arXiv subjects

Wolfgang Stolz

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Stolz.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Robust coherent phonon mode at GaP/Si(001) heterointerface

Lattice-matched GaP layers without extended defects can be grown on Si(001) substrate via a two-step growth procedure, consisting of low-temperature nucleation followed by high-temperature overgrowth. A transient reflectivity experiment on a thin, low-temperature nucleation layer discovered a previously unknown phonon mode at 2 THz upon below-bandgap optical excitation (Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2025, 2400573). Here we examine the influence of the two-step growth process on the ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics of the GaP/Si interface. We find that the discrete electronic state, which governed the interfacial carrier dynamics of the thin nucleation layer, becomes suppressed when a thicker layer is formed by high-temperature overgrowth. The coherent 2-THz oscillation is observed also in the high-temperature overgrown structures, at the constant frequency regardless of the GaP layer thickness. Its resonance behavior closely follows that of the carrier dynamics at the respective growth stage. This supports its assignment to a phonon mode generated at the heterointerface and strongly coupled to the interfacial carriers. The phonon amplitude exhibits a non-monotonic dependence on the GaP layer thickness, and its optical polarization-dependence is qualitatively altered by the high-temperature overgrowth, neither of which is accounted for by the carrier-phonon coupling alone. Our results demonstrate that the 2-THz interfacial phonon mode is robust against high-temperature overgrowth, while its amplitude is determined by both coupling to interfacial electronic transitions and atomic-scale structural reorganization at the interface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Direct Epitaxial Growth and Deterministic Device Integration of high-quality Telecom O-Band InGaAs Quantum Dots on Silicon Substrate

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are key building blocks for photonic quantum technologies, enabling practical sources of non-classical light. A central challenge for scalable integration is the direct epitaxial growth of high-quality emitters on industry-compatible silicon platforms. Furthermore, for long-distance fiber-based quantum communication, emission in the telecom O- or C-band is essential. Here, we demonstrate the direct growth of high-quality InGaAs/GaAs QDs emitting in the telecom O-band using a strain-reducing layer approach on silicon. Deterministic integration of individual QDs into circular Bragg grating resonators is achieved via in-situ electron-beam lithography. The resulting devices exhibit strong out-coupling enhancement, with photon extraction efficiencies up to $(40 \pm 2)\%$, in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. These results highlight the high material quality of both the epitaxial platform and the photonic nanostructure, as well as the precise lateral positioning of the emitter within 20~nm of the resonator center. At cryogenic temperature (4~K) and low excitation power ($0.027\times P_\text{sat}$), the devices show excellent single-photon purity, exceeding 99\%. Operation at elevated temperatures of 40~K and 77~K, compatible with compact Stirling cryo-coolers and liquid-nitrogen cooling, reveals robust performance, with single-photon purity maintained at $(88.4 \pm 0.6)\%$ at 77~K. These results demonstrate a practical and scalable route toward silicon-based quantum light sources and provide a promising path for cost-effective fabrication and seamless integration of quantum photonics with classical electronics, representing an important step toward large-scale, chip-based quantum information systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

High-quality single InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot growth on a CMOS-compatible silicon substrate for quantum photonic applications

We present the direct heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality InGaAs quantum dots on silicon, enabling scalable, cost-effective quantum photonics devices compatible with CMOS technology. GaAs heterostructures are grown on silicon via a GaP buffer and defect-reducing layers. These epitaxial quantum dots exhibit optical properties akin to those on traditional GaAs substrates, promising vast potential for the heteroepitaxy approach. They demonstrate strong multi-photon suppression with $g^{(2)}(τ)=(3.7\pm 0.2) \times 10^{-2}$ and high photon indistinguishability $V=(66\pm 19)$% under non-resonance excitation. We achieve up to ($18\pm 1$)% photon extraction efficiency with a backside distributed Bragg mirror, marking a crucial step toward silicon-based quantum nanophotonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Strongly coupled interface electronic states and interface phonon mode at GaP/Si(001)

Ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics at the buried heterointerface of GaP/Si(001) are investigated by means of two-color pump-probe reflectivity measurements. The carrier-induced reflectivity signal exhibits a resonant enhancement at pump-photon energies of 1.4 eV, which can be assigned to an optical transition between electronic interface states. The transient reflectivity is modulated by a coherent oscillation at 2 THz, whose amplitude also becomes maximum at 1.4 eV. The observed resonant behavior of the phonon mode in combination with a characteristic wavelength-dependence of, both, its frequency and initial phase, strongly indicate that the 2-THz mode is a difference-combination mode of a GaP-like and a Si-like phonon at the heterointerface and that this second-order scattering process can be enhanced by a double resonance involving the interfacial electronic states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Separation of interface and substrate carrier dynamics at a heterointerface based on coherent optical phonons

