Quantum dots in photonic crystals: From quantum information processing to single photon nonlinear optics

Quantum dots in photonic crystals are interesting both as a testbed for fundamental cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) experiments and as a platform for quantum and classical information processing. We describe a technique to coherently access the QD-cavity system by resonant light scattering. Among other things, the coherent access enables a giant optical nonlinearity associated with the saturation of a single quantum dot strongly coupled to a photonic crystal cavity. We explore this nonlinearity to implement controlled phase and amplitude modulation between two modes of light at the single photon level—a nonlinearity observed so far only in atomic physics systems. We also measured the photon statistics of the reflected beam at various detunings with the QD/cavity system. These measurements reveal effects such as photon blockade and photon-induced tunneling, for the first time in solid state. These demonstrations lie at the core of a number of proposals for quantum information processing, and could also be employed to build novel devices, such as optical switches controlled at the single photon level.     

Accuracy of circular polarization as a measure of spin polarization in quantum dot qubits

A quantum dot spin light emitting diode provides a test of carrier spin injection into a qubit and a means for analyzing carrier spin injection and local spin polarization. Even with 100% spin-polarized carriers the emitted light may be only partially circularly polarized due to the geometry of the dot. We have calculated carrier polarization-dependent optical matrix elements for InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots (SAQDs) for electron and hole spin injection into a range of quantum dot sizes and shapes, and for arbitrary emission directions. Calculations for typical SAQD geometries with emission along [110] show light that is only 5% circularly polarized for spin states that are 100% polarized along [110]. Measuring along the growth direction gives near unity conversion of spin to photon polarization and is the least sensitive to uncertainties in SAQD geometry.     

Atomic quantum dots coupled to a reservoir of a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate

We study the dynamics of an atomic quantum dot, i.e., a single atom in a tight optical trap which is coupled to a superfluid reservoir via laser transitions. Quantum interference between the collisional interactions and the laser induced coupling results in a tunable dot-bath coupling, allowing an essentially complete decoupling from the environment. Quantum dots embedded in a 1D Luttinger liquid of cold bosonic atoms realize a spin-boson model with Ohmic coupling, which exhibits a dissipative phase transition and allows us to directly measure atomic Luttinger parameters.     

Photoluminescence of patterned arrays of vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots

We report on photoluminescence measurements of vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on focused ion beam patterned hole arrays with varying array spacing. Quantum dot emission at 1.24 eV was observed only on patterned regions, demonstrating preferential nucleation of optically active dots at desired locations and below the critical thickness for dot formation at these growth conditions. Photoluminescence measurements as a function of varying focused ion beam irradiated hole spacing showed that the quantum dot emission intensity increased with decreasing array periodicity, consistent with increasing dot density.     

Nanophotonic droplet: a nanometric optical device consisting of size- and number-selective coupled quantum dots

Although recent advances in fabrication technologies have allowed the realization of highly accurate nanometric devices and systems, most approaches still lack uniformity and mass-production capability sufficient for practical use. We have previously demonstrated a novel technique for autonomously coupling heterogeneous quantum dots to induce particular optical responses based on a simple phonon-assisted photocuring method in which a mixture of quantum dots and photocurable polymer is irradiated with light. The cured polymer sequentially encapsulates coupled quantum dots, forming what we call a nanophotonic droplet. Recently, we found that each quantum dot in the mixture is preferably coupled with other quantum dots of similar size due to a size resonance effect of the optical near-field interactions between them. Moreover, every nanophotonic droplet is likely to contain the same number of coupled quantum dots. In this paper, we describe the basic mechanisms of autonomously fabricating nanophotonic droplets, and we examine the size- and number-selectivity of the quantum dots during their coupling process. The results from experiments show the uniformity of the optical properties of mass-produced nanophotonic droplets, revealed by emission from the contained coupled quantum dots, due to the fundamental characteristics of our method.     

