28 April 1997

PHYSICS

LETTERS

EISEVIER

Physics Letters A 229

( 1997) 49-52

Band-gap engineering of a Seth-squared potential in heterojunctions

B.Y. Tong , N. Kiriushcheva
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada N6A 3K7 Received 4 February 1997; accepted for publication 13 February Communicated by L.J. Sham 1997

Abstract It is suggested that a band-gap engineered to the shape of a Seth-squared potential can help in the accurate determination of band offsets in semiconductor heterojunctions, in separating conduction band carriers from valence band carriers, and is also useful in reducing noise in resonance tunneling and other devices. @ 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
PACS: 73.40.L; 73.90 Keywords: Band-gap engineering; GaAslGaAIAs; GaAslGaInAs Semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunction; Superlattice; Multi-layered quantum wells;

1. Introduction In the study of semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices, basic principles such as the affinity rule, the common anion rule, and the commutativity and transitivity rule, are good for guidance, but their quantitative predictions need to be checked by direct measurements [ 11. Analysis of the measured quantities also proves to be difficult sometimes. The reason is that it often involves many parameters, and is model dependent. Even fundamental band-structure quantities such as the conduction-band offset AE,, and the valence-band offset AE,, have eluded an accurate determination for a long time [ 23. Experimentalists have sought ways to reduce the number of parameters by controlling the band-edge discontinuity through the choice of materials used in the junction formation [ 31.

Here, we propose another method: band-gap engineering. With the present control of MBE, band-gaps can be tailored to any arbitrary shape in layered heterojunction semiconductor structures. Variation in the bandgap in going through the subsequent layers of the heterojunctions gives rise to one-dimensional ( 1-D) potentials to the scattering of carriers in the conduction band and in the valence band. In addition to the abrupt A-B-A square-well potentials, graded linear-sloped wells, saw-toothed wells, and even parabolic quantum wells have been successfully fabricated [ 4-61, Here, we suggest that a quantum-well of a Seth-squared potential (described in the next section) is to be engineered. If the shape is properly marched, the scattering states of this potential can be made perfectly transmitting for all energies, with the transmission coefficient T = 1. In most heterojunctions, the band offsets AE, and AE,, are different in magnitude. The Sech-

E-mail: bytong@julian.uwo.ca 03759601/97/$17.00 @ 1997 Published PIf SO375-9601(97)00168-O by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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B. E Tong, N. Kiriushche~u/Ph~sics

Letters

A 229

(1997)

49-52

squared potential can be engineered to match one of them. This serves to separate and select carriers in the conduction band or the valence band as desired. The I-D Seth-squared potential is one that has an exact analytic solution to the Schrodinger equation. Although this potential was known in the very early days of quantum mechanics, it did not attract much attention in real applications. A revival of interest in recent years was triggered when it appeared in the Schrodinger-like auxiliary equation to the KdV nonlinear equation. The perfectly transmitting solution of the Schrodinger-like auxiliary equation gives the existence condition of soliton solutions to the KdV equation [ 71. Properties of this potential relevant to the present problem will be summarized and discussed below. A more detailed account can be found in the literature [S-IO] and in an article to be published elsewhere [ II].

Fig. I. The Seth-squared defined at 0.42Lo.

potential

of depth Vf and width 2/a

where p = Sinh(rk/cu) Sin( 7rh)

(5)

2. The Seth-squared

potential equation [ 81

and

Consider the I-D Schrodinger

(6)
In ordinary 1-D potential scattering, as in the case of a square-well potential, among the continuum states (E > 0) we may have resonances. The resonances (also known as virtual states) are at discrete values of the energy with imaginary components associated with their lifetimes. A wave entering the potential at the resonance energy is bounced back and forth many times before emerging from the opposite side with perfect transmission: T = 1. A wave packet centered at the resonance energy is greatly distorted in shape while it is inside the well [ 121. The Seth-squared potential is different. If A in Eq. (3) is not an integer, all scattering states have T < 1. There are no resonance states. On the other hand, if h is an integer greater than 1, p2 is infinite in Eq. (5)) and T = I for all energies above zero. Every propagating wave entering this potential is totally transmitted. We call this a h-matched potential. A wave packet going through this potential is not slowed down. In fact, it travels slightly faster, and it disperses less even when it is compared with the same wave packet travelling in the absence of a potential, in free space. Details will be found in Ref. [ 1I].

with a Seth-squared about x = 0, V = -VeSech*(ax).

potential,

which is symmetric

(2)

The solution can be expressed in the simplest form if the depth of the well VOis written as

v, = 2ma*A(A -

fi

1).

(3)

The shape of the potential is controlled by the parameter (Y.At x = IIcy, V = -0.42OOVe (see Fig. 1). Thus, 2/a can also be interpreted as the width of the well at this depth. Mathematically speaking, the Seth-squared potential is a potential of infinite extent, i.e., it is zero only at x = *oo. In a practical sense, it is a fairly localized potential because Sech2 (ax) approaches zero very fast as exp(-2alx)). The analytic solution of this equation gives a transmission coefficient T,

T=L
I

t-p

(4)

