The main objectives of this thesis are to develop viable process and/or device technologies for bandgap tuning of 1300-nm InGaAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) laser structures, and broad linewidth 1300-nm InGaAsP/InP quantum well (QW) superluminescent diode structures. The high performance bandgap-engineered QD laser structures were achieved by employing quantum-dot intermixing (QDI) based on impurity free vacancy diffusion (IFVD) technique for eventual seamless active-passive integration, and bandgap-tuned lasers. QDI using various dielectric-capping materials, such as HfO2, SrTiO3, TiO2, Al2O3 and ZnO, etc, were experimented in which the resultant emission wavelength can be blueshifted to ∼ 1100 nm ─ 1200 nm range depending on process conditions. The significant results extracted from the PL characterization were used to perform an extensive laser characterization. The InAs/GaAs quantum-dot lasers with QDs transition energies were blueshifted by ~185 nm, and lasing around ~1070 – 1190 nm was achieved. Furthermore, from the spectral analysis, a simultaneous five-state lasing in the InAs/InGaAs intermixed QD laser was experimentally demonstrated for the first time in the very important wavelength range from 1030 to 1125 nm. The QDI methodology enabled the facile formation of a plethora of devices with various emission wavelengths suitable for a wide range of applications in the infrared. In addition, the wavelength range achieved is also applicable for coherent light generation in the green – yellow – orange visible wavelength band via frequency doubling, which is a cost-effective way of producing compact devices for pico-projectors, semiconductor laser based solid state lighting, etc. [1, 2] In QW-based superluminescent diode, the problem statement lies on achieving a flat-top and ultra-wide emission bandwidth. The approach was to design an inhomogeneous active region with a comparable simultaneous emission from different transition states in the QW stacks, in conjunction with anti-reflection coating and tilted ridge-waveguide device configuration. In this regard, we achieved 125 nm linewidth from InGaAsP/InP multiple quantum well (MQW) superluminescent diode with a total output power in excess of 70 mW with an average power spectral density of 0.56 mW/nm, and a spectral ripple of ≤1.2 ± 0.5 dB. The high power and broadband SLD with flat-top emission spectrum is a desirable as optical source for noninvasive biomedical imaging techniques employing low coherence interferometry, for instance, optical coherence tomography (OCT).

This master thesis is focused on characterization of electrical transport properties of one-dimensional nanostructures. First section of this work deals with theoretical description of the experimental approaches to realization of such measurements. This section involves also a detail discussion of preparation of contacts using e-beam lithography. Next, theoretical description of characterization of nanostructures using photoluminescence measurements is given. Second section describes practical application of the aforementioned electrical transport measurements. Presented results include transport and photoluminescence measurements of WS2 nanotubes, InAs and WO2.72 nanowires. The last section of this thesis deals with nanowire quantum well heterostructures. The section provides both a deeper theoretical view of the problem and results of the photoluminescence measurements are shown.

This thesis deals with infrared studies of impurity states, ultrafast carrier dynamics as well as coherent intersubband polarizations in semiconductor quantum structures such as quantum wells and superlattices, based on the GaAs/AlGaAs material system. In the first part it is shown that the 2pz confined impurity state of a semiconductor quantum well develops into an excited impurity band in the case of a superlattice. This is studied by following theoretically the transition from a single to a multiple quantum well or superlattice by exactly diagonalizing the three-dimensional Hamiltonian for a quantum well system with random impurities. Intersubband absorption experiments, which can be nearly perfectly reproduced by the theory, corroborate this interpretation, showing that at low temperatures in the low doping density regime all optical transitions originate from impurity transitions. These results also require reinterpretation of previous experimental data. The relaxation dynamics of interminiband transitions in doped GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices in the mid-IR are studied. This involves single-color pump-probe measurements to explore the dynamics at different wavelengths, which is performed with the Rossendorf freeelectron laser (FEL), providing picosecond pulses in a range from 3-200 µm and are used for the first time within this thesis. In these experiments, a fast bleaching of the interminiband transition is observed followed by thermalization and subsequent relaxation, whose time constants are determined to be 1-2 picoseconds. This is followed by an additional component due to carrier cooling in the lower miniband. In the second part, two-color pump-probe measurements are performed, involving the FEL as the pump source and a table-top broad-band tunable THz source for probing the transmission changes. These measurements allow a separate specification of the cooling times after a strong excitation, exhibiting time constants from 230 ps to 3 ps for different excitation densities and miniband widths. In addition, the dynamics of excited electrons within the minibands is explored and their contribution quantitatively extracted from the measurements. Intersubband absorption experiments of photoexcited carriers in single quantum well structures, measured directly in the time-domain, i.e. probing coherently the polarization between the first and the second subband, are presented. From the data we can directly extract the density and temperature dependence of the intersubband dephasing time between the two lowest subbands, ranging from 50 up to 400 fs. This all optical approach gives us the ability to tune the carrier concentration over an extremely wide range which is not accessible in a doped quantum well sample. By varying the carrier density, many-body effects such as the depolarization and their influence on the spectral position as well as on the lineshape on the intersubband dephasing are studied. Also the difference of excitonic and free-carrier type excitation is discussed, and indication of an excitonic intersubband transition is found.

