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SiGeSn Ternaries for Efficient Group IV Heterostructure Light Emitters
Author(s) -
von den Driesch Nils,
Stange Daniela,
Wirths Stephan,
Rainko Denis,
Povstugar Ivan,
Savenko Aleksei,
Breuer Uwe,
Geiger Richard,
Sigg Hans,
Ikonic Zoran,
Hartmann JeanMichel,
Grützmacher Detlev,
Mantl Siegfried,
Buca Dan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201603321
Subject(s) - materials science , optoelectronics , heterojunction , band gap , diode , photoluminescence , ternary operation , light emitting diode , wafer , direct and indirect band gaps , computer science , programming language
SiGeSn ternaries are grown on Ge‐buffered Si wafers incorporating Si or Sn contents of up to 15 at%. The ternaries exhibit layer thicknesses up to 600 nm, while maintaining a high crystalline quality. Tuning of stoichiometry and strain, as shown by means of absorption measurements, allows bandgap engineering in the short‐wave infrared range of up to about 2.6 µm. Temperature‐dependent photoluminescence experiments indicate ternaries near the indirect‐to‐direct bandgap transition, proving their potential for ternary‐based light emitters in the aforementioned optical range. The ternaries' layer relaxation is also monitored to explore their use as strain‐relaxed buffers, since they are of interest not only for light emitting diodes investigated in this paper but also for many other optoelectronic and electronic applications. In particular, the authors have epitaxially grown a GeSn/SiGeSn multiquantum well heterostructure, which employs SiGeSn as barrier material to efficiently confine carriers in GeSn wells. Strong room temperature light emission from fabricated light emitting diodes proves the high potential of this heterostructure approach.