Scanning Voltage Microscopy on Buried Heterostructure Multiquantum-Well Lasers: Identification of a Diode Current Leakage Path

Ban, Dayan; Sargent, Edward H.; Dixon‐Warren, St. J.; Letal, G.; Hinzer, Karin; White, J.K.; Knight, D.G.

doi:10.1109/jqe.2003.821539

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…74 Figure 26 shows a schematic diagram of the transverse cross-section of the BH laser and the possible leakage current paths. 75 Investigations based on a simplified equivalent electrical circuit calculation show that the connection width (W c ), as defined in Figure 26, plays a key role in determining the current leakage. 73 Depletion regions between p-and n-doped InP layers near the active region-thyristor interface are crucial in funneling current into the active region.…”

Section: Buried Heterostructure Breakdownmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Electrical Scanning Probe Microscopy: Investigating the Inner Workings of Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices

Kuntze

Ban

Sargent

et al. 2005

Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic devices such as transistors, lasers, modulators, and detectors are critical to the contemporary computing and communications infrastructure. These devices have been optimized for efficiency in power consumption and speed of response. There are gaps in the detailed understanding of the internal operation of these devices. Experimental electrical and optical methods have allowed comprehensive elaboration of input-output characteristics, but do not give spatially resolved information about currents, carriers, and potentials on the nanometer scale relevant to quantum heterostructure device operation. In response, electrical scanning probe techniques have been developed and deployed to observe experimentally, with nanometric spatial resolution, two-dimensional profiles of the electrical resistance, capacitance, potential, and free carrier distribution, within actively driven devices. Experimental configurations for the most prevalent electrical probing techniques based on atomic force microscopy are illustrated with considerations for practical implementation. Interpretation of the measured quantities are presented and calibrated, demonstrating that internal quantities of device operation can be uncovered. Several application areas are examined: spreading resistance and capacitance characterization of free carriers in III-V device structures; acquisition of electric potential and field distributions of semiconductor lasers, nanocrystals, and thin films; scanning voltage analysis on diode lasers-the direct observation of the internal manifestations of current blocking breakdown in a buried heterostructure laser, the effect of current spreading inside actively biased ridge waveguide lasers, anomalously high series resistance encountered in ridge lasers-as well as in CMOS transistors; and free-carrier measurement of working lasers with scanning differential spreading techniques. Applications to emerging fields of nanotechnology and nanoelectronics are suggested.

show abstract

Section: Buried Heterostructure Breakdownmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…72,82 SVM is a failure analysis tool, able to pinpoint causes of device failure. 75 reverse engineering tool, illuminating device structure and active behavior. 14,24 SVM is a development tool, used in conjunction with other analysis techniques such as SDSRM.…”

Section: Summary and Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical Scanning Probe Microscopy: Investigating the Inner Workings of Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices

Kuntze

Ban

Sargent

et al. 2005

Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Scanning voltage microscopy (SVM) was therefore performed on the BH laser. Details of the experimental setup and measurement can be found in Ref [33,34]. Fig.6 shows a 2D voltage profile acquired under a dc forward bias of 0.845 V, which results in a current of 10.55 mA (above lasing threshold).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct observation of electron overbarrier leakage in actively driven buried heterostructure multi-quantum-well lasers

2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have developed a new scanning probe microscopy -based technique, scanning differential spreading resistance microscopy (SDSRM) and applied it to profile the free carrier distribution inside operating optoelectronic devices. The results of our SDSRM study of multi-quantum-well (MQW) buried heterostructure (BH) lasers under zero and forward biases are presented. SDSRM scans with high spatial resolution over the MQW active region of a BH laser yielded quantum-well-resolving differential spreading resistance measurements. The SDSRM results show the changes of internal carrier distribution within the MQW active region in BH lasers upon the application of forward biases. In combination with scanning voltage microscopy results, the SDSRM measurements provide direct experimental evidence of electron overbarrier leakage due to heterobarrier lowering, which has been speculated in theoretical modelings. Our results demonstrate the strength of SDSRM in probing the inner workings of operating quantum optoelectronic devices on nanometer scale, in which conventional analytical techniques such as secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM), and electron beam induced current microscopy can either apply only to devices under zero bias or provide only qualitative pictures.

show abstract

“…SVM, also called nanopotentiometry, is the most advanced technique of the AFM‐based methods that can directly measure the voltage change or electric field distribution from the cross‐section of a fully operating nanodevice with high spatial resolution (Ban et al ., ,b; Trenkler et al ., ). In this SVM measurement technique, the device needs to be operating with bias applied directly to the device and current–voltage (IV) can also be measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is a nanoscopic probing measurement in which the AFM probe measures the potential of each data point inside a given semiconductor resulting in internal potential distribution as a form of voltage mapping of the scanned area. From this mapping the local potential properties, such as electric field distribution due to dynamic carriers, in the semiconductor device is acquired without destroying the operating device (Ban et al ., ; Ban et al ., ,b; Dhar et al ., ,b). SVM has been successfully used to image the quantum structures on the nanometer scale device and also to resolve and measure inner workings such as voltage profiles, electric fields and their carrier distribution and in some instances also estimate the dynamic carrier concentration in operating III–V material‐based nanodevices (Ban et al ., ,b; Dhar et al ., ,b; Dhar et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoscopic voltage distribution of operating cascade laser devices in cryogenic temperature

Dhar

Ban

2015

Journal of Microscopy

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A nanoscopic exploratory measurement technique to measure voltage distribution across an operating semiconductor device in cryogenic temperature has been developed and established. The cross-section surface of the terahertz (THz) quantum cascade laser (QCL) has been measured that resolves the voltage distribution at nanometer scales. The electric field dissemination across the active region of the device has been attained under the device's lasing conditions at cryogenic temperature of 77 K.

show abstract

Scanning Voltage Microscopy on Buried Heterostructure Multiquantum-Well Lasers: Identification of a Diode Current Leakage Path

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Electrical Scanning Probe Microscopy: Investigating the Inner Workings of Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices

Electrical Scanning Probe Microscopy: Investigating the Inner Workings of Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices

Direct observation of electron overbarrier leakage in actively driven buried heterostructure multi-quantum-well lasers

Nanoscopic voltage distribution of operating cascade laser devices in cryogenic temperature

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About