THE NATURE OF THE DEEP LEVELS RESPONSIBLE FOR PHOTOELECTRIC MEMORY INGAAS ALGAAS MULTILAYER QUANTUM-WELL STRUCTURES/

The electron capture parameters and photoionization cross section of t he unintentional deep levels, which are responsible for photoelectrica l memory in GaAs/AlGaAs multilayer quantum-well structures, have been found from an analysis of the kinetics of the excess current during an d after optical illumination of these structures. The dependence of th e photoionization cross section on the photon energy, the capture cros s section, and the energy barrier for capture of an electron from the bottom of the conduction band indicate that the unintentional deep lev els are DX centers formed by the silicon impurity. These DX centers pr obably appear during growth of the structures as a result of silicon d iffusion from the quantum wells along as-grown defects. Fax: (383-2) 3 5-08-58 (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7826(98)01610-X ].