In this work I investigate the expulsion of carriers from nanostructures using the double-barrier quantum well (DBQW) as an example and discuss manifestations of this effect in the spectrum of the DBQW in absence of bias, and in the tunneling current in presence of bias. Assuming equality of the Fermi energy in all regions of the considered system, I compute the relative density of carriers localized in the DBQW and conclude that a fraction of carriers is expelled from this nanostructure.

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a study and possible applications of two-photon absorption (2PA), in direct-gap semiconductors and quantum-well (QW) semiconductor structures. One application uses extremely nondegenerate (END) 2PA, for mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection in uncooled semiconductors. The use of END, where the two photons have very different energies gives strong enhancement comapared to degenerate 2PA. This END-2PA enhanced detection is also applied to mid-IR imaging and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) in uncooled direct-gap photodiodes. A theoretical study of degenerate 2PA (D-2PA) in quantum wells, QWs, is presented, along with a new theory of ND 2PA in QWs is developed. Pulsed mid-IR detection of femtosecond pulses is investigated in two different semiconductor p-i-n photodiodes (GaAs and GaN). With the smaller gap materials having larger ND-2PA, it is observed that they have better sensitivity to mid-IR detection, but unwanted background from D-2PA outweighs this advantage. A comparison of responsivity and signal-to-background ratio for GaAs and GaN in END-2PA based detection is presented. END-2PA enhancement is utilized for CW IR detection in uncooled GaAs and GaN p-i-n photodiodes. The pulsed mid-IR detection experiments are further extended to perform mid-IR imaging in uncooled GaN p-i-n photodetectors. A 3-D automated scanning gated imaging system is developed to obtain 3-D mid-IR images of various objects. The gated imaging system allows simultaneous 3-D and 2-D imaging of objects. The 3-D gated imaging system described in the dissertation could be used for examination of buried structures (microchannels, defects etc.) or laser written volumetric structures and could also be suitable for in-vivo imaging applications in biology in the mid-IR spectral region. As an example, 3-D imaging of buried semiconductor structures is presented. A theoretical study of D-2PA of QWs for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) fields is carried out and an analytical expression for the D-2PA coefficient in QWs using second-order perturbation theory is derived. A theory for ND-2PA in QW semiconductor using second-order perturbation theory is developed for the first time and an analytical expression for the ND-2PA coefficient for TE, TM, and the mixed case of TE and TM is derived. The shape of the 2PA curve for the D-2PA and ND-2PA for QWs in the TE case is similar to that of bulk semiconductors. As governed by the selection rules both the D-2PA and ND-2PA curves for the TE case does not show a step-like signature for the density of states of the QWs whereas 2PA curve for the TM case shows such step like sharp features. The ND-2PA coefficient for TE, TM, and the mixed case is compared with that obtained for bulk semiconductors. Large enhancement in ND-2PA of QW semiconductors for the TM case over bulk semiconductors is predicted.

