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Long-term stability of GaAs/AlAs terahertz quantum-cascade lasers
2022, Schrottke, L., Lü, X., Biermann, K., Gellie, P., Grahn, H.T.
We have investigated high-performance GaAs/AlAs terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) with respect to the long-term stability of their operating parameters. The output power of lasers that contain an additional, thick AlAs refractive-index contrast layer underneath the cascade structure decreases after three months by about 35%. The deterioration of these lasers is attributed to the oxidation processes in this contrast layer starting from the facets. However, GaAs/AlAs THz QCLs with an Al0.9Ga0.1As refractive-index contrast layer exhibit long-term stability of the operating parameters over many years even when they are exposed to atmospheric conditions. Therefore, these lasers are promising high-power radiation sources in the terahertz spectral region for commercial applications.
Spatially controlled epitaxial growth of 2D heterostructures via defect engineering using a focused He ion beam
2021, Heilmann, Martin, Deinhart, Victor, Tahraoui, Abbes, Höflich, Katja, Lopes, J. Marcelo J.
The combination of two-dimensional (2D) materials into heterostructures enables the formation of atomically thin devices with designed properties. To achieve a high-density, bottom-up integration, the growth of these 2D heterostructures via van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) is an attractive alternative to the currently mostly employed mechanical transfer, which is problematic in terms of scaling and reproducibility. Controlling the location of the nuclei formation remains a key challenge in vdWE. Here, a focused He ion beam is used to deterministically place defects in graphene substrates, which serve as preferential nucleation sites for the growth of insulating, 2D hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Therewith a mask-free, selective-area vdWE (SAvdWE) is demonstrated, in which nucleation yield and crystal quality of h-BN are controlled by the ion beam parameters used for defect formation. Moreover, h-BN grown via SAvdWE is shown to exhibit electron tunneling characteristics comparable to those of mechanically transferred layers, thereby lying the foundation for a reliable, high-density array fabrication of 2D heterostructures for device integration via defect engineering in 2D substrates.