Effect of heteroepitaxial growth on LT-GaAs: ultrafast optical properties.

Epitaxial low temperature grown GaAs (LT-GaAs) on silicon (LT-GaAs/Si) has the potential for terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna applications. However, crystalline, optical and electrical properties of heteroepitaxial grown LT-GaAs/Si can be very different from those grown on semi-insulating GaAs substrates ('reference'). In this study, we investigate optical properties of an epitaxial grown LT-GaAs/Si sample, compared to a reference grown under the same substrate temperature, and with the same layer thickness. Anti-phase domains and some crystal misorientation are present in the LT-GaAs/Si. From coherent phonon spectroscopy, the intrinsic carrier densities are estimated to be 1015 cm-3for either sample. Strong plasmon damping is also observed. Carrier dynamics, measured by time-resolved THz spectroscopy at high excitation fluence, reveals markedly different responses between samples. Below saturation, both samples exhibit the desired fast response. Under optical fluences ⩾54µJ cm-2, the reference LT-GaAs layer shows saturation of electron trapping states leading to non-exponential behavior, but the LT-GaAs/Si maintains a double exponential decay. The difference is attributed to the formation of As-As and Ga-Ga bonds during the heteroepitaxial growth of LT-GaAs/Si, effectively leading to a much lower density of As-related electron traps.

A modulation-doped heterostructure-based terahertz photoconductive antenna emitter with recessed metal contacts.

We present the implementation of an efficient terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna (PCA) emitter design that utilizes high mobility carriers in the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of a modulation-doped heterostructure (MDH). The PCA design is fabricated with recessed metal electrodes in direct contact with the 2DEG region of the MDH. We compare the performance of the MDH PCA having recessed contacts with a PCA fabricated on bulk semi-insulating GaAs, on low temperature-grown GaAs, and a MDH PCA with the contacts fabricated on the surface. By recessing the contacts, the applied bias can effectively accelerate the high-mobility carriers within the 2DEG, which increases the THz power emission by at least an order of magnitude compared to those with conventional structures. The dynamic range (62 dB) and bandwidth characteristics (3.2 THz) in the power spectrum are shown to be comparable with the reference samples. Drude-Lorentz simulations corroborate the results that the higher-mobility carriers in the MDH, increase the THz emission. The saturation characteristics were also measured via optical fluence dependence, revealing a lower saturation value compared to the reference samples. The high THz conversion efficiency of the MDH-PCA with recessed contacts at low optical power makes it an attractive candidate for THz-time domain spectroscopy systems powered by low power fiber lasers.

An electronic nose using a single graphene FET and machine learning for water, methanol, and ethanol.

The poor gas selectivity problem has been a long-standing issue for miniaturized chemical-resistor gas sensors. The electronic nose (e-nose) was proposed in the 1980s to tackle the selectivity issue, but it required top-down chemical functionalization processes to deposit multiple functional materials. Here, we report a novel gas-sensing scheme using a single graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) and machine learning to realize gas selectivity under particular conditions by combining the unique properties of the GFET and e-nose concept. Instead of using multiple functional materials, the gas-sensing conductivity profiles of a GFET are recorded and decoupled into four distinctive physical properties and projected onto a feature space as 4D output vectors and classified to differentiated target gases by using machine-learning analyses. Our single-GFET approach coupled with trained pattern recognition algorithms was able to classify water, methanol, and ethanol vapors with high accuracy quantitatively when they were tested individually. Furthermore, the gas-sensing patterns of methanol were qualitatively distinguished from those of water vapor in a binary mixture condition, suggesting that the proposed scheme is capable of differentiating a gas from the realistic scenario of an ambient environment with background humidity. As such, this work offers a new class of gas-sensing schemes using a single GFET without multiple functional materials toward miniaturized e-noses.

Cherenkov-phase-matched nonlinear optical detection and generation of terahertz radiation via GaAs with metal-coating.

