Nanoscale Mapping of Light Emission in Nanospade-Based InGaAs Quantum Wells Integrated on Si(100): Implications for Dual Light-Emitting Devices

III–V semiconductors
outperform Si in many optoelectronics
applications due to their high carrier mobility, efficient light emission
and absorption processes, and the possibility to engineer their band
gap through alloying. However, complementing Si technology with III–V
semiconductors by integration on Si(100) remains a challenge still
today. Vertical nanospades (NSPDs) are quasi-bi-crystal III–V
nanostructures that grow on Si(100). Here, we showcase the potential
of these structures in optoelectronics application by demonstrating
InGaAs heterostructures on GaAs NSPDs that exhibit bright emission
in the near-infrared region. Using cathodoluminescence hyperspectral
imaging, we are able to study light emission properties at a few nanometers
of spatial resolution, well below the optical diffraction limit. We
observe a symmetric spatial luminescence splitting throughout the
NSPD. We correlate this characteristic to the structure’s crystal
nature, thus opening new perspectives for dual wavelength light-emitting
diode structures. This work paves the path for integrating optically
active III–V structures on the Si(100) platform.