Optical properties of nitrogen doped gallium arsenide under pressure

We present new insights into the problem of the isoelectronic nitrogen (N) impurity in gallium arsenide (GaAs). By performing photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE), transmission, and time decay measurements through a broad range of pressures, we were able to positively identify and track previously unseen states arising from the N impurity.;The first observation we make is of a dramatic increase in luminescence as N forms an isolated state within the gap around 22kbar. We attribute this effect to N acting as a nonradiative trapping center while still resonant with the conduction band states. We also note the appearance, above 22kbar, of a broad band-to-acceptor like emission below the band edge, which we associate with a band to N acceptor transition.;The next major observation we report is of the excited state of the N x exciton. We find this state to be clearly identifiable for the pressure range ~25kbar to ~30kbar, and is weak in PL, but shows enormous absorption signals in PLE and transmission. The spacing of this level from Nx-B is in good agreement with the established theory of shallow acceptor levels.;We then move on to the identification of a second bound state associated with N. This state, designated NGamma, was previously reported for the GaP system and the GaAs1-xPx alloy, but has not, until now, been positively identified in GaAs. We find the state to be degenerate with the shallow donor level for pressures up to ~30kbar. The emission from this state is found to possess unique N characteristics and is seen to move in pressure with both shallow and deep like properties.;We conclude with a discussion of the process of lasing in N doped GaAs. We present data consistent with previous studies of the lasing process in GaAs. However, we find an intriguing trend with pressure as we approach the Gamma-X crossover. The lasing gain begins to shift in a manner similar to NGamma . In fact, NGamma appears to act as an upper bound on the laser emission. We believe this to be preliminary evidence of the influence of N on the lasing mechanism

Stark effect on the exciton spectra of vertically coupled quantum dots: horizontal field orientation and non-aligned dots

We study the effect of an electric-field on an electron-hole pair in an asymmetric system of vertically coupled self-assembled quantum dots taking into account their non-perfect alignment. We show that the non-perfect alignment does not qualitatively influence the exciton Stark effect for the electric field applied in the growth direction, but can be detected by application of a perpendicular electric field. We demonstrate that the direction of the shift between the axes of non-aligned dots can be detected by rotation of a weak electric field within the plane of confinement. Already for a nearly perfect alignment the two-lowest energy bright exciton states possess antilocked extrema as function of the orientation angle of the horizontal field which appear when the field is parallel to the direction of the shift between the dot centers

Forster signatures and qubits in optically driven quantum dot molecules

An interesting approach to achieve quantum gate operations in a solid state device is to implement an optically driven quantum gate using two vertically coupled self-assembled quantum dots, a quantum dot molecule (QDM). We present a realistic model for exciton dynamics in InGaAs/GaAs QDMs under intense laser excitation and applied electric fields. The dynamics is obtained by solutions of the Lindblad master equation. A map of the dressed ground state as function of laser energy and applied electric field exhibits rich structure that includes excitonic anticrossings that permit the identification of the relevant couplings. The optical signatures of the dipole-dipole Forster energy transfer mechanism show as splittings of several (spatially) indirect excitonic lines. Moreover, we construct a model for exciton qubit rotations by adiabatic electric field cyclic sweeps into a Forster-tunneling regime which induces level anticrossings. The proposed qubit exhibits Rabi oscillations among two well defined exciton pairs as function of the residence time at the anticrossing.Comment: Paper presented in the International Conference on Electronic Properties of Two-dimensional Systems and Modulated Semiconductor Structures Genova Magazzini del Cotone, July 15-20 200

Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of the Molecular Biexciton in Vertically Stacked Quantum Dot Pairs

We present photoluminescence studies of the molecular neutral biexciton-exciton spectra of individual vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dot pairs. We tune either the hole or the electron levels of the two dots into tunneling resonances. The spectra are described well within a few-level, few-particle molecular model. Their properties can be modified broadly by an electric field and by structural design, which makes them highly attractive for controlling nonlinear optical properties.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, (v2, revision based on reviewers comments, published

Electrically tunable g-factors in quantum dot molecular spin states

We present a magneto-photoluminescence study of individual vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dot pairs separated by thin tunnel barriers. As an applied electric field tunes the relative energies of the two dots, we observe a strong resonant increase or decrease in the g-factors of different spin states that have molecular wavefunctions distributed over both quantum dots. We propose a phenomenological model for the change in g-factor based on resonant changes in the amplitude of the wavefunction in the barrier due to the formation of bonding and antibonding orbitals.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett. New version reflects response to referee comment

Spin Fine Structure in Optically Excited Quantum Dot Molecules

The interaction between spins in coupled quantum dots is revealed in distinct fine structure patterns in the measured optical spectra of InAs/GaAs double quantum dot molecules containing zero, one, or two excess holes. The fine structure is explained well in terms of a uniquely molecular interplay of spin exchange interactions, Pauli exclusion and orbital tunneling. This knowledge is critical for converting quantum dot molecule tunneling into a means of optically coupling not just orbitals, but spins.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, added material, (published

Two level anti-crossings high up in the single-particle energy spectrum of a quantum dot

We study the evolution with magnetic field of the single-particle energy levels high up in the energy spectrum of one dot as probed by the ground state of the adjacent dot in a weakly coupled vertical quantum dot molecule. We find that the observed spectrum is generally well accounted for by the calculated spectrum for a two-dimensional elliptical parabolic confining potential, except in several regions where two or more single-particle levels approach each other. We focus on two two-level crossing regions which show unexpected anti-crossing behavior and contrasting current dependences. Within a simple coherent level mixing picture, we can model the current carried through the coupled states of the probed dot provided the intrinsic variation with magnetic field of the current through the states (as if they were uncoupled) is accounted for by an appropriate interpolation scheme.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physica E in MSS 13 conference proceeding