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Photo- and cathodoluminescence investigations of piezoelectric GaN/AlGaN quantum wells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

E.M. Goldys
Affiliation:
Division of Information and Communication Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, NSW, Australia
M. Godlewski
Affiliation:
Division of Information and Communication Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, NSW, Australia
M.R. Phillips
Affiliation:
Microstructural Analysis Unit, University of Technology, Sydney 2009, NSW, Australia
A.A. Toropov
Affiliation:
Microstructural Analysis Unit, University of Technology, Sydney 2009, NSW, Australia
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Abstract

We have examined multiple quantum well AlGaN/GaN structures with several quantum wells of varying widths. The structures had strain-free quantum wells and strained barriers. Strong piezoelectric fields in these structures led to a large red shift of the PL emission energies and long decay times were also observed. While the peak energies could be modelled using the effective mass approximation, the calculated free exciton radiative lifetimes were much shorter than those observed in experiments, indicating an alternative recombination mechanism, tentatively attributed to localised excitons. Cathodoluminescence depth profiling revealed an unusually small penetration range of electrons suggesting that electron-hole pairs preferentially remain within the multiple quantum well region due to the existing electric fields. Spatial fluctuations of the cathodoluminescence intensity were also observed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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References

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