Chalcopyrite and Orientation-Patterned Semiconductors for Mid-IR Sources: Modeling, Growth, and Characterization

The goal of this MURI was to advance the technology in chalcopyrite and microstructured zincblende semiconductors, and to demonstrate devices based on them. The program involved modeling, synthesis, characterization, and device demonstration. Research was focused on, 1 nonlinear chalcopyrites and microstructured zincblende crystals for applications to mid-infrared coherent sources, and 2 magnetic chalcopyrites for future application to spintronic and magneto-optic devices. We sought to enable applications such as compact high-power mid-IR sources for lRCM, and frequency-agile sources suitable for local and remote sensing of chemical and biological species. Research involved a growth and characterization of orientation-patterned GaAs OP-GaAs, a novel microstructured material with precisely engineerable properties for a wide variety of mid-infrared devices, b demonstration of mid-IR sources based on these materials, and their use in applications such as trace-gas detection, c understanding and ameliorating the effects of point defects and dislocations on the properties of established nonlinear chalcopyrites such as ZnGeP2, and enabling the use of extremely promising but previously impractical materials such as CdGeAs2, d pushing beyond microstructured into nanostructured GaAs nonlinear devices, a more speculative approach offering orders-of-magnitude improvements in device performance. For the magnetic chalcopyrites, the goal was synthesis of bulk and thin-film ferromagnetic semiconductors with Curie points above room temperature, and characterization of their magnetic and transport properties.