Transient reflectivity spectroscopy is widely used to study ultrafast carrier- and phonon-dynamics in semiconductors. In their heterostructures, it is often not straightforward to distinguish contributions to the signal from the various layers. In this work, we perform transient reflectivity measurements on lattice-matched GaP/Si(001) using a near infrared pulse, to which GaP is transparent. The pump laser pulse can generate coherent longitudinal optical (LO) phonons both in the GaP overlayer as well as in the Si substrate which have distinct frequencies. This enables us to track the amplitude of the respective signal contributions as a function of GaP layer thickness $d$. The Si phonon amplitude in the signal exhibits an oscillatory behavior with increasing $d$. This can be quantitatively explained by the interference of the probe light reflected at the air/GaP/Si heterointerface. Based on this knowledge, we can then separate the interface- and the substrate-contributions in the carrier-induced non-oscillatory transient reflectivity signal. The obtained interface signal provides evidence for ultrafast carrier injection from the Si substrate into the GaP overlayer. This is also corroborated by examining the deviation of the polarization-dependence of the GaP coherent optical phonon signal from that of the bulk semiconductor.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Two-chip power-scalable THz-generating semiconductor disk laser

We demonstrate a compact two-chip terahertz-emitting vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (TECSEL) source, which provides 1-THz output based on intracavity frequency conversion of dual-wavelength emission in a periodically-poled lithium niobate crystal. The type-I frequency conversion scheme at room temperature highly benefits from the power-scaling possibilities in a multichip cavity with intracavity powers in excess of 500 W.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Low-threshold operation of GaAs-based (GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb)/(GaIn)As W-quantum well lasers emitting in the O-band

The influence of the growth conditions as well as the device design on the device performance of (GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb)/(GaIn)As "W"-quantum well lasers is investigated. To this purpose, the epitaxy process is scaled to full two inch substrates for improved homogeneity while the growth process is carried out in a single run for an improved quality. Furthermore, the optical confinement factor is increased by increasing the aluminum concentration within the cladding layers to a value of 65%. The procedure is carried out for devices with emission wavelengths of 1.26 micrometer as well as 1.30 micrometer. Differential efficiencies as high as 58% and threshold current densities as low as 0.16 kA/cm^2 are observed in case of devices emitting at 1.26 micrometer at room temperature. Furthermore, excellent characteristic temperatures of T_0=(72 plus minus 5)K and T_1=(293 plus minus 16) K are recorded in the temperature range between 10 degree Celsius and 100 degree Celsius. Devices emitting at 1.30 micrometer exhibit differential efficiencies of 31% and threshold current densities of 0.50 kA/cm^2 at room temperature. Further improvements of these properties and wavelength extension schemes are briefly discssused.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Frequency-modulated comb in a VECSEL

Optical frequency combs based on mode-locked lasers have revolutionized many areas of science and technology, such as precision metrology, optical frequency synthesis or telecommunications. In recent years, a particular kind of frequency comb has been observed in edge-emitting semiconductor lasers where the phase difference between longitudinal laser modes is fixed but not zero. This results in a linearly chirped output in the time domain with nearly constant intensity. Here, by using coherent beatnote spectroscopy, we show that such a comb regime can also exist in vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs), as evidenced for a specific part of the laser spectrum. Our findings may not only lead to a better understanding of the physics of frequency-modulated combs but also enable comb applications with high optical power per comb line and flexible emission wavelengths.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Temperature-dependent spectral properties of (GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb)/(GaIn)As W-quantum well heterostructure lasers

This paper discusses the temperature-dependent properties of (GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb)/(GaIn)As W-quantum well heterostructures for laser applications based on theoretical modeling as well as experimental findings. A microscopic theory is applied to discuss band bending effects giving rise to the characteristic blue shift with increasing charge carrier density observed in type-II heterostructures. Furthermore, gain spectra for a W-quantum well heterostructure are calculated up to high charge carrier densities. At these high charge carrier densities, the interplay between multiple type-II transitions results in broad and flat gain spectra with a spectral width of approximately 160 nm. Furthermore, the temperature-dependent properties of broad-area edge-emitting lasers are analyzed using electroluminescence as well as laser characteristic measurements. A first indication for the theoretically predicted broad gain spectra is presented and the interplay between the temperature-dependent red shift and the charge carrier density-dependent blue shift is discussed. A combination of these effects results in a significant reduction of the temperature-induced red shift of the emission wavelengths and even negative shift rates of (-0.10 plusminus 0.04) nm/K are achieved.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Performance characteristics of low threshold current 1.25-μm type-II GaInAs/GaAsSb W-lasers for optical communications

Type-II W-lasers have made an important contribution to the development of mid-infrared laser diodes. In this paper, we show that a similar approach can yield high performance lasers in the optical communications wavelength range. (GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb) type-II W structures emitting at 1255 nm have been realised on a GaAs substrate and exhibit low room temperature threshold current densities of 200-300 Acm$^{-2}$, pulsed output powers exceeding 1 W for 100 $μ$m wide stripes, and a characteristic temperature T${_0}$${\approx}$90 K around room temperature. Optical gain studies indicate a high modal gain around 15-23 cm$^{-1}$ at 200-300 Acm$^{-2}$ and low optical losses of 8 ${\pm}$ 3 cm$^{-1}$. Analysis of the spontaneous emission indicates that at room temperature, up to 24% of the threshold current is due to radiative recombination, with the remaining current due to other thermally activated non-radiative processes. The observed decrease in differential quantum efficiency with increasing temperature suggests that this is primarily due to a carrier leakage process. The impact of these processes is discussed in terms of the potential for further device optimisation. Our results present strong figures of merit for near-infrared type-II laser diodes and indicate significant potential for their applications in optical communications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

