Development of Various Semiconductor Quantum Devices

摘要

Semiconductor quantum devices, composed of semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices, are widely used in our daily lives as key devices for opto-electronic equipment. The quantum well structure consists of alternating ultra-thin semiconductor films in which electrons and holes are confined. This structure gives rise to discrete energy levels and minibands in their potential wells, and thus induces new properties that cannot be obtained in a bulk material. These properties have enabled opto-electronics devices to have various new functions and high performance.This paper describes various semiconductor quantum photonic devices developed in Sumitomo Electric for applications in a wide spectrum range of 1 to 10 μm. These devices include a semiconductor quantum well laser and modulator for high speed optical communication, quantum cascade laser for environmental gas analysis, and near-infrared imaging sensor for life science applications.