SPECTROSCOPY OF GAAS ALGAAS MICROSTRUCTURES WITH SUBMICRON SPATIAL-RESOLUTION RISING A NEAR-FIELD SCANNING OPTICAL MICROSCOPE/

A near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM), which we built, is us ed to investigate 1-5-mu m wide stripes with a 10-nm thick layer-a qua ntum well - on a GaAs surface. A map of the photoluminescence intensit y is obtained synchronously with the topographic profile of the struct ures. The measured spatial distribution of the photoluminescence inten sity is described satisfactorily in a model that takes into account ca rrier diffusion in the layer and the existence of a region with a shor t carrier lifetime near the side boundaries of the layer. (C) 1996 Ame rican Institute of Physics.