Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Semiconductors: A Review on Experimental Methods
Main Article Content
Abstract
The advancement of picosecond and femtosecond pulsed lasers made optical spectroscopy a more powerful tool that has been used in the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology. This method is mainly used to study the dynamical properties of various substances such as metals, semiconductors, and superconductors. Ultrafast non-equilibrium carrier excitation of the semiconductor and subsequent relaxation processes occurring on different time scales have become an important area of semiconductor research. Numerous experimental approaches have been employed to explore these dynamic processes in both semiconductors and their nanostructured. In this article, we have discussed dynamic phenomena that occur in optically excited semiconductors on time scales from a few hundred femtoseconds to nanoseconds. Among the most widely employed experimental techniques is the ultrafast pump-probe technique, which makes it easier to investigate dynamical phenomena in semiconductors. This article provides a comprehensive explanation of the basic principles underlying the ultrafast pump-probe technique. Additionally, it highlights significant experimental discoveries obtained through the investigation of semiconductor quantum wells and quantum dots.
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Mondal, R. (2022). Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Semiconductors: A Review on Experimental Methods. SAMRIDDHI : A Journal of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 14(04), 165-169. https://doi.org/10.18090/samriddhi.v14i04.27
Section
Review Article
References
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Optical dephasing of homogeneously broadened twodimensional exciton transitions in GaAs quantum wells. Physical
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Physical Review Letters, 59, 2588.
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(2005). Coulomb scattering in nitride-based self-assembled quantum dot systems. Physical Review B, 72, 235311.
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Inoshita T., & Sakaki, H. (1997). Density of states and phononinduced relaxation of electrons in semiconductor quantum
dots. Physical Review B, 56, R4355(R).
[27] Heitz, R., Schliwa, A., & Bimberg, D. (2003). Exciton–LO-phonon coupling in self-organized InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi (b), 237, 308-319.
[28] Kong-Thon Tsen. (2006). Non-equilibrium Dynamics of Semiconductors and Nanostructures. Taylor and Francis.
[29] Amman, C., Dupertuis, M. A., Bockelmann, U., & Deveaud, B.
(1997). Electron relaxation by LO phonons in quantum wires: An adiabatic approach. Physical Review B, 55, 2420.
[30] Mondal, R., Bansal, B., Mandal, A., Chakrabarti, S., & Pal, B. (2013).
Pauli blocking dynamics in optically excited quantum dots: A picosecond excitation-correlation spectroscopic study. Physical Review B, 87, 115317.
[31] Mondal, R., Roy, B., Pal, B., & Bansal, B. (2018). How pump–probe differential reflectivity at negative delay yields the perturbedfreeinduction-decay: theory of the experiment and its
verification. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 30, 505902.
[32] Gong, T., Zheng, L. X., Xiong, W., Kula, W., Kostoulas, Y., Sobolewski, R., & Fauchet, P. M. (1993). Femtosecond optical response of Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films: The dependence on optical frequency, excitation intensity, and electric current. Physical Review B, 47, 14495.
[33] Esser, A., Kutt, W., Strahnen, M., Maidorn, G., & Kurz, H. (1990).
Femtosecond transient reflectivity measurements as a probe for process-induced defects in silicon. Applied Surface Science, 46, 446-450.
[34] Satish Kumar Nalluri, Venkata Krishna Bharadwaj Parasaram, Varun Teja Bathini. (2020). Secure Automation Frameworks for Smart Manufacturing Using Blockchain-Assisted Traceability.
International Journal of Research & Technology, 8(2), 47–53.
Retrieved from https://ijrt.org/j/article/view/879
[35] Mondal, R. (2015). Picosecond Dynamics in Optically Excited Semiconductors: Exciton Dephasing, Ionization Equilibrium and Pauli Blocking. IISER-Kolkata, PhD Thesis.
[36] Liu, D. W., Xu, X. M., & Chen, Y. F. (1994). Photoluminescenceexcitationcorrelation spectroscopic study of a high-density
two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As modulationdoped quantum wells. Physical Review B, 49, 4640.
[37] Johnson, M. B., McGill, T. C., & Hunter, A. T. (1988). Picosecond time-resolved photoluminescence using picosecond excitation correlation spectroscopy. Journal of Applied Physics, 63, 2077– 2082.
[38] Jorgensen, M., & Hvam, J. M. (1983). Time-resolved nonlinear luminescence spectroscopy by picosecond excitation
correlation. Applied Physics Letters, 43, 460-462.
[39] Rosen, D., Doukas, A. G., Budansky, Y., Katz, A., & Alfano, R.R.
