Mikhail Fadeev, Alexander Troshkin, Alexander Dubinov, Vladimir Utochkin, Anna Razova, Vladimir Rumyantsev, Vladimir Aleshkin, Vladimir Gavrilenko, Nikolay Mikhailov, Sergey Dvoretsky, Sergey Morozov
Heterostructures with quantum wells (QWs) based on HgCdTe are promising systems for making compact semiconductor sources of the mid-infrared range. This range has paramount practical importance due to the presence of absorption lines of common pollutant gases. Stimulated emission (SE) from HgCdTe heterostructures has been observed previously at the wavelengths up to 3.7 μm at temperatures above 200 K, but the optimal design of the QW is still debated. We present the spectra of SE from a HgCdTe-based heterostructure obtained at room temperature (RT). We investigate the effect of optical excitation wavelength on the characteristics of SE and discuss possible routes toward improving the design of the active region of the sample. Obtained results demonstrate that HgCdTe heterostructures can be used for the creation of lasers operating at RT at the wavelengths in the vicinity of at least 2.5 μm.
Temperature-driven photoconductivity spectra are studied in HgCdTe thin films and quantum well (QW) heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). It is shown that the absorption edge steepness in narrow gap HgCdTe epilayers approaches the fundamental limit. The corresponding Urbach energy is 1.5 to 4 meV at 4.2 to 77 K, which is an order of magnitude lower than values reported previously, indicating a significant progress in the quality of structures grown by MBE. Auger-suppressed multi-QW heterostructures that can be used for development of long-wavelength lasers/detectors are shown to have the comparable steepness of the absorption edge. The corresponding “Urbach” energy is much less than the threshold energy of the Auger recombination, which means that furthering the operating wavelengths beyond 20 μm is feasible for optoelectronic devices based on HgCdTe structures.
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