Optoelectronics applications

Kumaresan, R Babu, S.M. Anbarasan, P.M. 2007. Effect of irradiation of swift heavy ions on dyes doped potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals for laser applications. Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, Rapid Communications, 1(4) 152-157. 

Many complex systems have been spread on liquid interfaces for a variety of reasons. We begin this chapter with a discussion of the behavior of synthetic polymers at the liquid-air interface. Most of these systems are linear macromolecules however, rigid-rod polymers and more complex structures are of interest for potential optoelectronic applications. Biological macromolecules are spread at the liquid-vapor interface to fabricate sensors and other biomedical devices. In addition, the study of proteins at the air-water interface yields important information on enzymatic recognition, and membrane protein behavior. We touch on other biological systems, namely, phospholipids and cholesterol monolayers. These systems are so widely and routinely studied these days that they were also mentioned in some detail in Chapter IV. The closely related matter of bilayers and vesicles is also briefly addressed. 

Applications of nltrafast laser teclmiqnes for studies in solids, optoelectronics, condensed phase, and in biological systems. 

The importance of laser light, in brief, is tliat its base characteristics, coherence, spectral and polarization purity, and high brilliance allow us to manipulate its properties. Gain switching [i, 10] and mode locking [16] are prime examples of our ability to very specifically control tire laser output. It is easy to see why lasers are tire ideal sources for optoelectronic applications. 

Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications of TeUurides. Most metal teUurides are semiconductors with a large range of energy gaps and can be used in a variety of electrical and optoelectronic devices. AUoys of the form HgCdTe and PbSnTe have been used as infrared detectors and CdTe has been employed as a gamma ray detector and is also a promising candidate material for a thin-fUm solar ceU. 

Cathodoluminescence microscopy and spectroscopy techniques are powerful tools for analyzing the spatial uniformity of stresses in mismatched heterostructures, such as GaAs/Si and GaAs/InP. The stresses in such systems are due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the epitaxial layer and the substrate. The presence of stress in the epitaxial layer leads to the modification of the band structure, and thus affects its electronic properties it also can cause the migration of dislocations, which may lead to the degradation of optoelectronic devices based on such mismatched heterostructures. This application employs low-temperature (preferably liquid-helium) CL microscopy and spectroscopy in conjunction with the known behavior of the optical transitions in the presence of stress to analyze the spatial uniformity of stress in GaAs epitaxial layers. This analysis can reveal,... 

XPS has been used in almost every area in which the properties of surfaces are important. The most prominent areas can be deduced from conferences on surface analysis, especially from ECASIA, which is held every two years. These areas are adhesion, biomaterials, catalysis, ceramics and glasses, corrosion, environmental problems, magnetic materials, metals, micro- and optoelectronics, nanomaterials, polymers and composite materials, superconductors, thin films and coatings, and tribology and wear. The contributions to these conferences are also representative of actual surface-analytical problems and studies [2.33 a,b]. A few examples from the areas mentioned above are given below more comprehensive discussions of the applications of XPS are given elsewhere [1.1,1.3-1.9, 2.34—2.39]. 

Laterally inhomogeneous films and patterned structures of microelectronic and optoelectronic applications require small measuring spots. Today s measurements in 50 pm X 50 pm areas are standard for p-spot spectroscopic ellipsometers used in fa-blines. Areas more than ten times smaller can be analyzed by use of discrete-wave-length ellipsometers equipped with laser-light sources. 

A new chapter in the uses of semiconductors arrived with a theoretical paper by two physicists working at IBM s research laboratory in New York State, L. Esaki (a Japanese immigrant who has since returned to Japan) and R. Tsu (Esaki and Tsu 1970). They predicted that in a fine multilayer structure of two distinct semiconductors (or of a semiconductor and an insulator) tunnelling between quantum wells becomes important and a superlattice with minibands and mini (energy) gaps is formed. Three years later, Esaki and Tsu proved their concept experimentally. Another name used for such a superlattice is confined heterostructure . This concept was to prove so fruitful in the emerging field of optoelectronics (the merging of optics with electronics) that a Nobel Prize followed in due course. The central application of these superlattices eventually turned out to be a tunable laser. 

Crystal growth has, apart from its basic surface science interest, important applications in technology for instance in microelectronics, optoelectronics, recording... However, even the simplest case of homoepitaxy is not perfectly understood. In particular, growth on FCC (111) transition metal surfaces raises some interesting questions. 

The compounds K5Nb3OFi8 and Rb5Nb3OFi8 display promising properties for their application in electronics and optics. The compounds can be used as piezoelectric and pyroelectric elements due to sufficient piezo- and pyroelectric coefficients coupled with very low dielectric permittivity. In addition, the materials can successfully be applied in optic and optoelectronic systems due to their wide transparency range. High transparency in the ultraviolet region enables use of the materials as multipliers of laser radiation frequencies up to the second, and even fourth optical harmonic generation. 

