Radiation-Induced Modification of III–V and II–VI Quantum Heterostructures Under High-Energy X Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Electron Irradiation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26565/2312-4334-2026-3-27Keywords:
Radiation-induced defects, Quantum heterostructures, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, Exciton–phonon interaction, LO-phonon replicas, Non-radiative recombination, GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells, ZnTe/CdZnTe quantum wellsAbstract
Low-dimensional III–V and II–VI quantum heterostructures are important active media for optoelectronic devices operating under radiation environments. In this work, the effects of high-energy X-ray, gamma-ray, and electron irradiation on excitonic recombination and exciton–phonon interaction were investigated in GaAs/AlGaAs and ZnTe/CdZnTe-based quantum heterostructures using low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy. The spectra showed pronounced excitonic emission bands accompanied by longitudinal optical phonon replicas, indicating phonon-assisted recombination processes. After irradiation, a substantial reduction in photoluminescence intensity was observed, which was attributed to the formation of radiation-induced non-radiative recombination centers. In ZnTe/CdZnTe structures, electron irradiation produced a slight blue shift (approximately 0.7 meV) of the quantum-well emission, whereas X-ray irradiation resulted in a small red shift (approximately 0.6 meV), suggesting irradiation-dependent modification of exciton localization and defect-related potential fluctuations. A semi-quantitative analysis based on integrated PL intensity ratios, an effective non-radiative recombination parameter, and the Huang–Rhys factor (S≈1–2) was performed to correlate PL quenching, spectral shifts, and LO-phonon replicas with radiation-induced defect formation. The relative changes in excitonic, impurity-related, and phonon-assisted emission bands indicate a redistribution of radiative and non-radiative recombination channels after irradiation. A phenomenological interpretation based on radiative and non-radiative recombination rates and the Huang–Rhys description of LO-phonon replicas was used to discuss the observed spectral changes. The results provide a comparative experimental assessment of irradiation-induced modifications in III–V and II–VI quantum heterostructures and may be useful for evaluating the radiation tolerance of semiconductor optoelectronic structures.
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