Reduction of Defect Density in Structures With InAs-GaAs Quantum Dots Grown at Low Temperature for 1.55 [.proportional]m Range.

Abstract

ABSTRACTTransmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) have been used to evaluate defects and the efficiency of defect-reduction techniques in structures with InAs quantum dots (QDs) for the 1.55 µm range grown at low substrate temperature (LT) using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We show that capping of the QDs with thin GaAs layer accompanied by growth interruption at 600oC (flash) allows to eliminate large islands, containing dislocations, while the smaller islands containing local defects (e.g. dislocation dipoles) still remain. If the flash procedure is accompanied with further depositing of thin AlAs cap layer, and followed by high temperature (~700oC) annealing (HTA), an almost complete elimination of defects is observed. The structures emit in the range of 1.55 µm due to lateral agglomerates of LTQDs. Simultaneously bright luminescence due to isolated QDs and GaAs matrix are detected at high excitation densities.