The effects of atomic hydrogen irradiation on the optical properties of (In
Ga)(AsN) single quantum wells were investigated by means of photoluminescen
ce spectroscopy. For increasing hydrogen dose, the photoluminescence band p
eak energy of each nitrogen-containing sample blueshifts and for high hydro
gen dose it reaches that of a corresponding nitrogen-free reference sample.
This effect is accompanied by a broadening of the photoluminescence band l
ine width and by a decrease in the photoluminescence efficiency. Thermal an
nealing at 550 degreesC fully restores the original band gap value and the
photoluminescence line width of the sample before hydrogenation. An interpr
etation of these phenomena is proposed in terms of an H perturbation of the
charge distribution around the strongly electronegative N atoms, leading m
ost likely to the formation of H-N complexes, and to an ensuing electronic
passivation of nitrogen.