RARE EARTH DOPED III-V SEMICONDUCTORS FOR OPTOELECTRONICS

THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING PROCEDURES FOR THE FABRICATION AND EVALUATION OF EPITAXIAL LAYERS OF III-V COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS WHICH ARE DOPED WITH RARE EARTH (RE) IONS. THE RE IONS ARE TO BE INCORPORATED IN A 3+ VALENCY SUCH THAT EFFICIENT INTRAATOMIC (4F-4F) TRANSITIONS CAN BE OBSERVED. THE DOPED MATERIAL IS TO BE FABRICATED VIA METAL-ORGANIC VAPOR DEPOSITION (MOCVD). QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE EVALAUTIONS ARE TO BE PERFORMED VIA LUMINESCENCE MEASUREMENTS, DEEP LEVEL TRANSIENT SPECTROSCOPY AND MOBILITY AND RESISTIVITY MEASUREMENTS. IN PHASE I WE SHALL CONCENTRATE OUR EFFORTS ON ESTABLISHING THE GROWTH PARAMETER FOR ERBIUM DOPED GAAS AND A1GAAS IN TERMS OF OPTIMAL V/III RATIO, GROWTH TEMPERATURE AND ER DOPING CONCENTRATIONS. THE OPTICAL EVALUATIONS WILL PLAY A ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE LATTICE SITE OF THE INCORPARATED RE ION. SIMULTANEOUSLY, WE SHALL EXPLORE AND IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE DEVICE STRUCTURES WHICH ALLOW US TO EXPLOIT THE MATERIAL FOR LIGHT EMITTING DIODES, LASER DIODES OR AN INTEGRATED SWITCH-WITH- AMPLIFIER. ALSO, AND EVALUATION OF OTHER RE IONS, SUCH AS ND, PR, YB, SHALL BE PERFORMED WITH RESPECT TO THEIR POTENTIAL AND DESIRABILITY AS LIGHT EMITTERS AS WELL AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF SUITABLE PRECURSORS FOR THEIR USE IN MOCVD FABRICATION.