(1981). Time resolved luminescence of photoexcited p-type gallium arsenide by population mixing. Applied Physics Letters, 39, 935-937.
[40] Chilla, J. L. A., Buccafusca, O., & Rocca, J. J. (1993). Origin of photoluminescence signals obtained by picosecond-excitation correlation measurements. Physical Review B, 48, 14347,
[41] Liu, H. C., Hsu, C. H., Chou, W. C., Chen, W. K., & Chang, W. H.
(2009). Recombination lifetimes in InN films studied by timeresolved excitation-correlation spectroscopy. Physical Review B, 80, 193203
[2] Kash, K., Scherer, A., Worlock, J. M., Craighead, H. G., & Tamargo, M. C. (1986). Optical spectroscopy of ultrasmall structures etched from quantum wells. Applied Physics Letters, 49, 1043– 1045.
[3] Matsusue, T., & Sakaki, H. (1987). Radiative recombination coefficient of free carriers in GaAs-AlGaAs quantum wells and its dependence on temperature. Applied Physics Letters, 50, 1429–1431.
[4] Leo, K., Ruhle, W. W., Queisser, H. J., & Ploog, K. (1988). Reduced dimensionality of hot-carrier relaxation in GaAs quantum wells.
Physical Review B, 37, 7121.
[5] Christen, J., & Bimberg, D. (1990). Line shapes of intersubband and excitonic recombination in quantum wells: Influence of final-state interaction, statistical broadening, and momentum conservation. Physical Review B, 42, 7213.
[6] Piermarocchi, C., Tassone, F., Savona, V., Quattropani, A., & Schwendimann, P. (1996). Nonequilibrium dynamics of free quantum-well excitons in time-resolved photoluminescence.
Physical Review B, 53, 15834.
[7] Yoon, H. W., Wake, D. R., & Wolfe, J. P. (1996). Effect of exciton-carrier thermodynamics on the GaAs quantum well
photoluminescence. Physical Review B, 54, 2763.
[8] Kopf, R. F., Schubert, E. F., Harris, T. D., & Becker, R. S. (1991).
Photoluminescence of GaAs quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy with growth interruptions. Applied Physics Letters, 58, 631–633.
[9] Feldmann, J., Peter, G., Göbel, E. O., Dawson, P., Moore, K., Foxon, C., & Elliott, R. J. (1987). Linewidth dependence of radiative exciton lifetimes in quantum wells. Physical Review Letters, 59, 2337.
[10] Klingshrin, C. (2007). Semiconductor Optics, Springer, Third Edition.
[11] Litvinenko, K., Birkedal, D., Lyssenko, V. G., & Hvam, J. M. (1999).
Exciton dynamics in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells. Physical Review B, 59, 10255.
[12] Schultheis, L., Honold, A., Kuhl, J., Köhler, K., & Tu, C. W. (1986).
Optical dephasing of homogeneously broadened twodimensional exciton transitions in GaAs quantum wells. Physical
Review B, 34, 9027(R).
[13] Fluegel, B., Peyghambarian, N., Olbright, G., Lindberg, M., Koch, S. W., Joffre, M., Hulin, D., Migus, A., & Antonetti, A. (1987). A Femtosecond studies of coherent transients in semiconductors.
Physical Review Letters, 59, 2588.
[14] Heberle, A. P., Rühle, W. W., & Ploog, K. (1994). Quantum beats of electron Larmor precession in GaAs wells. Physical Review Letters, 72, 3887.
[15] Sabbah, A. J. & Riffe, D. M. (2002). Femtosecond pump-probe reflectivity study of silicon carrier dynamics. Physical Review B, 66, 165217.
[16] Prabhu, S. S., & Vengurlekar, A. S. (2004). Dynamics of the pumpprobe reflectivity spectra in GaAs and GaN. Journal of Applied Physics, 95, 7803-7812.
[17] Zollner, S., Myers, K. D., Jensen, K. G., Dolan, J. M., Bailey, D. W., & Stanton, C. J. (1997). Femtosecond interband hole scattering in Ge studied by pump-probe reflectivity. Solid State Communications, 104, 51-55.
[18] Yu, P. Y., & Cardona, M. (2010). Fundamentals of Semiconductor Physics and Materials Properties. Springer, Fourth Edition.
[19] Fox, M. (2001). Optical Properties of Solids. Oxford University Press.
[20] Schmitt-Rink, S., Chemla, D. S., & Miller, D. A. B. (1989). Linear and nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor quantum wells. Advances in Physics, 38, 89-188.
[21] Othonos, A. (1998). Probing ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics in semiconductors. Journal of Applied Physics, 83, 1789–1830.
