| AlxIn(1-x)AsySb(1-y) quaternary alloys have been used in Type I midwave infrared (MWIR) laser structures as barrier materials with InAs and InAsSb quantum wells. However, growth of these alloys has limited the application because of a large miscibility gap. In this research, quaternary films with compositions well into the miscibility gap (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) have been grown for the first time by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) using a digital alloy technique. These films, lattice-matched to GaSb, have been characterized using double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL). Results indicate uniform, single-phase, and highly crystalline films. Using PL data, the dependence of the quaternary bandgap on composition has been studied and fit to various theoretical models.; Combining the quaternary bandgap equation with strain and quantum size effects, the wavelengths for strained InAsSb wells in AlInAsSb quaternary barriers are predicted and compared to measured values generated from PL experiments. The reasonable agreement of these experimental results with the theoretical model supports the assertion that the AlInAsSb/InAsSb material system is Type I and emits in the target wavelength range of 3.3-4.2 mum. PL spectra of AlInAsSb/InAsSb multiple quantum wells exhibit a substantial increase in intensity with increasing quaternary aluminum content. This is presumably due to increasing valence band offset and, therefore, to better hole confinement. A laser with this active region has been fabricated and tested. Under pulsed optical pumping conditions at 50K, the laser emitted light at ∼3.93 mum.; Further work has been done using the digital alloy technique to add gallium to the quaternary alloy to produce an AlGaInAsSb quinary alloy lattice-matched to GaSb. This material is of specific interest for mid-infrared lasers because by adding the fifth element, gallium, the range of material properties is extended. There is some indication from PL testing that the addition of the fifth element may contribute to Auger recombination suppression and may lead to higher operating temperatures. DCXRD and TEM of these quinary alloys give results similar to the quaternary alloys. The stable, single-phase growth of these quinary alloys shows promise for improving the performance of MWIR lasers. |
