Effects of the built-in electric field on free and bound excitons in a polar GaN/AlGaN/GaN based heterostructure

Abstract: Low-temperature luminescence spectra reveal the presence of two independant populations of GaN excitons within a $\mathrm{GaN/AlGaN/GaN/Al_2O_3}$ heterostructure in which a thick (1.5 $\mathrm{\mu m}$) AlGaN layer separates a thin (150 nm) top GaN layer and a thick (3.5 $\mathrm{\mu m}$) bottom GaN layer grown on sapphire. The presence of these two spectrally-distinct families of excitons in each GaN layer of the heterostructure is demonstrated using three different experimental methods: (i) low-power $\mathrm{\mu}$-photoluminescence ($\mathrm{\mu PL}$) using laser excitation sources with wavelengths above and below the AlGaN bandgap, (ii) $\mathrm{\mu PL}$ as a function of optically injected free carrier density, and (iii) quantitative numerical simulation of the $\mathrm{\mu}$-Reflectivity ($\mathrm{\mu R}$). One major impact of the built-in electric field is the reduction of the excitonic lifetime in the GaN surface layer, which transitions from less than 10 ps in the presence of the built-in electric field to the bulk lifetime (90 ps) when the field is screened. This increase in the excitonic lifetime is related to the modification of the band structure in the presence of optically injected free carriers. The effect of these lifetime variations on the luminescence spectra is analyzed. Lastly, we provide an estimate of the Mott density in GaN as $n_{\mathrm{Mott}} = 4\times 10^{17}\, \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$ at 130 K, consistent with values reported in the literature and accounting for the free carrier density required to screen the electric field.