Design and performance of mid and long infrared III-V semiconductor superlattice materials

ORAL

Abstract

The band structure and electron-hole wavefunction overlap of III-V semiconductor superlattice materials at the GaSb lattice constant is investigated for mid and long wavelength infrared applications. To facilitate the growth of arbitrarily thick pseudomorphic layers, only mole fractions and layer thicknesses that result in zero accumulated in-plane strain are considered. Despite this constraint, superlattices offer two additional free design parameters; one used to tune the ground state absorption cutoff (effective bandgap), with the other available for optimizing absorption (electron-hole wavefunction overlap) at the cutoff. In particular, the design criteria for optimal absorption as function of ground state energy is identified for lattice-matched GaSb/InAs$_{\mathrm{0.911}}$Sb$_{\mathrm{0.089}}$ and GaSb/InAs$_{\mathrm{0.932}}$Bi$_{\mathrm{0.068}}$ superlattices and strain-balanced InAs/GaInSb, InAs/InAsSb, and InAs/InAsBi superlattices on GaSb substrates. The absorption coefficient for each superlattice system is determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of InAs/InAsSb superlattices and the square of the wavefunction overlap. An increase in operating temperature results in a decrease in ground state transition energy with virtually no change in wavefunction overlap, indicating that the optimal absorption is independent of temperature.

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Authors

  • Preston T. Webster

    Arizona State University

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra

  • Scott D. Bergesen

    Santa Fe Institute, Arizona State University, Department of Physics and Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Dixie State College, Advisor, Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Utah State University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, Utah State University- Logan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Humboldt State University, UC Santa Cruz, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Arizona State Univ, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, National Jewish Health, Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, U. S. Air Force Academy, Brigham Young Univ - Provo, University of New South Wales, University of Texas, University of Warwick, University of Louisiana, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA., Center for Materials Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Ca, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina., Brigham Young University -- Provo, Utah, General Atomics -- San Diego, California, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, UC Riverside, UMASS, STScI, NOAO, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Arizona State Univeristy, New Mexico State Univ, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Colorado State Univ, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, The Peac Institute of Multiscale Modeling, UNSW Canberra