[pt] Se faz um estudo detalhado sobre o crescimento de GaInNAs pela técnica de metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) com o objetivo de diminuir a contaminação residual do carbono no material. Para isso se pesquisa a influência dos precursores assim como dos diferentes parâmetros de crescimento na morfologia, na contaminação residual e na incorporação de diferentes elementos nos materiais. A temperatura, a taxa de crescimento, a razão As/III, o conteúdo do nitrogênio e os diferentes precursores são os parâmetros alterados de uma amostra para a outra. Como alguns precursores não foram usados antes para este material semicondutor, inicialmente apenas o GaAs foi examinado, passando posteriormente aos materiais ternários GaInAs e GaNAs, para finalmente obter o GaInNAs. Através da caracterização das amostras obtém-se a qualidade dos materiais assim como a contaminação residual do carbono. São utilizadas técnicas de difração de raios-X de alta resolução (HR-XRD), microscopia de força atômica (AFM), perfil eletroquímico de capacitância-tensão (ECV), espectrometria de massa de íons secundários (SIMS), fotoluminescência (PL) e técnicas in-situ próprias do reator MOVPE para avaliar o efeito dos parâmetros de crescimento epitaxial sobre a qualidade das estruturas obtidas, assim como sobre a incorporação dos diferentes elementos nos materiais. O crescimento do GaInNAs no reator CRIUS foi bem sucedido com algumas combinações dos precursores. Se confirmou que o alto nível do carbono está relacionado à quantidade do nitrogênio no cristal e que o carbono é fornecido pelos grupos metil dos precursores, principalmente pelo TMGa, seguido do TMIn. Todas as medidas para reduzir a incorporação residual do carbono foram bem sucedidas. O uso de precursores do grupo III sem grupo metil reduz significativamente a dopagem residual do carbono. Finalmente foram crescidas células solares para avaliar o material no dispositivo. / [en] A detailed investigation the GaInNAs growth by metalorganc vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is performed in order to reduce the carbon background in the material. For this, the precursors , as well as the different growth parameters influence on crystal morphology, carbon background and the incorporation of different elements on the semiconductor material, are investigated. The temperature, the growth rate, the As/III ratio, the nitrogen content, and the different precursors were varied from one sample to another. Particularly, since some precursors were never used for this semiconductor material, initially, only GaAs was examined, later the GaInAs and the GaNAs ternary materials were grown, to finally obtain the GaInNAs. The samples characterization was used to assess materials quality, as well as the carbon background incorporation. Different characterization techniques such as High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HR-XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Electrochemical Capacitance-Voltage (ECV) and In-Situ measurements were used to evaluate the effect of the epitaxial growth parameters on the quality of the obtained structures, as well as on the different elements incorporation in the semiconductor material. GaInNAs was successfully grown in the MOVPE reactor with particular precursors combinations. The relation between the high carbon level and the nitrogen amount in the crystal was confirmed, as well as the fact that carbon is supplied by methyl-groups of the precursors, especially TMGa, followed by TMIn. All measures to reduce carbon background incorporation were successful. The use of methyl group free III precursors significantly reduces the carbon background incorporation. Finally, solar cells were grown to evaluate the material in the device.

Vertical cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest aslow-cost, high-performance light sources for fiber-opticcommunication systems. They have a number of advantages overconventional edge-emitting lasers, including low powerconsumption, efficient fiber coupling and wafer scalemanufacturing/testing. For high-speed data transmission overdistances up to a few hundred meters, VCLs (or arrays of VCLs)operating at 850 nm wavelength is today the technology ofchoice. While multimode fibers are successfully used in theseapplications, higher transmission bandwidth and longerdistances require single-mode fibres and longer wavelengths(1.3-1.55 µm). However, long-wavelength VCLs are as yetnot commercially available since no traditional materialssystem offers the required combination of bothhigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) andhigh-gain active regions. Earlier work on long-wavelength VCLshas therefore focused on hybrid techniques, such as waferfusion between InP-based QWs and AlGaAs DBRs, but more recentlythe main interest in this field has shifted towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-µmactive materials. Among these, strained GaInNAs/GaAs QWs aregenerally considered one of the most promising approaches andhave received a great deal of interest. The aim of this thesis is to investigate monolithicGaAs-based long-wavelength (&gt;1.2 µm) VCLs with InGaAsor GaInNAs QW active regions. Laser structures - or partsthereof - have been grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy(MOVPE) and characterized by various techniques, such ashigh-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence(PL), atomic force microscopy, and secondary ion massspectroscopy (SIMS). High accuracy reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs DBRs than previously anticipated. Asystematic investigation was also made of the deleteriouseffects of buried Al-containing layers, such as AlGaAs DBRs, onthe optical and structural properties of subsequently grownGaInNAs QWs. Both these problems, with their potential bearingon VCL fabrication, are reduced by lowering the DBR growthtemperature. Record-long emission wavelength InGaAs VCLs were fabricatedusing an extensive gain-cavity detuning. The cavity resonancecondition just below 1270 nm wavelength occurs at the farlong-wavelength side of the gain curve. Still, the gain is highenough to yield threshold currents in the low mA-regime and amaximum output power exceeding 1 mW, depending on devicediameter. Direct modulation experiments were performed on1260-nm devices at 10 Gb/s in a back-to-back configuration withopen, symmetric eye diagrams, indicating their potential foruse in high-speed transmission applications. These devices arein compliance with the wavelength requirements of emerging10-Gb/s Ethernet and SONET OC-192 standards and may turn out tobe a viable alternative to GaInNAs VCLs. <b>Keywords:</b>GaInNAs, InGaAs, quantum wells, MOVPE, MOCVD,vertical cavity laser, VCSEL, long-wavelength, epitaxy, XRD,DBR

