Bismuth for antimonide based semiconductors – BIOMAN

This project proposes to address this promising topic, starting from the study of the MBE of antimonide/Bi materials to the realization of optoelectronic devices using these materials. Both the incorporation of Bi and its use as a surfactant will be studied, and the demonstration of the respective benefits will be ensured by new type-I lasers emitting in the 3-5 µm wavelength range, record high doping level GaSb and InAsSb, and a significant improvement of the minority carrier lifetime of InAs/GaSb superlattice photodetectors thanks to a drastic reduction of the native defects density.

- The growth window for the incorporation and the use of Bi as a surfactant for GaSb are now determined - Bi as been incorporated in GaSb with a record high content of 14% - Groth parameters for the growth of GaSbBi/GaSb quantum-wells are set and several sets of structures with deifferent thickness and content have been fabricated - we have realized the first demonstration of a GaSbBi - based laser emitting at 2.7 µm in pulsed regime at room-temperature

At the end of the project, we expect the MBE growth of Bi containing Sb-based device to be perfectly developed, the benefits of this new materials ready to be exploited, and demonstrated on selected test vehicles. We wish within BIOMAN to demonstrate the benefits of using Bi in antimonides in a global way while maintaining a reasonable agenda.

1. O. Delorme, L. Cerutti, E. Tournié and JB. Rodriguez, « Molecular beam epitaxy of high content GaSbBi alloys », Journal of Crystal Growth, in press, corrected proof, Available online 30 March 2017, doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2017.03.048 2. O. Delorme, L. Cerutti, E. Luna, G. Narcy, A. Trampert, E. Tournié and JB. Rodriguez, GaSbBi/GaSb quantum well laser diodes », Applied Physics Letters 110, 222106 (2017), dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4984799

This project concerns the study of the use of the Bismuth atom for the realization of antimonide-based devices by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). The antimonide based semiconductors are the material system comprising GaSb, AlSb, InAs and all their related alloys, such as GaInAsSb or AlGaAsSb for example. They have unique properties in terms of band-gap, band-offsets and carrier effective masses, making them the materials of choice for realizing high-speed low consumption electronic devices and lasers/photodetectors in the infrared range. Bi is a group-V atom that can thus be incorporated within III-V semiconductor crystals. It is also a particular atom in terms of size, making it possible to use it as a surfactant, where while not incorporated, it modifies the way the other atoms arranged within the crystal in a beneficial way. Although quite well studied in the case of the arsenides (GaAs, AlAs, etc…), the use of Bi with antimonides is far less developed. As few as about ten papers can be found on the topic and developments are still needed for its use in actual devices. The potential benefits are however extremely important, from device design capabilities or transport properties enhancement, to pushing the boundaries of the current n-type doping limits encountered within this material system. This project thus proposes to address this promising topic, starting from the study of the MBE of antimonide/Bi materials to the realization of optoelectronic devices using these materials. Both the incorporation of Bi and its use as a surfactant will be studied, and the demonstration of the respective benefits will be ensured by new type-I lasers emitting in the 3.5-5 µm wavelength range, record high doping level GaSb and InAsSb, and a significant improvement of the minority carrier lifetime of InAs/GaSb superlattice photodetectors thanks to a drastic reduction of the native defects density. An original in-situ characterization technique (desorption mass spectroscopy of antimony) will be implemented within the project, to get a real-time analysis of the Bi incorporation. Although this technique was used for other purpose in MBE, its use to monitor and study Bi incorporation has never been reported, even in the more studied arsenides. The novelty of the project is thus strong, as it proposes to address a topic poorly studied and with a strong potential impact. At the national level, no such project exists (although the use of Bi with arsenide is studied), and only one European laboratory (Chalmers University) has published preliminary results on the topic. The project fits the JCJC requirements: the principal investigator who will carry out this project is a young researcher of the NANOMIR group of IES, and although this group has many years of experience in antimonide MBE and realization of devices based on these materials, the use of Bi will be a totally new thematic.