• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.324-325
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• 2014

Quantum wells infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) have been used to detect infrared radiations through the principle based on the localized stated in quantum wells (QWs) [1]. The mature III-V compound semiconductor technology used to fabricate these devices results in much lower costs, larger array sizes, higher pixel operability, and better uniformity than those achievable with competing technologies such as HgCdTe. Especially, GaAs/AlGaAs QWIPs have been extensively used for large focal plane arrays (FPAs) of infrared imaging system. However, the research efforts for increasing sensitivity and operating temperature of the QWIPs still have pursued. The modification of heterostructures [2] and the various fabrications for preventing polarization selection rule [3] were suggested. In order to enhance optical performances of the QWIPs, double barrier quantum well (DBQW) structures will be introduced as the absorption layers for the suggested QWIPs. The DBWQ structure is an adequate solution for photodetectors working in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) region and broadens the responsivity spectrum [4]. In this study, InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs double barrier quantum well infrared photodetectors (DB-QWIPs) are successfully fabricated and characterized. The heterostructures of the InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs DB-QWIPs are grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is used to examine the heterostructures of the InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs DB-QWIP. The mesa-type DB-QWIPs (Area : $2mm{\times}2mm$) are fabricated by conventional optical lithography and wet etching process and Ni/Ge/Au ohmic contacts were evaporated onto the top and bottom layers. The dark current are measured at different temperatures and the temperature and applied bias dependence of the intersubband photocurrents are studied by using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) system equipped with cryostat. The photovoltaic behavior of the DB-QWIPs can be observed up to 120 K due to the generated built-in electric field caused from the asymmetric heterostructures of the DB-QWIPs. The fabricated DB-QWIPs exhibit spectral photoresponses at wavelengths range from 3 to $7{\mu}m$. Grating structure formed on the window surface of the DB-QWIP will induce the enhancement of optical responses.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.371-376
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• 2007

We have investigated the lasing characteristics of the InGaAs quantum dot laser diode (QD-LD) and InGaAs quantum well laser diode (QW-LD) operated at the 980 nm wavelength range. The 980-nm lasers are used as a pumping source for a erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and it shows high efficiency in long-haul optical fiber network. We have compared the threshold current density, the characteristic temperature, the optical power and the internal efficiency of QD-LD and QW-LD under a pulsed current condition. The QD-LD shows superior performances to the QW-LD. Further optimization of a LD structure is expected to the superior performances of a QD-LD.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.352-357
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• 2009

The InAs multi-quantum dots (MQDs) solar cell and InGaAs multi-quantum wells (MQWs) solar cell to cover 1.1 eV and 1.3 eV were designed by 1D poisson, respectively. The MQDs and MQWs of 5, 10, 15 layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The photo luminescence results showed that the 5 period stacked MQDs have the highest intensity at around 1.1 eV with 57.6 meV full width at half maximum (FWHM). Also we can observe 10 period stacked MQWs peak position which has highest intensity at 1.31 eV with 12.37 meV FWHM. The density and size of QDs were observed by reflection high energy electron diffraction pattern and atomic force microscope. Futhermore, AlGaAs/GaAs sandwiched tunnel junctions were modified according to the width of GaAs layer on p-type GaAs substrates. The structures with GaAs width of 30 nm and 50 nm have backward diode characteristics. In contrast, tunnel diode characteristics were observed in the 20 nm of that of sample.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.441-441
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• 2012

