Correlation of Microphotoluminescence Spectroscopy, Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Atom Probe Tomography on a Single Nano-object Containing an InGaN/GaN Multiquantum Well System

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 107 - 114
• Main Authors: Rigutti, Lorenzo, Blum, Ivan, Shinde, Deodatta, Hernández-Maldonado, David, Lefebvre, Williams, Houard, Jonathan, Vurpillot, François, Vella, Angela, Tchernycheva, Maria, Durand, Christophe, Eymery, Joël, Deconihout, Bernard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 08.01.2014
• Subjects: Atomic beam spectroscopy; Condensed Matter; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Gallium - chemistry; Gallium nitrides; Indium - chemistry; Indium gallium nitrides; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Luminescent Measurements - methods; Materials; Materials Science; Materials Testing - methods; Microscopy, Atomic Force - methods; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission - methods; Molecular Conformation; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - ultrastructure; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanostructure; Physics; Quantum Theory; Quantum wells; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning transmission electron microscopy; Spectroscopy; Statistics as Topic; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Tomography; correlative microscopy; photoluminescence; transmission electron microscopy; single nano-object; Atom probe tomography; iii-nitride heterostructures; Confinement; Localized states; Quantum wells; Multiple quantum well; Nanostructures; Atom probe; III-V compound; Nanometer scale; Nanoobject; Scanning transmission electron microscopy; Nanostructured materials; Nano-object; Localized exciton; III-V semiconductors
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl4034768

A single nanoscale object containing a set of InGaN/GaN nonpolar multiple-quantum wells has been analyzed by microphotoluminescence spectroscopy (μPL), high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). The correlated measurements constitute a rich and coherent set of data supporting the interpretation that the observed μPL narrow emission lines, polarized perpendicularly to the crystal c-axis and with energies in the interval 2.9–3.3 eV, are related to exciton states localized in potential minima induced by the irregular 3D In distribution within the quantum well (QW) planes. This novel method opens up interesting perspectives, as it will be possible to apply it on a wide class of quantum confining emitters and nano-objects.