Tunable subpicosecond optoelectronic transduction in superlattices of self-assembled ErAs nanoislands

被引:37
作者
Griebel, M
Smet, JH
Driscoll, DC
Kuhl, J
Diez, CA
Freytag, N
Kadow, C
Gossard, AC
Von Klitzing, K
机构
[1] Max Planck Inst Festkorperforsch, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
[2] Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Mat, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1038/nmat819
中图分类号
O64 [物理化学(理论化学)、化学物理学];
学科分类号
070304 ; 081704 ;
摘要
In applications as diverse as fibre-optic communications and time-domain or terahertz spectroscopy, researchers are keen on ultrafast optoelectronic transducers that can be tailored to specific needs. The molecular beam epitaxy of photoconductors composed of equidistant layers of self-assembled ErAs-islands in a III-V semiconductor matrix, which act as efficient non-radiative carrier capture sites, enables this flexibility. Here, photocurrent autocorrelation techniques are applied to metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors patterned on ErAs:GaAs superlattices. The experiments demonstrate that the electrical response speed can be conveniently tuned over at least two orders of magnitude starting from 190 fs by increasing the thickness of the GaAs spacer separating adjacent ErAs layers. The same concept is applied to the narrower bandgap InGaAs matrix. We demonstrate an electron lifetime of approximately 1 ps for this material. This brings closer the prospect of implementing terahertz technology at the important optical communication wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.55 mum.
引用
收藏
页码:122 / 126
页数:5
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