Effect of GaAs interlayer thickness variations on the optical properties of multiple InAs QD structure

Multiple InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) with vertically stacked structure are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and the effects of GaAs interlayer thickness variation on optical properties are studied. The growth conditions are optimized by in-situ RHEED, AFM, and PL measurement. The five InAs QD layers are embedded in GaAs and Al0.3Ga0.7As layer. The PL intensity is increased with increasing GaAs interlayer thickness. The thin GaAs interlayer has strain field, the strain-induced intermixing of indium atoms in the InAs QDs (blue-shift) can overcompensate for the effect on the increased QD size (red-shift) (H. Heidemeyer et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 80, 1544 (2002); T. Nakaoka et al. J. Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 150 (2004)[1, 2], respectively). For the interlayer thickness larger than about 7 nm, the blue-shifts are correlated to the dominant high-energy excited state transitions due to the successive state filling of the ground and higher excited states in the QDs. The energy separation of double PL peaks, originated from two different excited states, was kept at around 50 meV at room temperature. A possible mechanism concerning this phenomenon is also discussed. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)