[22] Alfano, R. P. (1984). Semiconductors probed by Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy. Academic Press, Vol 1 and 2.
[23] Gundogdu, K., Hall, K. C., Boggess, T. F., Deppe, D. G., & Shchekin, O. B. (2004). Ultrafast electron capture into p-modulationdoped quantum dots. Applied Physics Letters, 85, 4570–4572.
[24] Bockelmann, U. (1993). Exciton relaxation and radiative recombination in semiconductor quantum dots. Physical Review B, 48,17637(R).
[25] Nielsen, T. R., Gartner, P., Lorke, M., Seebeck, J. & Jahnke, F.
(2005). Coulomb scattering in nitride-based self-assembled quantum dot systems. Physical Review B, 72, 235311.
[26] Inoshita T., & Sakaki, H. (1996). Electron-phonon interaction and the so-called phonon bottleneck effect in semiconductor quantum dots. Physica B:Condensed Matter, 227, 373-377;
Inoshita T., & Sakaki, H. (1997). Density of states and phononinduced relaxation of electrons in semiconductor quantum
dots. Physical Review B, 56, R4355(R).
[27] Heitz, R., Schliwa, A., & Bimberg, D. (2003). Exciton–LO-phonon coupling in self-organized InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi (b), 237, 308-319.
[28] Kong-Thon Tsen. (2006). Non-equilibrium Dynamics of Semiconductors and Nanostructures. Taylor and Francis.
[29] Amman, C., Dupertuis, M. A., Bockelmann, U., & Deveaud, B.
(1997). Electron relaxation by LO phonons in quantum wires: An adiabatic approach. Physical Review B, 55, 2420.
[30] Mondal, R., Bansal, B., Mandal, A., Chakrabarti, S., & Pal, B. (2013).
Pauli blocking dynamics in optically excited quantum dots: A picosecond excitation-correlation spectroscopic study. Physical Review B, 87, 115317.
[31] Mondal, R., Roy, B., Pal, B., & Bansal, B. (2018). How pump–probe differential reflectivity at negative delay yields the perturbedfreeinduction-decay: theory of the experiment and its
verification. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 30, 505902.
[32] Gong, T., Zheng, L. X., Xiong, W., Kula, W., Kostoulas, Y., Sobolewski, R., & Fauchet, P. M. (1993). Femtosecond optical response of Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films: The dependence on optical frequency, excitation intensity, and electric current. Physical Review B, 47, 14495.
[33] Esser, A., Kutt, W., Strahnen, M., Maidorn, G., & Kurz, H. (1990).
Femtosecond transient reflectivity measurements as a probe for process-induced defects in silicon. Applied Surface Science, 46, 446-450.
[34] Satish Kumar Nalluri, Venkata Krishna Bharadwaj Parasaram, Varun Teja Bathini. (2020). Secure Automation Frameworks for Smart Manufacturing Using Blockchain-Assisted Traceability.
International Journal of Research & Technology, 8(2), 47–53.
Retrieved from https://ijrt.org/j/article/view/879
[35] Mondal, R. (2015). Picosecond Dynamics in Optically Excited Semiconductors: Exciton Dephasing, Ionization Equilibrium and Pauli Blocking. IISER-Kolkata, PhD Thesis.
[36] Liu, D. W., Xu, X. M., & Chen, Y. F. (1994). Photoluminescenceexcitationcorrelation spectroscopic study of a high-density
two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As modulationdoped quantum wells. Physical Review B, 49, 4640.
[37] Johnson, M. B., McGill, T. C., & Hunter, A. T. (1988). Picosecond time-resolved photoluminescence using picosecond excitation correlation spectroscopy. Journal of Applied Physics, 63, 2077– 2082.
[38] Jorgensen, M., & Hvam, J. M. (1983). Time-resolved nonlinear luminescence spectroscopy by picosecond excitation
correlation. Applied Physics Letters, 43, 460-462.
[39] Rosen, D., Doukas, A. G., Budansky, Y., Katz, A., & Alfano, R.R.
(1981). Time resolved luminescence of photoexcited p-type gallium arsenide by population mixing. Applied Physics Letters, 39, 935-937.
[40] Chilla, J. L. A., Buccafusca, O., & Rocca, J. J. (1993). Origin of photoluminescence signals obtained by picosecond-excitation correlation measurements. Physical Review B, 48, 14347,
[41] Liu, H. C., Hsu, C. H., Chou, W. C., Chen, W. K., & Chang, W. H.
(2009). Recombination lifetimes in InN films studied by timeresolved excitation-correlation spectroscopy. Physical Review B, 80, 193203