Room-temperature midinfrared electroluminescence from asymmetric AlSbAs/InAs/CdMgSe heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

A hybrid double heterostructure with large asymmetric band offsets, combining AlAsSb/InAs (as a III–V part) and CdMgSe/CdSe (as a II–VI part), has been proposed as a basic element of a midinfrared laser structure design. The p-i-n diode structure has been successfully grown by molecular beam epitaxy and has exhibited an intense long-wavelength electroluminescence at 3.12 μm (300 K). A less than 10 times reduction of electroluminescence intensity from 77 to 300 K indicates an efficient carrier confinement in the InAs active layer due to high potential barriers in conduction and valence bands, estimated as ΔEC=1.28 eV and ΔEV∼1.6 eV. The type of band lineups at a coherent InAs/Cd1−xMgxSe interface is discussed for 0⩽x⩽0.15.