Lanthanide monopnictide and III-V semiconductor material platform for mid-infrared plasmonics
Date
2020
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Mid-infrared is a wavelength range of vital importance for both fundamental science and a wide range of applications, such as optical sensing, thermal signature detection and control. A mid-infrared plasmonic material will advance the development of many mid-infrared applications leveraging plasmonics and metamaterials. In this dissertation, we discuss the current challenges in searching for a mid-infrared plasmonic material which not only provide the ease to be integrated with the large set of photonic components in III-V photonic system, but also covers the technologically important 3-5 μm mid-wave infrared window, where there are few existing material candidates. To overcome such challenge, we propose the use of lanthanide monopnictide/III-V material platform. ☐ We use a co-deposition method via molecular beam epitaxy to grow films containing high concentrations of ErAs epitaxially embedded within the GaAs matrices. We demonstrate the plasma wavelength of these nanocomposite films can be tuned across 2.68μm-6μm by controlling the content of ErAs. The growth condition of ErAs:GaAs is less constrained than conventional materials. It is shown the scattering rate can be reduced by increasing the growth temperature. The wide growth window, designer plasmonic response, and the ease of epitaxial integration with other III–V semiconductor based devices demonstrate the potential of ErAs:GaAs nanocomposites as a novel mid-infrared plasmonic material. ☐ Besides embedding lanthanide monopnictide nanoinclusions in III-V matrices, this dissertation also explores the growth of lanthanide monopnictide films, i.e. TbAs films, on III-V substrates. The growth of high quality TbAs film is crucial not only for realizing its full potential for device applications, but also for further understanding of its fundamental properties. By suppressing the mis-oriented growth via controlling the strain dependent Ehrlich–Schwoebel barrier, improved growth of TbAs film is achieved. This leads to a threefold reduction in the scattering rate of TbAs film, which progresses the mid-IR plasmonic applications of TbAs. ☐ This dissertation studies and demonstrates the potential of lanthanide monopnictide/III-V as an alternative material platform for mid-infrared plasmonics. This material platform also offers the advantage of epitaxial and monolithic integration with state-of-the-art photonic and optoelectronic devices available in III-V semiconductor system. The lanthanide monopnictide/III-V material platform is promising for important mid-IR applications such as sensing, waveguiding, thermal detection and control, or as a building block to create a new type of metamaterial as well as many other novel applications.
Description
Keywords
Semiconductor, Lanthanide Monopnictide, Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Plasmonics, Rare-earth Pnictide