Effects of growth temperature on the structural and optical properties of 1.55 μm GaInNAsSb quantum wells grown on GaAs

We investigate the effects of growth temperature on the structural and optical properties of GaInNAsSb single quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Peak room-temperature photoluminescence occurred at 1.65 μm as-grown and at 1.55 μm under optimal annealing conditions. Excellent room-temperature optical efficiency was observed from samples grown between 420 and 460 °C, with a maximum at 440 °C. However, luminescence was degraded approximately two orders of magnitude for a sample grown at 470 °C. High-resolution x-ray diffraction showed substantial structural degradation and a reduction in strain for the 470 °C sample. Low temperature photoluminescence measurements were also employed to study localization and quenching effects; both became more severe with increasing growth temperature.