Optically gated resonant emission of single quantum dots

We report on the resonant emission in coherently driven single semiconductor quantum dots. We demonstrate that an ultraweak nonresonant laser acts as an optical gate for the quantum dot resonant response. We show that the gate laser suppresses Coulomb blockade at the origin of a resonant emission quenching, and that the optically gated quantum dots systematically behave as ideal two-level systems in both regimes of coherent and incoherent resonant emission.     

量子点液晶显示背光技术

量子点材料兼具极高的色纯度、发光颜色可调以及的荧光量子产率高等特点,已成为显示领域中的明星材料,在提升显示器件的色域方面具有巨大潜力。基于量子点材料的液晶显示背光技术是目前量子点材料在显示器件中的主流应用方向,引起了学术界和工业界的广泛关注。本文将综述量子点液晶显示背光技术的研究进展,主要包括量子点材料的选择、背光结构的应用以及材料复合与封装技术的发展现状,重点介绍了目前产业界广泛关注的量子点光学膜技术,特别是国内自主知识产权的低成本钙钛矿量子点光学膜技术,由于其具备广色域(124%NTSC)、易加工、低成本等特点,已成为具有成长潜力的技术路线。     

Study of isolated cubic GaN quantum dots by low-temperature cathodoluminescence

We report single dot spectroscopy of cubic GaN/AlN self-assembled quantum dots. Typical linewidths of the zero-phonon line between 2 and 8 meV are observed and interpreted in terms of charge fluctuations around a given quantum dot. The phonon sideband contribution in this emission, even at low temperature, reveals the importance of the acoustic phonon broadening mechanism which controls the exciton dephasing and may impose the real limits to the optical properties of GaN single QDs emission.     

Absorption spectroscopy of single InAs self-assembled quantum dots

Excitonic transitions of single InAs self-assembled quantum dots were directly measured at 4.2 K in an optical transmission experiment. We use the Stark effect in order to tune the exciton energy of a single quantum dot into resonance with a narrow-band laser. With this method, sharp resonances in the transmission spectra are observed. The oscillator strengths as well as the homogeneous line widths of the single-dot optical transitions are obtained. A clear saturation in the absorption is observed at modest laser powers.     

半导体红外量子点发展现状与前景

半导体量子点具有独特的光学与电学性质,特别是红外量子点良好的光稳定性和生物相容性等优点使其在光电器件、生物医学等领域受到广泛关注。综述了吸收或发射光谱位于红外波段的量子点在激光、能源、光电探测以及生物医学等方面的应用现状与前景,归纳了适用于红外量子点材料的制备方法,并对比了不同方法在应用中的优势。半导体红外量子点材料选择丰富、应用形式多样:InAs量子点被动锁模激光器在1.3 μm波长处产生7.3 GHz的近衍射极限脉冲输出;InAs/GaAs量子点双波长激光器可泵浦产生0.6 nW的THz波;PbS量子点掺杂光纤放大器可在1.53 μm中心波长处实现10.5 dB光增益,带宽160 nm;CdSeTe量子点敏化太阳能电池、异质结Si基量子点太阳能电池的总转换效率可达8%和14.8%;胶质HgTe量子点制成的量子点红外探测器(QDIP)可实现3 μm~5 μm中波红外探测,Ge/Si量子点可实现3 μm~7 μm红外探测;CdTe/ZnSe核壳量子点可用于检测DNA序列的损伤与突变。半导体红外量子点上述应用形式的发展,将进一步促进红外光电系统向高效、快速、大规模集成的方向演进,也将极大地促进临床医学中活体成像检测的应用推广。     

Effect of an electric field on the carrier collection efficiency of InAs quantum dots

Individual and multiquantum dots of InAs are studied by means of microphotoluminescence in the case where, in addition to the principal laser exciting photoluminescence, second infrared laser is used. It is demonstrated that the absorption of the infrared photons effectively creates free holes in the sample, which leads to both a change in the charge state of a quantum dot and to a considerable reduction of their photoluminescence signal. The latter effect is explained in terms of effective screening of the internal electric field, facilitating carrier transport along the plane of a wetting layer, by the surplus holes from the infrared laser. It is shown that the effect of quenching of quantum dot photoluminescence gradually disappears at increased sample temperature (T) and/or dot density. This fact is due to the essentially increased value of quantum dot collection efficiency, which could be achieved at elevated sample temperatures for individual quantum dots or even at low T for the case of multiquantum dots. It is suggested that the observed phenomena can be widely used in practice to effectively manipulate the collection efficiency and the charge state of quantum-dot-based optical devices.     