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has grown very rapidly in the last twenty years and applications of this fabrication process are now key elements in many industrial products, such as semiconductors, optoelectronics, optics, cutting tools, refractory fibers, filters and many others. CVD is no longer a laboratory curiosity but a maj or technology on par with other maj or technological disciplines such as electrodeposition, powder metallurgy, or conventional ceramic processing. 

The author is fortunate to have the opportunity, as a consultant, to review and study CVD processes, equipment, materials and applications for a wide cross-section of the industry, in the fields of optics, optoelectronics, metallurgy and others. He is in a position to retain an overall viewpoint difficult to obtain otherwise. 

The third part identifies and describes the present and potential applications of CVD in semiconductors and electronics, in optics and optoelectronics, in the coating of tools, bearings and other wear- and corrosion-resistant products, and in the automobile, aerospace, and other major industries. 

Chemical vapor deposition (C VD) is a versatile process suitable for the manufacturing of coatings, powders, fibers, and monolithic components. With CVD, it is possible to produce most metals, many nonmetallic elements such as carbon and silicon as well as a large number of compounds including carbides, nitrides, oxides, intermetallics, and many others. This technology is now an essential factor in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic components, in the coating of tools, bearings, and other wear-resistant parts and in many optical, optoelectronic and corrosion applications. The market for CVD products in the U.S. and abroad is expected to reach several billions dollars by the end of the century. 

Metallo-organic CVD (MOCVD) is major area of CVD which is rapidly growing, particularly in semiconductor and optoelectronic applications. It is treated separately in Ch. 4. 

Coatings are used on a large scale in many production applications in optics, electronics, optoelectronics, tools, wear, and erosion and others. In the case of electronics and optoelectronics, practically all CVD applications are in the form of coatings. 

The present chapter deals with the CVD of metals and some metal alloys and intermetallics. The metals are listed alphabetically. The range of applications is extensive as many of these materials play an important part in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in optoelectronic and optical applications, in corrosion protection, and in the design of structural parts. These applications are reviewed in greater depth in Chs. 13 to 19. 

The III-V and II-VI compounds refer to combination of elements that have two, three, five, or six valence electrons. They have semiconductor properties and are all produced by CVD either experimentally or in production. The CVD of these materials is reviewed in Ch. 12. Many of their applications are found in optoelectronics where they are used instead of silicon, since they have excellent optical properties (see Ch. 15). Generally silicon is not a satisfactory optical material, since it emits and absorbs radiation mostly in the range of heat instead of light. 

For all its advantages, gallium arsenide has yet to be used on any large scale, at least outside optoelectronic applications. The reasons are cost (over ten times that of silicon), small wafer size, low thermal conductivity (1/3 that of silicon), and low strength. 

The many possible combinations of II-V and II-VI compounds allow the tailoring of electronic and opto-electronic properties to suit specific applications. Of particular importance is the control of the stoichiometry of the element involved. This is achieved by the proper handling of the MOCVD reactions. Being able to tailor the bandgap imparts great flexibility in the design of transistors and optoelectronic devices. 

Optoelectronics is a relatively new and fast-growing industry with many applications. Thin-film processes, such as reactive sputtering, molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), and particularly MOCVD, play a major part in their production. Equipment and materials are similar to those used in the semiconductor industry and many companies manufacture both types of products. In fact the distinction between the two areas is often blurred. Statistics generally do not single out optoelectronics as such and, for that reason, it is difficult to define the scope of the industry accurately. 

Silicon is not as prominent a material in optoelectronics as it is in purely electronic applications, since its optical properties are limited. Yet it finds use as a photodetector with a response time in the nanosecond range and a spectral response band from 0.4 to 1.1 im, which matches the 0.905 im photoemission line of gallium arsenide. Silicon is transparent beyond 1.1 im and experiments have shown that a red light can be produced by shining an unfocused green laser beam on a specially prepared ultrathin crystal-silicon slice.CVD may prove useful in preparing such a material. 

The m-V and II-VI semiconductor compounds have excellent optical properties and are the most important group of optoelectronic materials, which are all produced by CVD for many optoelectronic applications. The properties of these materials and their CVD reactions are reviewed in Ch. 12, Secs. 3.0 and 4.0 and Ch. 13, Sec. 6.0. It is possible to tailor the bandgap, by the proper combination of these materials, to suit any given application (See Fig. 13.2 of Ch. 13). 

Optoelectronic devices are found in numerous consumer products such as television, compact-disk players, laser communications, laser printers, radar detectors, cellular telephones, direct-broad-cast television, and many others. Many of these applications were developed in Japan and that country is still prominent in the field. 

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