Dilute GaAs1_ xBix epilayers with different bismuth concentrations grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy: A promising candidate for gamma radiation sensor applications

Radiation interaction studies are very important for exploring the technological applications of new materials in radiation environments. This work reports the effect of gamma radiation dose on the structural and optical properties of dilute GaAs1_xBix epitaxial layers grown with different Bismuth contents by MBE on (100) GaAs substrates. The influence of radiation has been studied by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The samples were also characterized by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM. Gamma radiation (& gamma;-) was found to influence the optical properties of GaAs1_ xBix epitaxial layers. From Raman measurements it was found that the concentration of holes increased when the samples were irradiated. This result is in good agreement with photoluminescence results, which showed that the intensity of the main peak increases after irradiation, indicating that the optical properties have improved for all samples. Furthermore, the XRD data revealed that for irradiated GaAs1_ xBix samples, the crystallographic quality of the samples was slightly changed after irradiation. This result is consistent with the results of photoluminescence measurements, which demonstrated that the GaAs1_ xBix samples exposed to 50 kGy dose showed an increase in photoluminescence and full width at half maximum for all irradiated samples.

Automated summary

This work investigated the effect of gamma radiation on the structural and optical properties of diluted GaAs1_xBix epitaxial layers with different Bismuth contents. XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence measurements were used to examine the influence of radiation. The results showed that gamma radiation affected the optical properties of GaAs1_xBix epitaxial layers, leading to an increase in hole concentration and improvement in optical performance.