Terahertz (THz) wave detection and emission via Cherenkov-phase-matched nonlinear optical effects at 1.55-µm optical wavelength were demonstrated using a GaAs with metal-coating (M-G-M) and bare GaAs as a reference sample in conjunction with a metallic tapered parallel-plate waveguide (TPPWG). The metal-coated GaAs is superior to the bare wafer both as a THz electro-optic detector and as an emitter. Significant improvements in the detection and emission efficiency were obtained by utilizing a metal-coating due to better confinement and lower loss of the THz waves propagating in the M-G-M compared with bare GaAs.

Low temperature-grown GaAs carrier lifetime evaluation by double optical pump terahertz time-domain emission spectroscopy.

We present the use of a "double optical pump" technique in terahertz time-domain emission spectroscopy as an alternative method to investigate the lifetime of photo-excited carriers in semiconductors. Compared to the commonly employed optical pump-probe transient photo-reflectance, this non-contact and room temperature characterization technique allows relative ease in achieving optical alignment. The technique was implemented to evaluate the carrier lifetime in low temperature-grown gallium arsenide (LT-GaAs). The carrier lifetime values deduced from "double optical pump" THz emission decay curves show good agreement with data obtained from standard transient photo-reflectance measurements on the same LT-GaAs samples grown at 250 °C and 310 °C.

Terahertz emission enhancement in semi-insulating gallium arsenide integrated with subwavelength one-dimensional metal line array.

A one-order-of-magnitude terahertz (THz) emission enhancement in the transmission geometry, over a 0.7-THz broadband range, was observed in semi-insulating gallium arsenide (SI-GaAs) integrated with a subwavelength one-dimensional metal line array (1DMLA). THz emission of the 1DMLA samples showed an intensity increase and exhibited a full-width-at-half-maximum broadening relative to the emission of the bare substrate. Improved index matching could not account for the observed phenomenon. A nonlinear dependence of the integrated THz emission intensity on the number of illuminated lines and on the pump power was observed. The actual origin of the increased THz emission is still under investigation. At present, it is attributed to extraordinary optical transmission.

Development of Resistance-Based pH Sensor Using Zinc Oxide Nanorods.

The resistance-based pH sensing capability of ZnO nanorods was presented in this study. Interdigitated finger structures of nickel/gold (Ni/Au) electrodes were fabricated on the substrates prior to the sensing material. The effect of varying electrode widths was also considered. Zinc oxide (ZnO) film, as seed layer, was deposited via spray pyrolysis, and zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-NRs) were grown via low temperature chemical bath deposition. Resistance measurements have shown plausible difference in varying pH of a test solution. The sensor was found reasonably more appreciable in sensing acidic solutions. The electrode widths were also found to relay substantial consequence in the resistance-based sensor. The least electrode-width design has shown a significant increase in the sensitivity of the sensor, with higher initial resistance and greater range of response.

Near-Infrared and Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on p-n Homojunction of Undoped and Phosphorus-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanorods.

The application of a p-n homojunction based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods as photodetector is presented in this study. The homojunctions were grown via chemical bath deposition for 6, 9, and 12 hours per layer of the junction. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron micrographs confirmed the material composition, structure, and morphology of the grown device. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements were done to verify the diode-like behavior of the ZnO p-n homojunction. Upon illumination, it is observed through I-V curves and through photocurrent measurements that the fabricated device is sensitive to ultraviolet and near-infrared light, respectively. The peak sensitivities in the photocurrent spectrum were found tunable based on the observed red shift as the length of the nanorods is increased. In addition to this, upon applying a positive voltage bias, the response of the device was observed to enhance by 5 orders of magnitude. In general, the device was successfully proven to have a great potential for applications in photodetection.

Dynamics of Optically-Generated Carriers in Si (100) and Si (111) Substrate-Grown GaAs/AlGaAs Core-Shell Nanowires.

