Issue 2, 2022

Carrier dynamics at trench defects in InGaN/GaN quantum wells revealed by time-resolved cathodoluminescence

Abstract

Time-resolved cathodoluminescence offers new possibilities for the study of semiconductor nanostructures – including defects. The versatile combination of time, spatial, and spectral resolution of the technique can provide new insights into the physics of carrier recombination at the nanoscale. Here, we used power-dependent cathodoluminescence and temperature-dependent time-resolved cathodoluminescence to study the carrier dynamics at trench defects in InGaN quantum wells – a defect commonly found in III-nitride structures. The measurements show that the emission properties of trench defects closely relate to the depth of the related basal plane stacking fault within the quantum well stack. The study of the variation of carrier decay time with detection energy across the emission spectrum provides strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that strain relaxation of the quantum wells enclosed within the trench promotes efficient radiative recombination even in the presence of an increased indium content. This result shines light on previously reported peculiar emission properties of the defect, and illustrates the use of cathodoluminescence as a powerful adaptable tool for the study of defects in semiconductors.

Graphical abstract: Carrier dynamics at trench defects in InGaN/GaN quantum wells revealed by time-resolved cathodoluminescence

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Sep 2021
Accepted
14 Dec 2021
First published
14 Dec 2021

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 402-409

Carrier dynamics at trench defects in InGaN/GaN quantum wells revealed by time-resolved cathodoluminescence

G. Kusch, E. J. Comish, K. Loeto, S. Hammersley, M. J. Kappers, P. Dawson, R. A. Oliver and F. C.-P. Massabuau, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 402 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR06088K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements