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Single crystalline p-type GaSb was made porous by anodic etching in a hydrofluoric acid solution. The morphology, chemical composition and photoluminescence (PL) of the porous layer were investigated. It has been shown that the porous layer consists of Sb2O3, Ga2O3 and GaSb submicron grains formed during electrochemical etching of GaSb. On the basis of the anodic etching mechanism, it was assumed that the dispersed GaSb nanoscale crystallites are embedded in a transparent oxide matrix. The porous layer exhibited red photoluminescence (PL) at 670–740 nm. The observed short-wavelength PL of the porous samples prepared from GaSb, a narrow band gap semiconductor, is explained by the quantum size effect in the GaSb nanocrystals.

Widely tunable GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well (QW) lasers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates. Their emission wavelength, from 2.0 to 2.5 μm, make them suitable for the detection of many gas species in the wavelength range which corresponds to an atmospheric transmission window. Using these devices an experimental setup for open path gas detection has been developed.

We report on the MBE growth and properties of heterostructures and laser diodes based on 4 ML InAs/3 ML GaSb/1 ML InSb/3 ML GaSb short-period superlattices (SPSLs) for emission in the 3–4 μm wavelength range. We show that the interface configuration has a strong influence on both the structural and electronic properties of the SPSL. Excellent agreement between experimental and simulated X-ray diffraction patterns reveals the excellent crystal quality achieved with such complex SPSLs. Lasing is demonstrated up to 300 K in pulsed conditions and up to 200 K under continuous wave operation. Laser emission is centered at 3.32 μm, a technologically very interesting wavelength. Our results demonstrate the potential of these new active zones for mid-IR laser diodes.