GaAs/Al0.1Ga0.9As core-shell nanowires (CSNWs), with average lateral size of 125 nm, were grown on gold nanoparticle-activated Si (100) and Si (111) substrates via molecular beam epitaxy. Room temperature-photoluminescence (RT-PL) from the samples showed bulk-like GaAs and Al0.1Ga0.9As bandgap emission peaks at 1.43 and 1.56 eV, respectively. Higher PL emission intensity of the sample on Si (111) compared to that on Si (100) is attributed to uniform Al0.1Ga0.9As shell passivation of surface states on Si (111)-grown CSNWs. Carrier dynamics in two different temporal regimes were studied. In the sub-nanosecond time scale (300-500 ps), time-resolved radiative recombination efficiency of carriers was examined. In the 0-4 ps range, surface field-driven ballistic transport of carriers was probed in terms of the radiated terahertz (THz) waves. Time-resolved PL measurements at 300 K revealed that the carrier recombination lifetime of the GaAs core on Si (100)-grown CSNWs is 333 ps while that on Si (111)-grown sample is 500 ps. Ultrafast photoexcitation of GaAs core on the two samples generated a negligible difference in the intensity and bandwidth of emitted THz radiation. This result is ascribed to the fact that the deposited GaAs material on both substrates produced samples with comparable NW densities and similar GaAs core average diameter of about 75 nm. The samples' difference in GaAs core's carrier recombination lifetime did not influence THz emission since the two processes involve distinct mechanisms. The THz spectrum of CSNWs grown on Si (111) exhibited Fabry-Perot modes that originated from multiple reflections of THz waves within the Si substrate.

Confined photocarrier transport in InAs pyramidal quantum dots via terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

We present experimental demonstration of photocarrier dynamics in InAs quantum dots (QDs) via terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) using two excitation wavelengths and observing the magnetic field polarity characteristics of the THz signal. The InAs QDs was grown using standard Stranski-Krastanow technique on semi-insulating GaAs substrate. Excitation pump at 800 nm- and 910 nm-wavelength were used to distinguish THz emission from the InAs/GaAs matrix and InAs respectively. THz-TDS at 800 nm pump revealed intense THz emission comparable to a bulk p-InAs. For 910 nm pump, the THz emission generally weakened and upon applying external magnetic field of opposite polarities, the THz time-domain plot exhibited anomalous phase-shifting. This was attributed to the possible current-surge associated with the permanent dipole in the QD.

Terahertz emission from Indium Oxide films grown on MgO substrates using sub-bandgap photon energy excitation.

Indium oxide (In2O3) films grown by thermal oxidation on MgO substrates were optically excited by femtosecond laser pulses having photon energy lower than the In2O3 bandgap. Terahertz (THz) pulse emission was observed using time domain spectroscopy. Results show that THz emission saturates at an excitation fluence of ~400 nJ/cm2. Even as two-photon absorption has been excluded, the actual emission mechanism has yet to be confirmed but is currently attributed to carriers due to weak absorption from defect levels that are driven by a strain field at the interface of the substrate and the grown film.

Fault localization and analysis in semiconductor devices with optical-feedback infrared confocal microscopy.

We report on a cost-effective optical setup for characterizing light-emitting semiconductor devices with optical-feedback confocal infrared microscopy and optical beam-induced resistance change. We utilize the focused beam from an infrared laser diode to induce local thermal resistance changes across the surface of a biased integrated circuit (IC) sample. Variations in the multiple current paths are mapped by scanning the IC across the focused beam. The high-contrast current maps allow accurate differentiation of the functional and defective sites, or the isolation of the surface-emitting p-i-n devices in the IC. Optical beam-induced current (OBIC) is not generated since the incident beam energy is lower than the bandgap energy of the p-i-n device. Inhomogeneous current distributions in the IC become apparent without the strong OBIC background. They are located at a diffraction-limited resolution by referencing the current maps against the confocal reflectance image that is simultaneously acquired via optical-feedback detection. Our technique permits the accurate identification of metal and semiconductor sites as well as the classification of different metallic structures according to thickness, composition, or spatial inhomogeneity.