Orientador: José Brás Barreto de Oliveira / Banca: Sidney Alves Lourenço / Banca: Margarida Juri Saeki / O Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia de Materias, PosMat, tem carater institutional e integra as atividades de pesquisa em materiais de diversos campi / Resumo: Este trabalho investiga as propriedades ópticas de um sistema semicondutor que tem alto potencial para aplicação em optoeletrônica. As amostras estudadas são baseadas no sistema InxGa1-xAs0,984N0,016/GaAs, a concentração x de índio encontra-se na faixa de 0,26 a 0,43 e foram crescidas nas temperaturas de 400°C e 430°C e, passaram por tratamento térmico, a temperatura de 720 °C, durante o tempo de 30 min. Em ambas amostras a espessura do poço é de 6,5 nm. A técnica utilizada na investigação é a fotoluminescência, que permite analisar o comportamento de portadores em diferentes faixas de temperatura e regimes de excitação, para caracterizar a qualidade estrutural das amostras. No estudo procuramos compreender o comportamento das emissões ópticas analisando a largura de linha a meia altura (FWHM) da emissão, a variação do band gap com a temperatura e a localização e ativação térmica dos portadores de carga. / Abstract: This work investigates the optical properties of a semiconductor system which has high potential for application in optoelectronics. The samples studied are based on InxGa1-xAs0,984N0,016 / GaAs system, the indium concentration x is in the range from 0.26 to 0.43, and were grown at temperatures of 400 °C and 430 °C and received thermal treatment, at 720 oC, during 30 minutes. In both samples the well thickness is 6.5 nm. The technique used in the investigation is the photoluminescence, which allows to analyze the behavior of carriers in different temperature ranges and excitation regimes, in order to characterize the structural quality of the samples. In the study we sought to understand the behavior of the optical emissions by analyzing the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the emission line, the variation of the band gap with temperature and the trapping and thermal activation of charge carriers. / Mestre

Title: Recombination centers in semiinsulating CdTe Author: Jakub Zázvorka Department / Institute: Institute of Physics of Charles University Supervisor of the master thesis: prof. Ing. Jan Franc, DrSc., Institute of Physics of Charles University Abstract: The properties of CdTe for application as a radiation detector are influenced through the presence of deep levels in the bang gap. These energy levels complicate the charge collection and the detector efficiency. Contactless resistivity mapping (COREMA) represents a good option for material characterization without the necessity of metal contacts application. The time-dependent charge measurement was investigated on an adjusted apparatus in FMF Freiburg. Theoretical model of charge transport based on band bending on the sample surface was proposed and a non-exponential behavior was calculated. Using this, the resulted parameter tendencies and their connection with deep level trap or recombination center were explained. A correlation was observed between resistivity, photoconductivity and a near midgap level photoluminescence. Parameter profiles were explained using the theory of Fermi level shift relative to the near midgap level. Three deep levels were observed on samples grown at the Charles University in Prague. Their photoluminescence supports the...

In this thesis time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopyis presented as a powerful tool to study the carrier dynamicsin various self-assembled quantum dot (QD) structures, whichare potentially attractive for device applications. The experiments reveal the impact of proton irradiation onInGaAs QDs and comparable quantum wells. Nonradiativerecombination at defects–an important material parameterand“measure”of the structure optical quality–is found to play a much less important role for the QD samples.The superior radiation hardness can be explained as a result ofthe three-dimensional carrier confinement in QDs. Comparisonsbetween the structures show a decrease of photoluminescenceintensity for quantum wells but a slight increase for QDsirradiated at low to intermediate doses. This somewhatunexpected characteristic is described by an enhanced carriertransfer into the dots via the defects introduced in thematerial by the protons. In a different structure carrier dynamics in spatiallyaligned of InAs QDs are investigated. Alignment along lines isachieved by misfit dislocations deliberately introduced in thesubstrate. Photoluminescence spectra of the dots exhibit muchsmaller inhomogeneous broadening than for the reference sampleas a result of an improved QD uniformity. Samples with varyingbuffer layer thicknesses were grown to study the influence ofdislocation related traps on the observed fastphotoluminescence decay. It is found that the fast carriertrapping is predominantly caused by point defects close to theQDs or at the QD/barrier interfaces. Additional numerical simulations confirm the roles of thetwo independently acting traps in nonradiativerecombination.

No description available.

