OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GAAS ALGAAS QUANTUM-WELL WIRES FABRICATEDUSING ARSENIC IMPLANTATION-INDUCED INTERMIXING/

We report the fabrication of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well wires using impl antation of As at 45 keV to induce quantum well intermixing. The inter mixing process was first characterized giving optimized annealing para meters of 875 degrees C for 30 s and an implantation dose of 1x10(13) cm(-2). Win widths from 35 to 1000 nm were defined using e-beam lithog raphy followed by lift-off. Photoluminescence spectra from the lateral wells and barriers were observed from samples with wires as narrow as 50 nm. The energies of the lateral wells were found to remain constan t for wire widths between 1000 and 150 nm, and start to shift signific antly towards high energy for 80 nm wires, the signal from the lateral well eventually merging with that from the lateral barrier for 35 nm wires. An intermixing radius of about 17 nm was estimated for the proc ess. Photoreflectance measurements were also carried out on these wire samples, showing that the wires appear to have a parabolic lateral po tential and clear interwire coupling was observed from samples with ba rriers narrower than 50 nm. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.