B.Y Tong, N. Kiriushcheva/Physics

Letters A 229 (I 997) 49-52

51

3. Band-gap engineering In the following, we shall restrict the discussion for simplicity to junctions formed of two materials A and B with a component common to both. Examples are GaAs/GaAlAs, or GaAs/GaInAs. The positions of the conduction band edge and the valence band edge are controlled by the concentration n of the varying component, for example, Al in the GaAs/GaAlAs system, and In in the GaAs/GaInAs system. A typical square-well with abrupt junctions is characterized by 111- n2 -n] ) the contents of the varying component in the three A-B-A layers. At the abrupt junctions, conduction-hand offset is AE, and the valence-band offset is AE,. In general, the band offsets A EC and AE, are not equal. Suppose we are interested in engineering the energy band such that the carriers in the conduction band are perfectly transmitting. One way is to tailor the quantum well to the shape of a Seth-squared potential by varying n as a Seth-squared function from nt to n2 and back to nl. The depth VOis characterized by n2. In other words, V, is determined by the materials A and B chosen to form the potential. Here, VOof the Seth-squared well is identified with AE, of the corresponding A-B-A square-well. The Seth-squared potential becomes totally transmitting for all propagating carriers in the conduction band if we adjust the shape parameter ff until A in

AEc
A(A l) = (j32/2m)a2

is an integer greater than 1. For a given AE,, the thus found shape parameter cr is said to be A-matched. In order to tailor the potential properly, the width of the Seth-squared well 2/cz must be comfortably large, in the nanometer range. Take the example of a negative carrier of free electron mass passing through a Seth-squared well of depth AE, N 0.6 eV. The width is about 12.4 nm for A = 25. If we choose A = 2 for the same AE,, the width 2/(~ is 5.56 A, too small for band-gap engineering. Here, we assumed that the effective mass is one, but in most semiconductors used in fabrication of quantum wells, the effective mass of the conduction band is smaller than one. This means that for the same width, we can match AE, with a smaller A.

Often we do not know the exact value of AE, or AE, in the abrupt edge of a square-well. We can use A-matching band gap engineering to determine these values. For example, an estimate of AE, is taken from other sources. From this value, we calculate pairs of parameters LYand A. With a A-value appropriately chosen, we fabricate a Seth-squared potential well of width 2/a. By fine tuning the shape parameter (Yuntil T = 1 (or minimum transport resistance at a low applied field), the A-matched value of LY is thus obtained experimentally. The true AE, is then given by Eq. (7). There is some ambiguity in A because the difference in A(A - 1) with integer changes in A is large. The correct value can be picked out with the help of the already known estimate of AEC. AE, and AE, of the abrupt square-well are never exactly the same in the chosen pair of materials A and B. If the conduction band is tailored for (Yto match a particular A, the valence band cannot simultaneously be matched, that is, the valence band carriers in the valence band with the same cy (Eq. (7)) cannot be perfectly transmitting: T < 1 for the valence band carriers. Band-gap engineering of a Seth-squared potential provides a way of separating contributions from the two kinds of carriers: the conduction band carriers and the valence band carriers. This separation can be further enhanced if more than one Seth-squared potential is fabricated. The factor exp( -2~) in the potential describes how fast the potential approaches to 0. Numerical solution shows that the T = 1 property is well preserved for multiple Seth-squared wells if they are spaced wide enough, say at x > 51~~. For a chain of Seth-squared potentials irregularly spaced, the integer A-matched conduction band would remain perfectly transmitting, but scattering states in the valence band becomelocalized by disorder. Fabrication of irregular superlattices of the Seth-squared potential wells suppresses the contribution of carriers in one of the bands that are not matched. Such an arrangement can be used as a filter of the band carriers. Take a potential of special interest and sandwich it in-between two such irregularly spaced sequences of Seth-squared potentials. Noise is reduced when the latter are A-matched to suppress the undesirable band carriers. Probable applications are in the study of resonance scattering of a square-well, and in resonance tunneling devices.

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B. E Tong, N. Kiriushcheva/Physics Letters A 229 (1997) 49-52 [ 3 I A.D. Katnani, in: Heterojunction band discontinuities, eds. F. Capasso and G. Margaritondo (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987) p. 115. [4] F. Capasso, in: Heterojunction band discontinuities, eds. F. Capasso and G. Margaritondo (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987) p. 399. [ 51 R.C. Miller, A.C. Gossard, D.A. Kleinman and 0. Munteanu. Phys. Rev. B 29 (1984) 3740. [61 W.T. Masselink, Y.L. Sun, R. Fischer, Y.J. Drummond, Y.C. Chang, M.V. Klein and H. Morkog J. Vacuum Sci. Techn. B 2 (1984) 177. 171 C.S. Gardner, J.M. Greene, M.D. Kruskal and R.M. Miura, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 27 (1974) 97. [ 81 S. Fhigge, Practical quantum mechanics I (Springer, Berlin, 1971) p. 94. 191 PM. Morse and H. Feshbach, Methods of theoretical physics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1953) p. 766. [IO] L. Landau and E. Lifschitz, Quantum mechanics, nonrelativistic theory (Pergamon, Oxford, 1965) pp. 72, 80. [ I I ] N. Kiriushcheva and B.Y. Tong, to be published. [ 121 A. Goldberg, H.M. Schey and J.L. Schwartz, Am. J. Phys. 35 (1967) 177.

A further application of the h-matched Sechsquared quantum well is in fabrication of more efficient photodetectors [ 111.

Acknowledgement We would like to thank the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support, and Professors C.S. Ting, M. Singh, and A. Shik for discussions.

References
[ I ] J. Singh, Physics of semiconductors and their heterojunctions (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1993). 121 E Capasso and G. Mangaritondo, eds., Heterojunction band discontinuities (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987)