Tuesday, June 25, 2013

1306.5270 (F. Pezzoli et al.)

Germanium crystals on silicon show their light    [PDF]

F. Pezzoli, F. Isa, G. Isella, C. V. Falub, T. Kreiliger, M. Salvalaglio, R. Bergamaschini, E. Grilli, M. Guzzi, H. von Kaenel, Leo Miglio
Germanium and silicon-germanium alloys have found entry into Si technology thanks to their compatibility with Si processing and their ability to tailor electronic properties by strain and band-gap engineering. Germanium's potential to extend Si functionalities, as exemplified by lasing action of strained-Ge on Si substrates, has brought the material back to attention. Yet despite these advances, non-radiative transitions, induced by crystal defects originating from the Ge/Si interface, continue to be a serious bottleneck. Here we demonstrate the drastic emission enhancement achieved via control and mitigation over the parasitic activity of defects in micronscale Ge/Si crystals. We unravel how defects affect interband luminescence and minimize their influence by controlling carrier diffusion with band-gap-engineered reflectors. We finally extended this approach designing efficient quantum well emitters. Our results pave the way for the large-scale implementation of advanced electronic and photonic structures unaffected by the ubiquitous presence of defects developed at epitaxial interfaces.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1306.5270

No comments:

Post a Comment