Self-tuned quantum dot gain in photonic crystal lasers

We demonstrate that very few (2-4) quantum dots as a gain medium are sufficient to realize a photonic-crystal laser based on a high-quality nanocavity. Photon correlation measurements show a transition from a thermal to a coherent light state proving that lasing action occurs at ultralow thresholds. Observation of lasing is unexpected since the cavity mode is in general not resonant with the discrete quantum dot states and emission at those frequencies is suppressed. In this situation, the quasicontinuous quantum dot states become crucial since they provide an energy-transfer channel into the lasing mode, effectively leading to a self-tuned resonance for the gain medium.     

Amplifying properties of neodymium glass fiber

The amplfying properties of silcate—neodymium-glass fiber quantum amplifiers are investigated. The propagation features of laser emission in multimode light guides are studied. The important role played by short-lived color centers (SCC) in the amplification process is demonstrated. Stimulated decay of SCC by absorption of neodymium radiation, which leads to an abrupt increase of the gain of the glass fiber amplifier and to a substantial shortening of the duration of the amplified giant pulses, is observed.Work performed at the Quantum Electronics Laboratory of the Tbilisi State University.Quantum Radiophysics Division, Lebdev Physics Institute. Translation of Preprint No. 201, Lebedev Physics Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, 1989.     

Photoluminescence of single quantum wires and quantum dots

The results of a study into the photoluminescence spectra of a set of quantum dots based on GaAs enclosed in AlGaAs nanowires are presented. The steady state and time resolved spectra of photoluminescence under optical excitation both from an array of quantum wires/dots and a single quantum wire/dot have been measured. In the photoluminescence spectra of single quantum dots, emission lines of excitons, biexcitons and tritons have been found. The binding energy of the biexciton in the studied structures was deduced to be 8 meV.     

非均匀微结构光纤中双折射现象的研究

报道了利用飞秒脉冲激光与非均匀微结构光纤相互作用中产生超连续光谱后在非均匀微结构光纤传输中双折射拍频现象的研究.利用35?fs的飞秒激光脉冲在高双折射微结构光纤中的传输过程中直接观察到了拍频现象.并利用有限元方法对该光纤进行了模拟计算分析，计算得出在600?nm处拍频长度为毫米量级.所得结果与实验一致. 关键词： 双折射效应 微结构光纤 超连续光谱 有限元法     

Synthesis and Characterization of CdS/CISe Quantum Dots with Core–Shell Structure

Quantum dots have received great interest due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. However, the surface defects of quantum dots affect the carrier transport and ultimately reduce the photovoltaic efficiency. In this paper, a core–shell quantum dot by hot-injection method is prepared to grow a narrow-band semiconductor layer (CuInSe₂ (CISe) quantumdot) on the surface of a broad-band core material (cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanocrystal). The composition, structure, optical properties, and decay lifetime of CdS/CISe core–shells are investigated in more detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL), UV–vis spectrophotometry, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The CdS/CISe core–shell structure has a broadened absorption range and still shows CISe-related quantum effects. The increased size of the core–shell and the smaller specific surface area of the CISe shell layer lead to a lower carrier complexation chance, which improves the carrier lifetime.     

