Pressure-dependent bandgap study of MBE grown {CdO/MgO} short period SLs using diamond anvil cell

Semiconductor superlattices (SLs) have found widespread applications in electronic industries. In this work, a short-period SL structure composed of CdO and MgO layers was grown using a plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy technique. The optical property of the SLs was investigated by absorption measurement at room temperature. The ambient-pressure direct bandgap was found to be 2.76 eV. The pressure dependence of fundamental bandgap has been studied using a diamond anvil cell technique. It has been found that the band-to-band transition shifts toward higher energy with an applied pressure. The bandgap of SLs was varied from 2.76 to 2.87 eV with applied pressure varied from 0 to 5.9 GPa. The pressure coefficient for the direct bandgap of SLs was found to be 26 meV/GPa. The obtained experimental result was supported by theoretical results obtained using density functional theory calculations. The volume deformation potential was estimated using the empirical rule. We believe that our findings may provide valuable insight for a better understanding of {CdO/MgO} SLs toward their future applications in optoelectronics.

Automated summary

Semiconductor superlattices have wide applications in the electronic industry. In this study, a short-period superlattice structure composed of CdO and MgO layers was fabricated and its optical properties and pressure dependence of bandgap were investigated. The experimental results were supported by theoretical calculations, providing valuable insight for future optoelectronic applications.