Annealing of InGaAsN quantum wells in hydrogen

In0.37Ga0.63As0.983N0.017 quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy at different temperatures were annealed under a comprehensive variety of conditions either in Ar or in H-2. A significantly higher luminescence efficiency (i.e., room temperature photoluminescence intensity) can be obtained for annealing in H-2. Thus, there is an additional chemical effect beyond the mere thermal effect of annealing. At the same time, band gap and localization of charge carriers are not influenced. Hence, the electronic structure is not affected by the H-2 treatment. Indirect experiments suggest that hydrogen is reversibly incorporated into the samples and can be removed by mild annealing in Ar. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.