Reversibility of the effects of hydrogen on the electronic properties of InxGa1−xAs1−yNy

✍ Scribed by G.Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal; M Bissiri; F Ranalli; V Gaspari; A Polimeni; M Capizzi; A Frova; M Fischer; M Reinhardt; A Forchel

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 96 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1386-9477
• DOI: 10.1016/s1386-9477(02)00308-9

✦ Synopsis

The e ects of post-growth hydrogen irradiation and subsequent thermal annealing on the electronic properties of (InGa)(AsN) single quantum wells (QWs) have been studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy. We ÿnd that the QW e ective band gap increases as a result of hydrogen irradiation and may reach the value it has in a N-free reference sample. Thermal annealing, instead, restores the optical properties the QW had before hydrogenation. These results are accounted for by the formation of N-H complexes, with an ensuing N passivation and a reduction of the e ective N concentration. By means of isochronal annealings performed at di erent temperatures we determine the activation energy for the dissociation of such complexes, which has a Gaussian distribution. We attribute this ÿnding to N clusters with di erent size forming di erent H-N bonds.