Electron-irradiation enhanced photoluminescence from GaInNAs∕GaAs quantum wells subject to thermal annealing

Abstract

Electron irradiation of a 1.3-μm-GaInNAs∕GaAs multi-quantum-well heterostructure, grown by molecular beam epitaxy and subsequently rapid-thermal annealed, is found to induce much stronger photoluminescence than what is observed for an identical as-grown sample upon annealing. Annealing of the irradiated sample also causes a small additional spectral blueshift and reduces alloy potential energy fluctuations at the conduction band minimum. These irradiation-related phenomena are accompanied by small but discernable changes in x-ray diffraction features upon annealing, which indicate compositional and∕or structural changes in the quantum wells.