Group III-nitride excitonic heterostructures
View Patent ↗A device includes a substrate, and a plurality of structures supported by the substrate, each structure of the plurality of structures including a Group III-nitride base, first and second Group III-nitride charge carrier injection layers supported by the Group III-nitride base, and a quantum heterostructure disposed between the first and second charge carrier injection layers. The quantum hetero structure includes a pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers, and a Group III-nitride active layer disposed between the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers. The Group III-nitride active layer has a thickness for quantum confinement of charge carriers. At least one of the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers has a nitride surface adjacent to the Group III-nitride active layer.
1 . A device comprising:
a substrate; and
a plurality of nanostructures supported by the substrate, each nanostructure of the plurality of nanostructures comprising a Group III-nitride base, first and second Group III-nitride charge carrier injection layers supported by the Group III-nitride base, and an excitonic quantum heterostructure disposed between the first and second charge carrier injection layers;
wherein:
the excitonic quantum heterostructure comprises a pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers, and a Group III-nitride active layer disposed between the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers,
the Group III-nitride active layer has a thickness for quantum confinement of charge carriers such that the Group III-nitride active layer is configured as a quantum disk,
at least one of the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers has a nitride surface adjacent to the Group III-nitride active layer, and
the thickness of the Group III-nitride active layer is configured for excitonic charge carrier recombination.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the nitride surface is free of a Group III element of which the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers are composed.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the Group III-nitride active layer corresponds with a monolayer of a Group III-nitride material of which the Group III-nitride active layer is composed.
4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the Group III-nitride active layer corresponds with a bilayer of a Group III-nitride material of which the Group III-nitride active layer is composed.
5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the Group III-nitride active layer has a countable number of monolayers of a Group III-nitride material of which the Group III-nitride active layer is composed.
6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the excitonic quantum heterostructure further comprises:
a further Group III-nitride barrier layer; and
a further Group III-nitride active layer disposed between the further Group III-nitride barrier layer and one of the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers.
7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each Group III-nitride barrier layer of the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers has a thickness that corresponds with a countable number of monolayers of a Group III-nitride material of which the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers is composed.
8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the Group III-nitride active layer comprises gallium nitride.
9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of Group III-nitride barrier layers comprise aluminum nitride.
10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second Group III-nitride charge carrier injection layers comprise silicon-doped aluminum nitride and magnesium-doped aluminum nitride, respectively.
11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the Group III-nitride base comprises gallium nitride.
12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein each nanostructure of the plurality of nanostructures comprises a nanowire oriented perpendicularly to the substrate.
13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises silicon.