Giant bowing of the band gap and spin-orbit splitting energy in GaPBi dilute bismide alloys.

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements on GaPBi/GaP epitaxial layers up to x = 3.7% we observe a giant bowing of the direct band gap ([Formula: see text]) and valence band spin-orbit splitting energy (Δ). [Formula: see text] (Δ) is measured to decrease (increase) by approximately 200 meV (240 meV) with the incorporation of 1% Bi, corresponding to a greater than fourfold increase in Δ in going from GaP to GaPBi.

GaAsBi/GaNAs type-II quantum wells: novel strain-balanced heterostructures for GaAs-based near- and mid-infrared photonics.

The potential to extend the emission wavelength of photonic devices further into the near- and mid-infrared via pseudomorphic growth on conventional GaAs substrates is appealing for a number of communications and sensing applications. We present a new class of GaAs-based quantum well (QW) heterostructure that exploits the unusual impact of Bi and N on the GaAs band structure to produce type-II QWs having long emission wavelengths with little or no net strain relative to GaAs, while also providing control over important laser loss processes. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the potential of GaAsBi/GaNAs type-II QWs on GaAs and show that this approach offers optical emission and absorption at wavelengths up to ~3 µm utilising strain-balanced structures, a first for GaAs-based QWs.

Optical gain in GaAsBi/GaAs quantum well diode lasers.

Electrically pumped GaAsBi/GaAs quantum well lasers are a promising new class of near-infrared devices where, by use of the unusual band structure properties of GaAsBi alloys, it is possible to suppress the dominant energy-consuming Auger recombination and inter-valence band absorption loss mechanisms, which greatly impact upon the device performance. Suppression of these loss mechanisms promises to lead to highly efficient, uncooled operation of telecommunications lasers, making GaAsBi system a strong candidate for the development of next-generation semiconductor lasers. In this report we present the first experimentally measured optical gain, absorption and spontaneous emission spectra for GaAsBi-based quantum well laser structures.