Growth and characterization of ErAs:GaBixAs1−x

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 109; no. 17
• Main Authors: Bomberger, Cory C, Nieto-Pescador, Jesus, Lewis, Matthew R, Tew, Bo E, Wang Yuejing, Bruce, Chase D, Zide Joshua M O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melville American Institute of Physics 24-10-2016; American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Subjects: Applied physics; Band gap; Bismuth; Carrier recombination; Energy gap; Fiber lasers; Hall effect; Material properties; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Materials selection; Spectrophotometry; Switches
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4966550

We explore the growth and characterization of ErAs:GaBiAs as a candidate material for terahertz generation and detection via photoconductive switches. Spectrophotometry shows that the incorporation of small amounts of bismuth causes a reduction in the band gap, making these materials compatible with fiber-coupled lasers. ErAs pins the Fermi level within the band gap, causing high dark resistance while maintaining high mobility, shown by Hall effect measurements. Finally, transient absorption (optical pump, optical probe) measurements show that the ErAs provides a carrier recombination pathway, causing short carrier lifetimes. These material properties make ErAs:GaBiAs an interesting choice for fiber-coupled photoconductive switches.