of a dip structure in the infrared spectral region related to a loss in reflectivity of p-polarized light as a consequence of reduced LO phonon plasmon coupling, by vanishing free-charge carrier induced birefringence in the optical Hall-effect measurements, and by a sudden change in phonon-plasmon broadening behavior despite continuous change in the Mg concentration. By modeling the near-infrared-to-vacuum-ultraviolet ellipsometry data, information about layer thickness, electronic interband transitions, as well as surface roughness is extracted in dependence of the Mg concentration. A parameterized model that accounts for the phonon-plasmon coupling is applied for the infrared spectral range to determine the free-charge carrier concentration and mobility parameters in the doped bulk InN layer as well as the GaN template and undoped InN buffer layer. The optical Hall-effect best-match model parameters are consistent with those obtained from infrared ellipsometry analysis.Funding Agencies|National Science Foundation|MRSEC DMR-0820521MRI DMR-0922937DMR-0907475EPS-1004094|Swedish Research Council (VR)|2010-3848|Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) under the VINNMER International Qualification program|2011-03486|FCT Portugal|PTDC/FIS/100448/2008|</p

Natural optical activity as the origin of the large chiroptical properties in π-conjugated polymer thin films

Polymer thin films that emit and absorb circularly polarised light have been demonstrated with the promise of achieving important technological advances; from efficient, high-performance displays, to 3D imaging and all-organic spintronic devices. However, the origin of the large chiroptical effects in such films has, until now, remained elusive. We investigate the emergence of such phenomena in achiral polymers blended with a chiral small-molecule additive (1-aza[6]helicene) and intrinsically chiral-sidechain polymers using a combination of spectroscopic methods and structural probes. We show that – under conditions relevant for device fabrication – the large chiroptical effects are caused by magneto-electric coupling (natural optical activity), not structural chirality as previously assumed, and may occur because of local order in a cylinder blue phase-type organisation. This disruptive mechanistic insight into chiral polymer thin films will offer new approaches towards chiroptical materials development after almost three decades of research in this area