III-V Compound Semiconductor Molecular Beam Epitaxy/Free Standing Quantum Well Structures

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9614036 Williams This Minority Career Advancement Award (MCAA) project addresses fundamental research issues of surfaces and interfaces in the epitaxial growth of III-V semiconductor materials as part of a collaborative research activity with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on free standing quantum wells. The approach is to selectively etch compositionally modulated III-V heterostructures to produce quantum wells which are confined on both sides by air, vacuum or suitable filler materials. Subsequent patterning then yields quantum wells suspended horizontally between vertical support posts. This structure is conducive for probing local properties of solids, e.g., the interaction of quantum confined states with surface or interface states. Also the inherent high contrast ratio between the barrier and suspended materials allows the construction of efficient mirrors for a Fabry-Perot cavity with dimension on the order of the spontaneous emission wavelength of the active medium. Fundamental properties of these materials and structures as well as device configurations will be explored. %%% The project addresses forefront research issues in a topical area combining material science, physics and engineering, and having high technological relevance. The research will contribute basic materials science knowledge at a fundamental level to important aspects of electronic/photonic devices and integrated circuitry. The program also provides for the integration of research and education through the training of students in a fundamentally and technologically significant research area. ***