Radiative and Non-radiative Centers in Indium Phosphide Alloy Thin Films and Heterostructures

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Fundamental studies of the radiative and non-radiative defects in epitaxial indium phosphide and its alloys with aluminum and gallium will be undertaken. Defects and their properties resulting from deliberate doping of the alloys will be investigated; specific defect phenomena to be studied include: 1)formation and stability of deep level native defects by self-compensation, 2)formation of deep donor levels associated with simple substitutional impurities, and 3)isoelectronic, rare-earth centers and their complexes. Indium phosphide alloy thin films and heterostructures will be prepared by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Photoluminescence, photoconductivity and deep level transient spectroscopy will be used to determine defect parameters and defect stability. To determine the symmetry and identification of the radiative and non-radiative deep level defects polarized excitation spectroscopy will be used and the results compared to other symmetry sensitive measurements. The applicability of recent theories on native defect stability in these alloys will be examined. Recent theories on the electronic and optical properties of rare-earth impurities and their complexes will be examined with respect to experimental results. %%% Research will be conducted on the factors that influence the electronic and optical properties of compound semiconductor materials. This research is expected to give a fundamental understanding of the effect of defects on material properties and performance. The semiconductors under study have wide applicability in electronic and optoelectronic devices; understanding the defect structure will also improve the performance of devices made from these materials. New photonic materials and devices may result from these studies as well as significant improvements in devices and integrated circuits currently used in computing, information processing, and telecommunications.