The use of OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) in display screens has become increasingly popular due to their improved energy efficiency, relatively low cost, and minimized generation of heat. For these devices, emitters with high photostabilities are desired and efforts in developing molecules of this caliber are increasing rapidly. In the work presented, treatment of an aryl-bridged, bis(N-heterocyclic thione) (NHT) pincer ligand precursor with [PdCl2(CH3CN)2] or PtCl2 yielded 6,6used ring, SCS-NHT Pd and Pt pincer complexes, which are stable in the presence of air. These complexes were found to have excellent photostabilities of 96 % and 93% retention of emission intensity, which make these complexes good candidates for uses in OLEDs. X-ray crystallography of the complexes, computational studies, and the catalytic activity of the SCS-NHT Pd complex are also reported. With advancements in photoluminescent compounds such as these, more energy-efficient display screens can be developed, reducing electricity costs world-wide.

<p>Nitride semiconductors are promising for applications in opto-electronic devices due to their wide band gap that is adjustable by appropriate choice of alloy composition. To date, many III-nitride devices have been demonstrated, such as light-emitting diodes, lasers, etc. Most opto-electronic devices make use of the optical transition from conduction band to valence band. Moreover, the large conduction band offset achieved by III-nitrides makes it possible to take advantage of transitions inside the conduction band or valence band, which provide much more freedom for band engineering. Although many III-nitrides based opto-electronic devices have been invented and implemented in commercial use, there is still a need for more compact, rugged, higher efficiency devices with lower cost. Many challenges of III-nitride semiconductors are related to material defects, lattice mismatch and internal polarization fields. Photoluminescence is a convenient technique to characterize sample quality and optical properties. It does not destroy the samples or need any electrical contacts. Therefore, it is commonly used in qualitative analysis of III-nitrides. This thesis focuses on non-polar m-plane III-nitrides structures, because this crystal orientation eliminates internal polarization fields in heterostructures. We first performed a photoluminescence study of a series of m-plane InGaN thin films with In compositions up to 24.5%. Evidence of large In composition fluctuations was observed. This inhomogeneity of In composition contributes to the non-monotonic temperature dependence of photoluminescence peak energy and linewidth. A large drop of internal quantum efficiency when temperature increases to room temperature was observed, which indicates the presence of a large number of non-radiative recombination centers. This is due to low temperature growth of InGaN by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The InGaN film with 11% has a linewidth close to theoretical calculations for InGaN with random In distribution, and much smaller than many reported polar c-plane InGaN films with comparable In compositions, which suggests improved material quality. This In composition was selected for the design of InGaN/AlGaN superlattices.</p> <p>In order to avoid the disadvantage of strain buildup, we designed nearly strain-balanced non-polar m-plane InGaN/AlGaN structures with In composition of about 9%. Steady-state photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence were performed on these structures. A significant discrepancy between measured and calculated PL peak positions was observed. This is likely due to the In composition fluctuations and quantum confinement in quantum wells. The broadening mechanism of the PL in the superlattices was investigated. The low-temperature linewidth of undoped superlattices is comparable to many previously reported values for m-plane InGaN/GaN quantum wells. Similar to InGaN films, the internal quantum efficiency drops dramatically when temperature reaches room temperature. Regions with high In compositions act as localization centers for excitons. An average localization potential depth of 21 meV was estimated for undoped superlattices. This small potential depth does not reduce the degree of polarization of emitted light, and contributes to the narrow linewidth. A fast decay time of 0.3 ns at 2 K was observed for both doped and undoped superlattices. This value is much smaller than that for polar c-plane InGaN/GaN superlattices. The localization of excitons was found to be strong and not affected by magnetic field at low temperatures. Compared with undoped superlattices, the doping sheets reduce decay pathways of excitons in doped superlattices.</p> <p> </p>

