Electrical characterization of InP/GaInP quantum dots by space charge spectroscopy

An investigation of coherently grown InP quantum dots embedded in Ga0.5In0.5P by conventional space charge spectroscopy methods is reported. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) is used to obtain quantitative information on the electron emission from the dots. The applied field is found to significantly enhance the electron emission rates as seen by shifts in the peaks towards lower temperatures with increased field. Taking the field induced barrier lowering into account, the emission energy for the one electron ground state of the dot is determined as 240+/-10 meV. The correlation between the measured signal and the observed electron accumulation in capacitance-voltage measurements is clearly demonstrated. Further, studies of the electron emission when the average electron population in the dots was varied show that the emission energies are modified by the coulomb charging energy. Admittance measurements as a function of temperature, bias and frequency were also performed, and the results are qualitatively explained in terms of response from the dots. These observations are consistent with the effect of the signal frequency on the measured carrier concentration profile. To complete the picture and in order to distinguish the DLTS signature of the dots from that of the deep levels in GaInP, electron traps in the barrier material were also characterized. Two main electron traps, one with an activation energy of about 950 meV and the other having an activation energy of 450 meV, were present in all the samples. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)00719-1]