圆形双芯微结构色散补偿光纤的色散特性分析

提出了一种圆形双芯微结构光纤,用频域有限差分法(FDFD),并对其色散特性进行了分析,并与前人提出的六边形双芯微结构色散补偿光纤进行了比较。结果表明:当圆形双芯微结构色散补偿光纤的高折射率区半径保持不变时,改变沿水平直径方向相邻空气洞中心点间的距离和空气洞的直径,能够控制有效模折射率的转折点,并在该处产生较大的负色散。由于圆形双芯微结构色散补偿光纤比六边形双芯微结构色散补偿光纤的有效模折射率对参数变化较为敏感,故前者更易于精确地控制转折点,达到色散补偿的目的。     

Electronic and optical properties of asymmetric GaAs double quantum dots in intense laser fields

In the present work, we investigated the effect of an intense non-resonant laser field on the electronic structure and the nonlinear optical properties (the light absorption, the optical rectification) of a GaAs asymmetric double quantum dot under a strong probe field excitation. The calculations were performed within the compact-density matrix formalism under the steady state conditions with the use of the effective mass approximation. The obtained results show that: (i) the electronic structure and, consequently, the optical properties are sensitive to the dressed potential; (ii) the changes in the incident light polarisation lead to blue or redshifts in the intraband optical absorption spectrum; (iii) for specific values of the structure parameters and under an intense laser illumination, the asymmetric double quantum dots can be a good candidate for NOR emission of THz radiation.     

Pressure-induced modulation of the confinement in self-organized quantum dots produced and detected by a near-field optical probe

Near-field optical probing, or nanoprobing, achieves spatial resolution that surpasses the diffraction limit of light and makes possible the luminescence imaging and spectroscopy of single quantum dots in dense arrays of dots. We use optical nanoprobing to study self-organized InGaAs quantum dots grown on (3 1 1)B oriented GaAs substrates. Here, we emphasize a new feature of nanoprobing: pressure-induced strain modulation near the surface. Operating in near-field optical excitation–collection mode, the probe makes contact with the surface and exerts direct pressure whose main effect is a compressive uniaxial strain under the probe. By adjusting the applied pressure, we modulate the local strain environment in and around a quantum dot, but still preserve the capability to capture its near-field luminescence. Nanoprobe pressure effects modify the confinement potential and radiative emission of single quantum dots, and the coupling strength between dots. This opens new possibilities for the study and control of the optical and electronic properties of single- and coupled-quantum dots.     

高色域量子点LED及其在背光显示中的应用研究

量子点因其独特优异的光学特性而被广泛应用于发光领域,其中最突出的特点是光谱调谐方便,只需要改变材料的尺寸,就可实现发光光谱的调谐。结合实际应用的需要,选取CdSe材料作为主要研究对象,通过改进工艺,采用希莱克技术隔绝水氧,使用高温热注入法,调整原料中镉源和锌源,硒源和硫源的比例,获得了尺寸分别约为6.0和4.2 nm,发光峰分别为625和525 nm,半高宽分别为30和28 nm,荧光量子产率分别达到82%和61%的粒径均一、色纯度高且高效稳定核壳结构CdSe/ZnS红光和绿光量子点材料。然后对量子点LED在背光显示中的应用进行了研究,采用合成的红光和绿光量子点材料替代传统工艺中的荧光粉材料,通过改进封装方式,对量子点光转换层采用双层环氧树脂AB胶保护,同时引入PMMA透镜包覆,从根本上隔绝水氧。最终得到的量子点白光LED,红绿蓝光发射峰分别为630, 535和453 nm,半高宽别为20, 28和30 nm,三段光谱发射峰两侧对称性良好,有效解决了传统荧光粉白光LED在红色光谱波段缺失的问题,并同时实现了单色性好、色纯度高、色彩饱和度高等优点。在LED积分球光色电测试系统中20 mA电流条件下测试,得到了CIE色坐标为(0.329, 0.324)的白光量子点LED,这是非常接近标准白光的色坐标。其色温为5 094 K,光效达到94.72 lm·W-1,显色指数Ra可达78.6,寿命超过400 h。最后对量子点LED灯条进行封装得到背光源,根据测试获取的白光量子点LED发射光谱,可以得到sRGB颜色三角形,即色域,通过对比NTSC1931标准色域,得到了色域覆盖率可以达到109.7%的高色域量子点LED背光源。开发的LED背光由240个白光量子点LED制成,并且首次成功演示了29英寸液晶电视面板,这一结果将进一步开发量身定制的量子点,特别是在高性能显示器应用领域。