Development of time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy of semiconductor materials and devices using a compressed sensing approach

Baltušis, A., Koutsourakis, G., Wood, S. and Sweeney, S. J. (2024) Development of time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy of semiconductor materials and devices using a compressed sensing approach. Measurement Science and Technology, 35(1), 015207. (doi: 10.1088/1361-6501/ad044f)

Abstract

Charge carrier lifetime is a key property of semiconductor materials for photonic applications. One of the most established methods for measuring lifetimes is time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), which is typically performed as a single-point measurement. In this paper, we demonstrate a new time-correlated single photon counting method (TCSPC) for TRPL microscopy, for which spatial information can be achieved without requiring point-by-point scanning through the use of a compressed sensing (CS) approach. This enables image acquisition with a single pixel detector for mapping the lifetime of semiconductors with high repeatability. The methodology for signal acquisition and image reconstruction was developed and tested through simulations. Effects of noise levels on the reliability and quality of image reconstruction were investigated. Finally, the method was implemented experimentally to demonstrate a proof-of-concept CS TCSPC imaging system for acquiring TRPL maps of semiconductor materials and devices. TRPL imaging results of a semiconductor device acquired using a CS approach are presented and compared with results of TRPL mapping of the same excitation area measured through a point-by-point method. The feasibility of the methodology is demonstrated, the benefits and challenges of the experimental prototype system are presented and discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) iCASE studentship, grant number 2282139, with support from the Compound Semiconductor Centre. The work was also financially supported by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) through the National Measurement System. This project has received funding from the EMPIR programme (20IND09 ‘PowerElec’) co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
• Keywords: Compressed sensing (CS), semiconductor characterisation, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), charge carrier lifetimes, signal processing, recombination.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Baltusis, Aidas and Sweeney, Professor Stephen
• Authors: Baltušis, A., Koutsourakis, G., Wood, S., and Sweeney, S. J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Measurement Science and Technology
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• ISSN: 0957-0233
• ISSN (Online): 1361-6501
• Published Online: 26 October 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Measurement Science and Technology 35(1): 015207
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License