Micro-Photoluminescence Confocal Mapping of Single V-Grooved GaAs Quantum Wire

We perform the micro-photoluminescence measurement at low temperatures and a scanning optical mapping with high spatial resolution of a single V-grooved GaAs quantum wire modified by the selective ion-implantation and rapid thermally annealing. While the mapping shows the luminescences respectively from the quantum wires and from quantum well areas between quantum wires in general, the micro-photoluminescence at liquid He temperatures reveals a plenty of spectral structures of the PL band for a single quantum wire. The spectral structures are attributed to the inhomogeneity and non-uniformity of both the space structure and compositions of real wires as well as the defects nearby the interface between quantum wire and surrounding quantum well structures. All these make the excitons farther localized in quasi-zero-dimensional quantum potential boxes related to these non-uniformity and/or defects. The results also demonstrate the ability of micro-photoluminescence measurement and mapping for the characterization of both opto-electronic and structural properties of real quantum wires.