Franz Keldysh Oscillation (FKO)은 p-n 접합 구조의 Photoreflectance (PR) spectra에서 표면 및 계면의 전기장(electric field) 특성을 반영한다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지(Quantum Dot Solar Cell, QDSC) 구조에서 InAs 양자점 층 전후에 AlGaAs 층을 삽입하여 퍼텐셜 장벽(potential barrier) 두께에 따른 PR spectra 및 GaAs-matrix에서 FKO 주파수 특성을 비교 분석하였다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지는 p-i-n 구조의 i-GaAs에 2.0 monolayer (ML), 8주기의 InAs 양자점 층을 삽입하여 Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) 방법으로 성장하였다. 각 양자점 층 전후에 두께가 각각 0.0, 1.6, 2.8, 6.0 nm인 AlGaAs 층을 삽입하여 퍼텐셜 장벽 두께에 따른 FKO 주파수 변화를 관측하였다. 또한 태양전지 구조의 전기장 분포를 좀 더 용이하게 관측하기 위해 여기 광의 세기(power intensity)를 충분히 낮추어 Photovoltaic effect에 의한 내부 전기장의 변화를 최소화하여 비교 분석하였다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지 구조에서 AlGaAs 장벽층이 없는 경우, PR spectra의 Fast Fourier Transform 결과에 반영되는 FKO 주파수 특성은 p-i-n 구조 계면에서 공핍층(depletion region)의 space charge field보다 양자점 층의 내부 전기장에 의한 FKO 주파수가 더 큰 진폭(amplitude)을 보였다. 반면에, AlGaAs 장벽층이 삽입되면 두께가 커짐에 따라 p-i-n 구조 계면의 space charge field에 의해 더 큰 진폭의 FKO 주파수가 관측되었다. 이는 AlGaAs 장벽층이 삽입됨으로써 양자점 층 내 양자 상태 수 및 여기광에 의한 캐리어의 수와 관련이 있음을 확인하였으며, 결과적으로 GaAs-matrix에서 p-i-n 구조 계면의 space charge field에 영향을 미치게 됨을 알 수 있다. 이러한 PR 특성 결과들을 InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지의 설계 및 제조에 반영함으로써 양자효율 증대에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.306-307
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• 2011

Franz Keldysh Oscillation (FKO)은 p-n 접합 구조의 공핍층(depletion zone)에서 전기장(electric field)에 의해 발생되며, Photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy를 통하여 관측된다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지(Quantum Dot Solar Cells, QDSCs)에서 PR 신호에 대한 Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)을 통하여 FKO 주파수들을 관측할 수 있고, 각각의 FKO 주파수들은 태양전지 구조에 대응하는 표면 및 내부전기장(internal electric field) 들로 분류할 수 있다. InAs/GaAs 양자점 태양전지에서 AlGaAs potential barrier의 두께에 따른 내부전기장의 변화를 조사하기 위해, GaAs-matrix에 8주기의 InAs 양자점 층이 삽입된 태양전지를 molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) 방법으로 성장하였다. 양자점의 크기는 2.0 monolayer (ML)이며, 각 양자점 층은 1.6 nm에서 6.0 nm의 AlGaAs potential barrier들로 분리되어 있다. 또한 양자점 층의 위치에 따라 내부전기장 변화를 조사하기 위해, p-i-n 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍층 내에 위치한 경우와 p+-n-n+ 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍 층으로부터 멀리 떨어진 n-base 영역에 삽입하여 실험결과를 비교분석하였다. PR 실험결과로부터, p-i-n 구조에서 InAs 양자점 태양전지의 내부전기장 변화는 potential barrier 두께에 따라 다소 복잡한 변화를 보였으며, 이는 양자점 층이 공핍층 내에 위치함으로써 격자 불일치(lattice mismatch)로 발생된 응력(strain)의 영향으로 설명할 수 있다. 이러한 결과들을 각각의 태양전지 구조에서 표면 및 내부전기장에 대해 계산된 값들에 근거하여, p+-n-n+ 구조에서 양자점 층이 공핍 층으로부터 멀리 떨어진 영역에 삽입된 경우의 결과와 비교해 보면 내부전기장의 변화는 더욱 분명해진다. 즉, 양자점 층의 potential barrier의 두께를 조절하거나, 양자점 층의 위치를 변화시킴으로써 양자점 태양전지의 내부전기장을 조작할 수 있으며, 이는 PR 실험을 통해 FKO를 관측함으로써 확인할 수 있다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.305-305
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• 2011

