CAREER: High Performance III-V-Bismide Mid-Infrared Semiconductor Lasers

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AbstractTechnical: This CAREER proposal will launch a major research direction in the emerging field area of III-V bismide devices. III-V compound semiconductors containing the heaviest naturally occurring group V element, Bismuth, is a relatively unexplored material system that is expected to offer many unique optical and electrical properties desirable for numerous innovative device applications. This research emphasizes the development of high performance Mid-IR (3-4 micron) type-I quantum well (QW) lasers using the (In)GaAsSbBi materials grown on GaSb substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). An analysis shows that (In)GaAsSbBi based QW lasers can easily obtain 3-4 micron emission and they have a great potential to achieve high performance. A systematic research plan for this project will be studied with three tasks: i) MBE growth of III-V-Bi and material characterization, ii) Development of infrared lasers and Mid-IR detectors/emitters, and iii) Development of Mid-IR lasers; which are complemented by a "Networking" task that will effectively promote the development of the PI's academic career. This research project will address performance issues in GaSb based type-I QW lasers through the development of novel (In)GaAsSbBi active materials that offer i) extended lasing wavelengths, ii) improved hole confinement, iii) the suppression of the dominant Auger loss mechanism, v) the avoidance of the growth miscibility gap in InGaAsSb based compounds, and vi) a "quasi-Al free" device design for highly reliable high power applications. The material work aims at superior device performance through the development of techniques to alloy Bi, which surface segregates, with III-V semiconductors, and to use Bi as a surfactant to improve the quality of barrier/cladding layers. The reserach will build on the PI's experiences in the areas of optoelectronic materials and device design, growth, fabrication, and characterization.Non Technical:The successful development of devices based on the (In)GaAsSbBi material system will fill the 3-4 micron gap in high performance semiconductor lasers and enable many important Mid-IR applications, such as sensing, communication, surgery, optical integration, and homeland security. This project will provide comprehensive training for graduate students in all aspects of advanced optoelectronic devices and as well heavy involvement of undergraduate students. This research activity will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning through strong collaborations with the "Bismuth Materials World Network" to develop cybertools for research and education. The outreach activities include the recruitment of STEM underrepresented students through existing university programs and outreach activities that include participation in the "Green" team to conduct high school teacher and two year college faculty training and instruction lab construction in HBCU in the areas of optics and solar cells.