<p>A detailed analysis of coupled cavity semiconductor lasers with asymmetric multiple quantum well (AMQW) active regions is presented in this thesis. The analysis involved design, fabrication, characterization, and simulation of these devices. Although the coupled cavity devices can be multi sectioned, the devices discussed in this thesis are two sectioned.</p><p> A below threshold model for an AMQW coupled cavity device is developed. Non-linear fits of the below threshold spectral data to that obtained from the model were used to extract optimized device parameters. These fits helped to create an understanding of the operation of the devices and paved the way for improved device performance. Optimized device parameters obtained from the below threshold model were later used as input parameters in the development of an above threshold model. This model verified the wavelength selection mechanism employed by coupled cavity diode lasers and predicted the longitudinal modes for sets of injection currents.</p><p> Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an application where much interest has recently been drawn. The coupled cavity devices fabricated in this work applied with proper modulation of the injection currents and followed by subsequent time averaging have demonstrated short coherence length (-15 μm) and can be an excellent source for synthesized OCT. Rapid wavelength switching (-70 ns, the measurement was limited by detector response time) over the whole range has also been experimentally shown. Because of the high speed (relative to mechanical) wavelength switching ability, AMQW coupled cavity devices have the potential for applications requiring real time measurements including real time synthesized OCT.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-06-09T12:29:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardedonascimentorodrigues.pdf: 2214371 bytes, checksum: 63b390c0d1258662578ebfbb5c79419b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-06-26T20:28:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardedonascimentorodrigues.pdf: 2214371 bytes, checksum: 63b390c0d1258662578ebfbb5c79419b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-26T20:28:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 leonardedonascimentorodrigues.pdf: 2214371 bytes, checksum: 63b390c0d1258662578ebfbb5c79419b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-16 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O espalhamento inelástico de luz tem sido extensivamente utilizado no estudo de materiais semicondutores e se tornou uma técnica indispensável para o entendimento de processos físicos fundamentais. Os efeitos das interações em sistemas eletrônicos quantizados como o gás de elétrons bidimensional foram investigados por meio do espalhamento inelástico de luz, o qual permite entender a natureza das excitações coletivas que são conhecidas como excitações de densidade de carga (CDE) e excitações de densidade de spin (SDE). CDE são oscilações plasmônicas resultantes do acoplamento entre as flutuações de carga via interações de Coulomb e correlação e troca, enquanto SDE ocorrem apenas em decorrência da presença dos efeitos de correlação e troca. CDE são ativas quando a energia do laser é ressonante com o gap óptico do semicondutor (regime de ressonância próxima) e as polarizações da luz incidente e espalhada são paralelas entre si. SDE é também ativa em condições de ressonância próxima e possui polarizações da luz incidente e espalhada perpendiculares entre si. Todavia, tal cenário rompe quando a luz do laser coincide com as energia das transições interbandas do material (regime de ressonância extrema). Em adição as excitações coletivas emergem transições anômalas de gás de elétrons tipo não interagente conhecidas como excitações de partícula independente (SPE). A física envolvida em tais transições ainda parece não ser completamente entendida. Neste trabalho, são apresentados resultados experimentais e teóricos via espalhamento Raman eletrônico oriundos de gás de elétrons bidimensional realizados a partir de poços quânticos simples com o intuito de compreender a natureza das excitações de partícula independente. A medida experimental e os cálculos presentes na tese consistem de um poço quântico simples de 250Å de GaAs (arseneto de gálio) com dopagem modular e densidade eletrônica total de 8.81 x 1011cm-2. Também foi considerado o acoplamento das flutuações de densidade de carga com o fônon óptico longitudinal do GaAs. Em adição, é realizado um cálculo teórico de uma estrutura de poço quântico simples considerado estreito de 100Å de GaAs com dopagem modular e densidade eletrônica total de 1.2 x 1012cm-2. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar em um caminho claro e transparente a situação física da existência das excitações eletrônicas em gás de elétrons. O trabalho mostrou que, no regime de extrema ressonância, as oscilações de plasma se dividem em duas contribuições: um conjunto de excitações coletivas renormalizadas (plasmons) e transições eletrônicas não renormalizadas (SPE). A fim de alcançar esse propósito, o trabalho evidenciou que o espalhamento Raman eletrônico pertence a uma mesma classe de problemas como o oscilador harmônico amortecido, acoplado e forçado assim como o estado supercondutor na teoria BCS de metais normais. A comparação entre os dados experimentais e teóricos mostrou um excelente acordo. / The inelastic light scattering has been widely used in the study of the semiconductor materials and it has become an indispensable technique for the understanding of fundamental physical processes. The effects of the electronic interactions on quantized electronic systems as two-dimensional electron gas are investigated through means of Raman scattering which allows understand the nature of collective excitations which are known as charge density excitations (CDE) and spin density excitations (SDE). CDE are plasmonic oscillations arising from the coupling between charge fluctuations via Coulombian and exchange-correlation interactions while SDE occur only when exchange-correlation effects are present. CDE is active when the laser energy is resonant with a semiconductor optical gap (near resonance regime) and the incoming and outgoing light polarizations are parallel to each other and SDE has incoming and outgoing light polarizations perpendicular to each other. Nevertheless, such a picture breaks down when the laser matches interband transitions energies of the material (extreme resonance regime). In addition to the collective excitations emerge anomalous transitions of the electron gas noninteracting-like known as single-particle excitations (SPE). The physics of such transitions is still not completely understood. In this work, were present experimental and theoretical results via electronic Raman scattering originating from the two-dimensional electron gas carried out from single quantum wells with the aim of understand the nature of the single-particle excitations. The experimental measures and calculations present in the thesis consists of the GaAs (gallium arsenide) single quantum well of a 250Å wide with modulation-doped and total electronic density of 8.81 x 1011cm2. It was also considered the coupling of the charge fluctuations with the longitudinal optical phonon of GaAs. In addition, it is performed a theoretical calculation of a structure of the GaAs single quantum well considered narrow of a 100Å wide with modulation-doped and and total electronic density of 1.2 x 1012cm2. However, the goal of this work is to show in a clear and transparent way the physical situation of the existence of electronic excitaions in electron gas. The work showed that, in extreme resonance regime, the plasma oscillations splits into two contributions: a set of renormalized collective excitations (plasmons) and unrenormalized electronic transitions (SPE). In order to accomplish this purpose, the study showed that electronic Raman scattering belongs to the same class of problems such as a set of forced, coupled and damped harmonic oscillators or formation of the superconducting state in BCS theory of normal metals. Comparison between experiment and theory shows an excellent agreement.