Type-II 반도체 나노 구조는 그것의 band alignment 특성으로 인해 광학 소자에 다양한 응용성을 가진다. 특히, 대표적인 Type-II 반도체 나노 구조인 InSb/InAs 양자점의 경우, 약 3~5 ${\mu}m$의 mid-infrared 영역의 spectral range를 가지므로, 장파장을 요하는 소자에 유용하게 적용될 수 있다. 또한, Type-II 반도체 나노 구조의 밴드 구조를 staggered gap 혹은 broken gap 구조로 조절함으로써 infrared 영역 광소자의 전자 구조를 유용하게 바꾸어 적용할 수 있다. 최근, GaSb wafer 위에 InSb/InAsSb 양자점을 이용하여 cutoff wavelength를 6 ${\mu}m$까지 연장한 IR photodetector의 연구도 보고되고 있다. 하지만, GaSb wafer의 경우 그것의 비용 문제로 인해 산업적 적용이 쉽지 않다는 문제가 있다. 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해 GaAs wafer와 같은 비용 효율이 높은 wafer를 사용한 연구가 필요할 것이다. 본 연구에서는 Molecular Beam Epitaxy(MBE)를 이용하여 undoped InAs wafer 와 semi-insulating GaAs wafer 상에 InSb 양자 구조를 형성한 결과를 보고한다. InSb 양자 구조는 20층 이상의 다층으로 형성되었고, 두 가지 경우 모두 400${\AA}$ spacer를 사용하였다. 단, InAs wafer 위에 형성한 InSb 양자 구조의 경우 InAs spacer를, GaAs wafer 위에 형성한 양자 구조의 경우 InAsSb spacer를 사용하였다. GaAs wafer 위에 양자 구조를 형성한 경우, InSb 물질과의 큰 lattice mismatch 차이 완화 뿐 아니라, type-II 밴드 구조 형성을 위해 1 ${\mu}m$ AlSb 층과 1 ${\mu}m$ InAsSb 층을 GaAs wafer 위에 미리 형성해 주었다. 양자 구조 형성 방법도 두 종류 wafer 상에서 다르게 적용되었다. InAs wafer 상에는 주로 일반적인 S-K 형성 방식이 적용된 것에 반해, GaAs wafer 상에는 migration enhanced 방식에 의해 양자 구조가 형성되었다. 이처럼 각 웨이퍼에 대해 다른 성장 방식이 적용된 이유는 InAsSb matrix와 InSb 물질 간의 lattice mismatch 차이가 6%를 넘지 못하여 InAs matrix에 비해 원하는 양자 구조 형성이 쉽지 않기 때문이다. 두 가지 경우에 대해 AFM과 TEM 측정으로 그 구조적 특성이 관찰되었다. 또한 infrared 영역의 소자 적용 가능성을 보기 위해 광학적 특성 측정이 요구된다.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.66-71
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• 2003

Pt/AlGaN Schottky-type UV photodetectors were designed and fabricated. A low-temperature AlGaN interlayer buffer was grown between the AlGaN and GaN film in the diode structure epitaxy to obtain crack-free AlGaN active layers. A comparison was then made of the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of two different diodes: one with an AlGaN($0.5\;{\mu}m$)/n+-GaN(2 nm) structure (type 1) and the other with an AlGaN($0.5\;{\mu}m$)/AlGaN interlayer($150\;{\AA}$)/n+-GaN($3\;{\mu}m$) structure(type 2). A crack-free AlGaN film was obtained by the insertion of a low-temperature AlGaN interlayer with an aluminum mole fraction of 26% into the $Al_xGa_{1-x}N$ layer. The fabricated Pt/$Al_{0.33}Ga_{0.67}N$ photodetector had a leakage current of 1 nA for the type 1 diode and $0.1\;{\mu}A$ for the type 2 diode at a reverse bias of -5 V. For the photoresponse measurement, the type 2 diode exhibited a cut-off wavelength of 300 nm, prominent responsivity of 0.15 A/W at 280 nm, and UV-visible extinction ratio of $1.5{\times}10^4$. Accordingly, the Pt/$Al_{0.33}Ga_{0.67}N$ Schottky-type ultraviolet photodetector with an AlGaN interlayer exhibited superior electrical and optical characteristics and improved UV detecting properties.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.339-346
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• 2008

