Investigation of photon and photocarrier diffusion in In0.53Ga0.47As layerusing microluminescence

Microluminescence (ML) technique has been used to investigate photon and ph otocarrier diffusion in a nominally undoped InGaAs bulk layer lattice match ed to InP grown by Vapor Leviation Epitaxy (VLE). The ML technique is based on the spatial analysis of a magnified luminescent region and does not req uire electric contacts or special sample-growth geometry. Measurements take n at room temperature indicate the presence of two distinct contributions t o the local luminescence intensity (p). Near the laser spot, carrier diffus ion dominates while, at the border of the luminescent region, photon diffus ion dominates. The values we found for the photon diffusion length and phot ocarrier diffusion length, in the In0.53Ga0.47As bulk layer, were on the or der of 1000 mu m and 137 mu m, respectively, being one the highest values f ound in the literature. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.