Piezo-phototronics in quantum well structures

Abstract

Quantum well (QW) structures are formed in nanometer-thickness-scale semiconductors with different bandgaps in sandwiched configurations and can offer a wide variety of advantages as active layers for optoelectronic devices, e.g., laser diodes, light emit diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells. Due to the non-centrosymmetric crystal structure, the third-generation semiconductor, such as ZnO, AlN, GaN, and InN, can generate a piezopotential within the crystal by applying an external or internal strain and lead to an effective modulation of the optoelectronic device performance, which is also called piezo-phototronics. With reducing the feature size of materials into several tens of nanometers (e.g., forming QW structures), the multiway coupling effects of quantum physics and piezo-phototronics (coupling with piezoelectricity, photoexcitation, and semiconductor properties) make this research topic more attractive and open a new window for fabricating advanced intelligent optoelectronic devices. This Perspective reviews the recent advances of piezo-phototronics in QW structures, including the fundamental theories and device performance enhancements, and aims to offer a summary and outlook for future research directions and practical applications of piezo-phototronic QW devices.

On the Piezophototronic Effect in Heterojunction Photodiode with Type‐II Energy Band: Theoretical Model for Anisotype Heterojunction

“…[ 32 ] Wang et al conducted a theoretical study of the piezoelectric properties of p–n junction based on the piezoelectric linear equation, [ 33 ] examining the piezoelectric properties of p–n junction in the case of continuous doping. [ 34 ] Additionally, there are also theories of solar cells, [ 35,36 ] LEDs, [ 37 ] quantum wells, [ 38 ] and other device structures. [ 32 ] These theoretical calculations and numerical modeling help to understand the basic physics of the piezophototronic effect and provide guidance for device design.…”

Intramolecularly Stabilized o-Carboranyl Aluminum Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and X-ray Structural Studies

“…Recently, interest in aluminum nitride (AlN) [13], a form in which aluminum and nitrogen are combined, has been on the rise due to AlN being one of the few materials with both a wide direct bandgap and large thermal conductivity [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Group 13 metal nitrides are commonly used in optoelectronics [21][22][23][24][25][26], as well as in high-power and high-frequency electronics [27][28][29][30][31], owing to their small atomic mass, strong interatomic bonds, and simple crystal structure [32]. In particular, from among group 13 metal nitrides, AlN has the highest thermal conductivity and demonstrates the most effective dissipation of heat from a wide variety of power and radio frequency electronics [27][28][29][30][31].…”