Achieving tunability of two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) functions calls for the introduction of hybrid 2D materials by means of localized interactions with zero dimensional (0D) materials. A metal-semiconductor interface, as in gold (Au) - molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), is of great interest from the standpoint of fundamental science as it constitutes an outstanding platform to investigate optical and electronic properties due to charge transfer. The applied aspects of such systems introduce new options for electronics, photovoltaics, detectors, catalysis, and biosensing. Here in this dissertation, we study the charge transfer interaction between Au nanoparticals and MoS2 flakes and its effect on Photoluminescence and electronic transport properties. The MoS2 was mechanically exfoliated from bulk single crystal. Number of layers in the flake was identified with the help of AFM and Raman Spectra. Au was deposited by physical vapor deposition method (PVD) in multiple steps to decorate MoS2 flakes. We first study the photoluminescence of pristine and Au decorated MoS2 and shows that in the presence of Au, the photoluminescence of MoS2 quenches significantly. We infer that the PL quenching can be attributed to a change in the electronic structure of the MoS2-Au system. The difference in Fermi level of a of MoS2 and Au results in a 0.4 eV energy level offset, which causes a band bending in the MoS2-Au hybrid. Upon illumination, the electrons in the excited state of MoS2 transfer to Au, leaving a hole behind, thus cause p-doping in MoS2. As electrons from MoS2 are transferred to Au, they do not decay back to their initial ground state, leading to PL quenching in the hybrid system. To study the effect of Au deposition on electronic properties of ultra-thin and multilayers MoS2 flakes, we have fabricated MoS2 FETs from (1) ultra-thin sample (2-4 MoS2 layers) and (2) multilayers samples (more than 20 layers). After each deposition of Au, we measured the electrical characteristics of FET at room temperature. We show that the threshold voltage shifts towards the positive gate voltage as we increase the thickness of Au. This shift in threshold voltage is indicative of p doping of the MoS2. We further show that the field effect mobility of MoS2 FET decrease with Au thickness. We have quantitatively estimated the charge transferring from MoS2 to Au.

No description available.

<p> The experimental technique of measuring the degree of polarization of photoluminescence is studied. Digital signal processing techniques are applied to characterize the spectrum of the experiment and optimize its configuration for accuracy and precision. Digital phase sensitive detection is analyzed and the design of a digital lock-in amplifier is presented. Mechanical frequency modulation of the photoluminescence is reported and a physical model is presented. Procedures for enhancing measurements are stated with a reduction in noise levels of approximately 50% reported. </p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Cette thèse porte sur l'interaction lumière-matière au sein de nanostructures placées dans des cavités optiques à base de semi-conducteurs nitrures. A l'aide d'expériences de micro-photoluminescence dans l'ultra-violet, nous étudions les propriétés optiques de boîtes quantiques GaN/AlN dans des microcavités planaires et celles de puits quantiques GaN/AlN insérés dans des microdisques AlN.Afin d'améliorer la collection du faible signal de photoluminescence de boîtes quantiques uniques, nous utilisons des microcavités planaires pour modifier le diagramme d'émission d'une boîte quantique. Le dessin des microcavités est optimisé grâce à des simulations numériques basées sur la méthode des matrices de transfert en présence d'un émetteur. Nous montrons que, pour une microcavité nitrure à base de miroirs de Bragg AlN/AlGaN, la collection des photons émis par une boîte quantique peut être théoriquement améliorée d'un ordre de grandeur, ce qui est confirmé par nos mesures sur boîtes quantiques uniques, ouvrant ainsi la voie à des études avancées de corrélations de photons dans l'UV.La seconde partie des travaux est dédiée à la réalisation d'un micro-laser opérant dans l'UV profond et à température ambiante. En utilisant des puits quantiques GaN/AlN de 2,8 mono-couches, crûs sur substrat silicium et insérés dans des microdisques AlN, nous observons une émission laser à 275 nm sous pompage optique impulsionnel. Cette démonstration montre le fort potentiel des semi-conducteurs nitrures pour la nano-photonique UV sur silicium. / This thesis addresses the light-matter interaction in nitride nanostructures embedded in optical microcavities. By using micro-photoluminescence experiments, we study the optical properties of GaN/AlN quantum dots embedded in planar microcavities and those of GaN/AlN quantum wells in AlN microdisks.By placing quantum dots in planar microcavities, we are able to modify the emission diagram and increase the collection efficiency. The design of the microcavities is optimized by using numerical simulations based on transfer matrix method with an internal emitter. For an AlN microcavity with AlN/AlGaN Bragg mirrors, we show that the collection efficiency could be theoretical increase by one order of magnitude, which is confirmed by our micro-photoluminescence experiments on single quantum dots. This observation opens the way for advanced studies such as photon correlations experiments in the UV range.The second part of our work is devoted to the realization of a micro-laser operating in the deep-UV range at room-temperature. By using thin GaN/AlN quantum wells (2.8 monolayers), grown on silicon substrate and embedded in AlN microdisks, we observe a laser emission at 275 nm under pulsed optical pumping. This demonstration shows the strong potentiality for future developments of nitride-on-silicon nano-photonics.