Single-crystal $ZnIn_2S_4$ layers were grown on a thoroughly etched semi-insulating GaAs (100) substrate at $450^{\circ}C$ with a hot wall epitaxy (HWE) system by evaporating a $ZnIn_2S_4$ source at $610^{\circ}C$. The crystalline structures of the single-crystal thin films were investigated via the photoluminescence (PL) and Double-crystal X-ray rocking curve (DCRC). The temperature dependence of the energy band gap of the $ZnIn_2S_4$ obtained from the absorption spectra was well described by Varshni's relationship, $E_g(T)=2.9514\;eV-(7.24{\times}10^{-4}\;eV/K)T2/(T＋489K)$. After the as-grown $ZnIn_2S_4$ single-crystal thin films was annealed in Zn-, S-, and In-atmospheres, the origin-of-point defects of the $ZnIn_2S_4$ single-crystal thin films were investigated via the photoluminescence (PL) at 10 K. The native defects of $V_{Zn}$, $V_S$, $Zn_{int}$, and $S_{int}$ obtained from the PL measurements were classified as donor or acceptor types. Additionally, it was concluded that a heat treatment in an S-atmosphere converted $ZnIn_2S_4$ single crystal thin films into optical p-type films. Moreover, it was confirmed that In in $ZnIn_2S_4$/GaAs did not form a native defects, as In in $ZnIn_2S_4$ single-crystal thin films existed in the form of stable bonds.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.428-432
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• 1998

We fabricated 1$\times$8 array of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors for the long wavelength infrared detection which is based on the bound-continuum intersubband transition, and characterized its electrical and optical properties. The device was grown on SI-GaAs(100) by the molecular beam epitaxy and consisted of 25 period of 40 ${\AA} $ GaAs well and 500 ${\AA} $ $Al_{0.28} Ga_{0.72}$ As barrier. To reduce the possibility of interface states only the center 20 ${\AA} $ of the well was doped with Si ($N_D=2{\times}10^{18} cm^{-3}$). We etched the sample to make square mesas of 200$\times$200 $\mu\textrm{m}^2$ and made an ohmic contact on each pixel with Au/Ge. Current-voltage characteristics and photoresponse spectrum of each detector reveal that the array was highly uniform and stable. The spectral responsivity and the detectivity $D^＊$ were measured to be 180,260 V/W and $4.9{\times}10^9cm\sqrt{Hz}/W$ respectively at the peak wavelength of $\lambda$ =7.8 $\mu\textrm{m}$ and at T=10 K.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.293-294
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• 2011

It is known that semiconductor quantum-dot (QD) heterostructures have superior zero-dimensional quantum confinement, and they have been successfully applied to semiconductor laser diodes (QDLDs) for optical communication and infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) for thermal images [1]. The self-assembled QDs are normally formed at Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode utilizing the accumulated strain due to lattice-mismatch existing at heterointerfaces between QDs and cap layers. In order to increase the areal density and the number of stacks of QDs, recently, sub-monolayer (SML)-thick QDs (SQDs) with reduced strain were tried by equivalent thicknesses thinner than a wetting layer (WL) existing in conventional QDs (CQDs) by S-K mode. Despite that it is very different from CQDs with a well-defined WL, the SQD structure has been successfully applied to QDIP[2]. In this study, optical characteristics are investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) spectra taken from self-assembled InAs/GaAs QDs whose coverage are changing from submonolayer to a few monolayers. The QD structures were grown by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on semi-insulating GaAs (100) substrates, and formed at a substrate temperature of 480$^{\circ}C$ followed by covering GaAs cap layer at 590$^{\circ}C$. We prepared six 10-period-stacked QD samples with different InAs coverages and thicknesses of GaAs spacer layers. In the QD coverage below WL thickness (~1.7 ML), the majority of SQDs with no WL coexisted with a small amount of CQDs with a WL, and multi-peak spectra changed to a single peak profile. A transition from SQDs to CQDs was found before and after a WL formation, and the sublevel of SQDs peaking at (1.32${\pm}$0.1) eV was much closer to the GaAs bandedge than that of CQDs (~1.2 eV). These revealed that QDs with no WL could be formed by near-ML coverage in InAs/GaAs system, and single-mode SQDs could be achieved by 1.5 ML just below WL that a strain field was entirely uniform.