Band-gap profiling by laser writing of hydrogen-containing III-N-Vs

• Published in: Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Vol. 86; no. 15
• Main Authors: Balakrishnan, N., Pettinari, G., Makarovsky, O., Turyanska, L., Fay, M. W., De Luca, M., Polimeni, A., Capizzi, M., Martelli, F., Rubini, S., Patanè, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 10-10-2012
• Subjects: Activated; Alloys; Condensed matter; Lasers; Nanostructure; Planes; Profiling; Thermal dissociation
• ISSN: 1098-0121; 1550-235X
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.86.155307

We show that the dissociation of the N-H complex in hydrogenated III-N-Vs can be laser activated at temperatures that are significantly smaller than those (>200 [degrees]C) required for thermal dissociation due to a resonant photon absorption by the N-H complex. This phenomenon provides a mechanism for profiling the band-gap energy in the growth plane of the III-N-Vs with submicron spatial resolution and high energy accuracy; the profiles are erasable and the alloys can be rehydrogenated making any nanoscale in-plane band-gap profile rewritable.