Effects of electron irradiation on photoluminescence from GaInNAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells subject to thermal annealing

Electron irradiation of a 1.3-μm GaInNAs/GaAs quantum-well heterostructure, grown by molecular beam epitaxy and subsequently subjected to rapid thermal annealing, is found to induce much stronger photoluminescence than that observed for an identical as-grown sample upon annealing. Annealing of the irradiated sample also causes an additional spectral blue-shift, reduces alloy potential energy fluctuations at the conduction band minimum, and narrows spectral linewidths. These irradiation-related phenomena are accompanied by a discernable change in X-ray diffraction features upon annealing, which indicate a change in quantum well alloy composition or structure.