EFFECTS OF ION-BEAM AND ELECTRON-CYCLOTRON-RESONANCE ETCH-INDUCED DAMAGE ON THE OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF MULTIPLE-QUANTUM-WELL STRUCTURES

In this study we have utilized photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) on GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) structures to assess and compare the relative damage induced by the standard ion beam etch technique and the ''less damaging'' newer electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) etch technique. The PL intensity is shown to correlate well with the ion dose and energy. At an equivalent total surface erosion under Ar ion irradiation, the ECR process is shown to cause significantly less deterioration on QW PL-yield. Furthermore, after a short anneal the ECR-irradiated structures' PL showed total recovery, whereas PL of structures exposed to an Ar+ ion beam exhibited only partial improvement.