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- All Subjects: Quantum Dots
- Creators: Crozier, Peter A.
- Creators: Bennet, Peter
Description
The research described in this dissertation involved the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterize II-VI and III-V compound semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and dilute-nitride alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and intended for photovoltaic applications. The morphology of CdTe QDs prepared by the post-annealing MBE method were characterized by various microscopy techniques including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and high-angle annular-dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). Extensive observations revealed that the of QD shapes were not well-defined, and the QD size and spatial distribution were not determined by the amount of CdTe deposition. These results indicated that the formation of II-VI QDs using a post-annealing treatment did not follow the conventional growth mechanism for III-V and IV-IV materials. The structural properties of dilute-nitride GaAsNx films grown using plasma-assisted MBE were characterized by TEM and HAADF-STEM. A significant amount of the nitrogen incorporated into the dilute nitride films was found to be interstitial, and that fluctuations in local nitrogen composition also occurred during growth. Post-growth partial relaxation of strain resulted in the formation of {110}-oriented microcracks in the sample with the largest substitutional nitrogen composition. Single- and multi-layered InAs QDs grown on GaAsSb/GaAs composite substrates were investigated using HR-TEM and HAADF-STEM. Correlation between the structural and optoelectronic properties revealed that the GaAsSb barrier layers had played an important role in tuning the energy-band alignments but without affecting the overall structural morphology. However, according to both XRD measurement and electron microscopy the densities of dislocations increased as the number of QD layers built up. An investigation of near-wetting layer-free InAs QDs incorporated with AlAs/GaAs spacer layers was carried out. The microscopy observations revealed that both embedded and non-embedded near-wetting layer-free InAs QDs did not have well-defined shapes unlike conventional InAs QDs. According to AFM analysis and plan-view TEM characterization, the InAs QDs incorporated with spacer layers had smaller dot density and more symmetrical larger sizes with an apparent bimodal size distribution (two distinct families of large and small dots) in comparison with conventional InAs QDs grown without any spacer layer.
ContributorsTang, Dinghao (Author) / Smith, David J. (Thesis advisor) / Crozier, Peter A. (Committee member) / Liu, Jingyue (Committee member) / Mccartney, Martha R (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
he accurate simulation of many-body quantum systems is a challenge for computational physics. Quantum Monte Carlo methods are a class of algorithms that can be used to solve the many-body problem. I study many-body quantum systems with Path Integral Monte Carlo techniques in three related areas of semiconductor physics: (1) the role of correlation in exchange coupling of spins in double quantum dots, (2) the degree of correlation and hyperpolarizability in Stark shifts in InGaAs/GaAs dots, and (3) van der Waals interactions between 1-D metallic quantum wires at finite temperature. The two-site model is one of the simplest quantum problems, yet the quantitative mapping from a three-dimensional model of a quantum double dot to an effective two-site model has many subtleties requiring careful treatment of exchange and correlation. I calculate exchange coupling of a pair of spins in a double dot from the permutations in a bosonic path integral, using Monte Carlo method. I also map this problem to a Hubbard model and find that exchange and correlation renormalizes the model parameters, dramatically decreasing the effective on-site repulsion at larger separations. Next, I investigated the energy, dipole moment, polarizability and hyperpolarizability of excitonic system in InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots of different shapes and successfully give the photoluminescence spectra for different dots with electric fields in both the growth and transverse direction. I also showed that my method can deal with the higher-order hyperpolarizability, which is most relevant for fields directed in the lateral direction of large dots. Finally, I show how van der Waals interactions between two metallic quantum wires change with respect to the distance between them. Comparing the results from quantum Monte Carlo and the random phase approximation, I find similar power law dependance. My results for the calculation in quasi-1D and exact 1D wires include the effect of temperature, which has not previously been studied.
ContributorsZhang, Lei (Author) / Shumway, John (Thesis advisor) / Schmidt, Kevin (Committee member) / Bennet, Peter (Committee member) / Menéndez, Jose (Committee member) / Drucker, Jeff (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The work contained in this dissertation is focused on the structural and optical properties of III-V semiconductor structures for solar cell applications. By using transmission electron microscopy, many of their structural properties have been investigated, including morphology, defects, and strain relaxation. The optical properties of the semiconductor structures have been studied by photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence.
Part of this work is focused on InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in AlGaAs matrices. This QD system is important for the realization of intermediate-band solar cells, which has three light absorption paths for high efficiency photovoltaics. The suppression of plastic strain relaxation in the QDs shows a significant improvement of the optoelectronic properties. A partial capping followed by a thermal annealing step is used to achieve spool-shaped QDs with a uniform height following the thickness of the capping layer. This step keeps the height of the QDs below a critical value that is required for plastic relaxation. The spool-shaped QDs exhibit two photoluminescence peaks that are attributed to ground and excited state transitions. The luminescence peak width is associated with the QD diameter distribution. An InAs cover layer formed during annealing is found responsible for the loss of the confinement of the excited states in smaller QDs.
The second part of this work is focused on the investigation of the InxGa1-xN thin films having different bandgaps for double-junction solar cells. InxGa1-xN films with x ≤ 0.15 were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The defects in films with different indium contents have been studied. Their effect on the optical properties of the film have been investigated by cathodoluminescence. InxGa1-xN films with indium contents higher than 20% were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The strain relaxation in the films has been measured from electron diffraction patterns taken in cross-sectional TEM specimens. Moiré fringes in some of the films reveal interfacial strain relaxation that is explained by a critical thickness model.
Part of this work is focused on InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in AlGaAs matrices. This QD system is important for the realization of intermediate-band solar cells, which has three light absorption paths for high efficiency photovoltaics. The suppression of plastic strain relaxation in the QDs shows a significant improvement of the optoelectronic properties. A partial capping followed by a thermal annealing step is used to achieve spool-shaped QDs with a uniform height following the thickness of the capping layer. This step keeps the height of the QDs below a critical value that is required for plastic relaxation. The spool-shaped QDs exhibit two photoluminescence peaks that are attributed to ground and excited state transitions. The luminescence peak width is associated with the QD diameter distribution. An InAs cover layer formed during annealing is found responsible for the loss of the confinement of the excited states in smaller QDs.
The second part of this work is focused on the investigation of the InxGa1-xN thin films having different bandgaps for double-junction solar cells. InxGa1-xN films with x ≤ 0.15 were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The defects in films with different indium contents have been studied. Their effect on the optical properties of the film have been investigated by cathodoluminescence. InxGa1-xN films with indium contents higher than 20% were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The strain relaxation in the films has been measured from electron diffraction patterns taken in cross-sectional TEM specimens. Moiré fringes in some of the films reveal interfacial strain relaxation that is explained by a critical thickness model.
ContributorsXie, Hong'en (Author) / Ponce, Fernando A. (Thesis advisor) / Crozier, Peter A. (Committee member) / Mccartney, Martha R (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016