<p>Vertical cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest aslow-cost, high-performance light sources for fiber-opticcommunication systems. They have a number of advantages overconventional edge-emitting lasers, including low powerconsumption, efficient fiber coupling and wafer scalemanufacturing/testing. For high-speed data transmission overdistances up to a few hundred meters, VCLs (or arrays of VCLs)operating at 850 nm wavelength is today the technology ofchoice. While multimode fibers are successfully used in theseapplications, higher transmission bandwidth and longerdistances require single-mode fibres and longer wavelengths(1.3-1.55 µm). However, long-wavelength VCLs are as yetnot commercially available since no traditional materialssystem offers the required combination of bothhigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) andhigh-gain active regions. Earlier work on long-wavelength VCLshas therefore focused on hybrid techniques, such as waferfusion between InP-based QWs and AlGaAs DBRs, but more recentlythe main interest in this field has shifted towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-µmactive materials. Among these, strained GaInNAs/GaAs QWs aregenerally considered one of the most promising approaches andhave received a great deal of interest.</p><p>The aim of this thesis is to investigate monolithicGaAs-based long-wavelength (>1.2 µm) VCLs with InGaAsor GaInNAs QW active regions. Laser structures - or partsthereof - have been grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy(MOVPE) and characterized by various techniques, such ashigh-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence(PL), atomic force microscopy, and secondary ion massspectroscopy (SIMS). High accuracy reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs DBRs than previously anticipated. Asystematic investigation was also made of the deleteriouseffects of buried Al-containing layers, such as AlGaAs DBRs, onthe optical and structural properties of subsequently grownGaInNAs QWs. Both these problems, with their potential bearingon VCL fabrication, are reduced by lowering the DBR growthtemperature.</p><p>Record-long emission wavelength InGaAs VCLs were fabricatedusing an extensive gain-cavity detuning. The cavity resonancecondition just below 1270 nm wavelength occurs at the farlong-wavelength side of the gain curve. Still, the gain is highenough to yield threshold currents in the low mA-regime and amaximum output power exceeding 1 mW, depending on devicediameter. Direct modulation experiments were performed on1260-nm devices at 10 Gb/s in a back-to-back configuration withopen, symmetric eye diagrams, indicating their potential foruse in high-speed transmission applications. These devices arein compliance with the wavelength requirements of emerging10-Gb/s Ethernet and SONET OC-192 standards and may turn out tobe a viable alternative to GaInNAs VCLs.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>GaInNAs, InGaAs, quantum wells, MOVPE, MOCVD,vertical cavity laser, VCSEL, long-wavelength, epitaxy, XRD,DBR</p>

Electron spin relaxation and carrier recombination were investigated in gallium indium nitride arsenide (GaInNAs) multiple quantum wells, using picosecond optical pulses. Pump-probe experiments were carried out at room temperature, using pulses produced by a Ti:sapphire pumped optical parametric oscillator. The peak wavelengths of the excitonic resonances for the quantum well samples were identified using linear absorption measurements, and were found to be in the range 1.25µm-1.29µm. Carrier recombination times were measured for three samples of varying nitrogen content, and were observed to decrease from 548 to 180ps as nitrogen molar fractions were increased in the range 0.45-1.24%. Carrier recombination times were also measured for samples which had undergone a post-growth annealing process, and were found to be signicantly shorter compared to times measured for as-grown samples. Electron spin relaxation time was investigated for samples with quantum well widths in the range 5.8-8nm, and was found to increase with increasing well width, (i.e. decreasing quantum confinement energy), a trend predicted by both D'Yakonov-Kachorovskii and Elliott-Yafet models of spin relaxation in quantum wells. In a further study, longer spin relaxation times were exhibited by samples containing higher molar fractions of nitrogen, but having nominally constant quantum well width. Spin relaxation times increased from 47ps to 115ps for samples containing nitrogen concentrations in the range 0.45-1.24%. Decreases in spin relaxation time were observed in the case of those samples which had been annealed post-growth, compared to as-grown samples. Finally, all-optical polarisation switching based on spin relaxation of optically generated carriers in GaInNAs multiple quantum wells was demonstrated.