Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulation of Hole Transport in SiGe Alloys

This paper employs Ensemble Monte Carlo method to simulate transport of holes in SiGe alloys. A three-band model was employed to describe the valence band of these alloys. The nonparabolicity and the warping effect of the heavy-hole and light-hole bands were considered in their dispersion relation, while the split-off band was described as parabolic and spherical. We consider phonon and alloy disorder scattering in these calculations. The mobility of holes for a range of SiGe al-loys was calculated at 300K. The simulation mobility results agree with the experimental data, implying that the selected transport model for holes in SiGe alloys is adequate.

Нетривиальная зависимость спектральных характеристик экситонов в квантовых ямах от мощности резонансного оптического возбуждения

Basic exciton parameters, the energy of exciton transition and the radiative and nonradiative broadenings, are experimentally studied by means of reflectance spectroscopy for a heterostructure with the 14-nm GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well. Particular attention is paid to the nonradiative broadening which is sensitive to optical creation of free carriers and long-lived nonradiative excitons. A sublinear increase of the broadening of the heavy-hole and light-hole exciton resonances is observed when the light-hole exciton resonance is excited with increasing power. A simple model is developed, which allows one to well reproduce the observed dependence.

Stress and strain effects

This chapter extends this book’s discussion of bandstructure, band discontinuities and transport—much of the text up to this point—to a manipulation of them through stress and strain. Semiconductors can be strained through a variety of techniques, with strained growth leading to a strained layer, and pattern definition leading to local strained region, being the most common. Strain changes bandstructures and interface bandedge energies, distorts and warps bands, removes degeneracies, affects scattering and thus changes a variety of properties. Following a continuum description of stress-strain relationships, effects of stress—biaxial, hydrostatic and uniaxial—are analyzed for bandstructure and transport in electron bands, light-hole bands, heavy-hole bands and split-off bands in group IV and group III-V semiconductors. Transport effects can be particularly strong in quantum-confined conditions, where changes in density of states can be significant, along with other bandstructure and scattering changes.

Exciton Dynamics in Droplet Epitaxial Quantum Dots Grown on (311)A-Oriented Substrates

Droplet epitaxy allows the efficient fabrication of a plethora of 3D, III–V-based nanostructures on different crystalline orientations. Quantum dots grown on a (311)A-oriented surface are obtained with record surface density, with or without a wetting layer. These are appealing features for quantum dot lasing, thanks to the large density of quantum emitters and a truly 3D lateral confinement. However, the intimate photophysics of this class of nanostructures has not yet been investigated. Here, we address the main optical and electronic properties of s-shell excitons in individual quantum dots grown on (311)A substrates with photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments. We show the presence of neutral exciton and biexciton as well as positive and negative charged excitons. We investigate the origins of spectral broadening, identifying them in spectral diffusion at low temperature and phonon interaction at higher temperature, the presence of fine interactions between electron and hole spin, and a relevant heavy-hole/light-hole mixing. We interpret the level filling with a simple Poissonian model reproducing the power excitation dependence of the s-shell excitons. These results are relevant for the further improvement of this class of quantum emitters and their exploitation as single-photon sources for low-density samples as well as for efficient lasers for high-density samples.

Exciton Dynamics in Droplet Epitaxial Quantum Dots Grown on (311)A Oriented Substrates

Droplet epitaxy allows the efficient fabrication of a plethora of 3D, III-V-based nanostructures on different crystalline orientations. Quantum dots grown on (311)A-oriented surface are obtained with record surface density, with or without a wetting layer. These are appealing features for quantum-dot lasing, thanks to the large density of quantum emitters and a truly 3D lateral confinement. However, the intimate photophysics of this class of nanostructures has not yet been investigated. Here we address the main optical and electronic properties of s-shell excitons in individual quantum dots grown on (311)A substrates with photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments. We show the presence of neutral exciton and biexciton as well as positive and negative charged excitons. We investigate the origins of spectral broadening, identifying them in spectral diffusion at low temperature and phonon-interaction at higher temperature, the presence of fine interactions between electron and hole spin, and a relevant heavy-hole/light-hole mixing. We interpret the level filling with a simple Poissonian model reproducing the power excitation dependence of the s-shell excitons. These results are relevant for the further improvement of this class of quantum emitters and their exploitation as single photon sources for low density samples as well as for efficient lasers for high density samples.

Evaluation of Implanted Stent Occlusion Status Based on Neointimal Tissue Bioimpedance Simulations

This paper describes the characterization of the light hole, also known as the lumen, in implanted stents affected by restenosis processes using bioimpedance (BI) as a biomarker. The presented approach will enable real-time monitoring of lumens in implanted stents. The basis of the work hereby reported is the fact that neointimal tissues involved in restenosis can be detected and measured through their impedance properties, namely, conductivity and permittivity. To exploit these properties, a 4-electrode setup for BI measurement is proposed. This setup allows study of the influence of the various tissues involved in restenosis fat, muscle, fibre, and endothelium, together with the blood, on the BI value at several frequencies. In addition, BI simulation tests were performed using the electric physics module available in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Interestingly, fat constitutes the most influential layer on the value of impedance (measured in kΩ/μm—magnitude change per micrometre of lumen occlusion). A case study using a standard stent is also presented. In this study, where the involved tissues and blood were simultaneously considered, we conducted an analysis for stable and vulnerable plaques in restenosis test situations. In this regard, the proposed method is useful to test the stent obstruction and detect potential dangerous cases due to nonstable fat accumulation.