GHz Electroluminescence Modulation in Nanoscale Subwavelength Emitters.

Rossella, Francesco; Piazza, Vincenzo; Rocci, Mirko; Ercolani, Daniele; Sorba, Lucia; Beltram, Fabio; Roddaro, Stefano · Nano Lett · 2016

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We investigate light emission from nanoscale point-sources obtained in hybrid metal-GaAs nanowires embedding two sharp axial Schottky barriers. Devices are obtained via the formation of Ni-rich metallic alloy regions in the nanostructure body thanks to a technique of controlled thermal annealing of Ni/Au electrodes. In agreement with recent findings, visible-light electroluminescence can be observed upon suitable voltage biasing of the junctions. We investigate the time-resolved emission properties of our devices and demonstrate an electrical modulation of light generation up to 1 GHz. We explore different drive configurations and discuss the intrinsic bottlenecks of the present device architecture. Our results demonstrate a novel technique for the realization of fast subwavelength light sources with possible applications in sensing and microscopy beyond the diffraction limit.