The influence of growth interruption on the luminescence properties of Ga(As,Sb)-based type II heterostructures

The influence of growth interruption on the luminescence properties of the Ga(As,Sb)/GaAs interface have been studied by continous wave and time resolved photoluminescence spectrosocopy in type II Ga(As,Sb)/GaAs/(Ga,In)As double quantum well structures. A specific highly selective etching technique in combination with atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to analyse the morphology of the Ga(As,Sb) interface layers. The type II charge transfer recombination has been used as sensitive probe. It was found, that highest luminescence quantum efficiency can be achieved using a 10s growth interruption applying a stabilization using both precursor sources for the anion sublattice.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Coherent optical and acoustic phonons generated at lattice-matched GaP/Si(001) heterointerfaces

Thin GaP films can be grown on an exact Si(001) substrate with nearly perfect lattice match. We perform all-optical pump-probe measurements to investigate the ultrafast electron-phonon coupling at the buried interface of GaP/Si. Above-bandgap excitation with a femtosecond laser pulse can induce coherent longitudinal optical (LO) phonons both in the GaP opverlayer and in the Si substrate. The coupling of the GaP LO phonons with photoexcited plasma is reduced significantly with decreasing the GaP layer thickness from 56 to 16 nm due to the quasi-two-dimensional confinement of the plasma. The same laser pulse can also generate coherent longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons in the form of a strain pulse. The strain induces not only a periodic modulation in the optical reflectivity as they propagate in the semiconductors, but also a sharp spike when it arrives at the GaP layer boundaries. The acoustic pulse induced at the GaP/Si interface is remarkably stronger than that at the Si surface, suggesting a possible application of the GaP/Si heterostructure as an opto-acoustic transducer. The amplitude and the phase of the reflectivity modulation varies with the GaP layer thickness, which can be understood in terms of the interference caused by the multiple acoustic pulses generated at the top surface and at the buried interface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Sub-picosecond acoustic pulses at buried GaP/Si interfaces

We report on the optical generation and detection of ultrashort acoustic pulses that propagate in three-dimensional semiconductor crystals. Photoexcitaiton of lattice-matched GaP layers grown on Si(001) gives rise to a sharp spike in transient reflectivity due to the acoustic pulse generated at the GaP/Si interface and detected at the GaP surface and vice versa. The extremely short width of the reflectivity spike, 0.5 ps, would translate to a spatial extent of 3 nm or 10 atomic bilayers, which is comparable with the width of the intermixing layer at the GaP/Si interface. The reflectivity signals are also modified by quasi-periodic Brillouin oscillations of GaP and Si arising from the acoustic pulses during the propagation in the crystals. The present results demonstrate the potential application of the simple optical pump-probe scheme in the nondestructive evaluation of the buried semiconductor interface quality.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Ab initio calculations of the concentration dependent band gap reduction in dilute nitrides

While being of persistent interest for the integration of lattice-matched laser devices with silicon circuits, the electronic structure of dilute nitride III/V-semiconductors has presented a challenge to ab initio computational approaches. The root of this lies in the strong distortion N atoms exert on most host materials. Here, we resolve these issues by combining density functional theory calculations based on the meta-GGA functional presented by Tran and Blaha (TB09) with a supercell approach for the dilute nitride Ga(NAs). Exploring the requirements posed to supercells, we show that the distortion field of a single N atom must be allowed to decrease so far, that it does not overlap with its periodic images. This also prevents spurious electronic interactions between translational symmetric atoms, allowing to compute band gaps in very good agreement with experimentally derived reference values. These results open up the field of dilute nitride compound semiconductors to predictive ab initio calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Direct Characterization of Band Bending in GaP/Si(001) Heterostructures with Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

We apply hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) to investigate the electronic structures in ~50-nm thick epitaxial GaP layers grown on Si(001) under different conditions. Depth profiles of the local binding energies for the core levels are obtained by measuring the photoemission spectra at different incident photon energies between 3 and 7 keV and analyzing them with simple numerical models. The obtained depth profiles are in quantitative agreement with the band bending determinations for the same samples in a previous coherent phonon spectroscopic study. Our results demonstrate the applicability of the HAXPES with varying incident photon energy to characterize the electric potential profiles at buried semiconductor heterointerfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Gain spectroscopy of a type-II VECSEL chip

Using optical pump-white light probe spectroscopy the gain dynamics is investigated for a VECSEL chip which is based on a type-II heterostructure. The active region the chip consists of a GaAs/(GaIn)As/Ga(AsSb)/(GaIn)As/GaAs multiple quantum well. For this structure, a fully microscopic theory predicts a modal room temperature gain at a wavelength of 1170 nm, which is confirmed by experimental spectra. The results show a gain buildup on the type-II chip which is delayed relative to that of a type-I chip. This slower gain dynamics is attributed to a diminished cooling rate arising from reduced electron-hole scattering.

physics.optics↗