Evolution of Luminescence with Shell's Thickness in Colloidal CdSe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum Dots

We synthesize colloidal CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots with different shell thicknesses, and there are five samples including CdSe core dots, and CdSe/CdS core/shell dots with 1-4 CdS layers. X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements indicate that the stress in CdSe core becomes stronger with the increasing shell thickness, and the optical measurements show that when the shell becomes thicker, the photoluminescence quantum yield is enhanced, and the radiative decay is also expedited. The temperature-dependent optical spectra are measured. The relation between the microstructure and the optical properties is discussed.     

Photoluminescence behaviors of single CdSe/ZnS/TOPO nanocrystals: Adsorption effects of water molecules onto nanocrystal surfaces

We report here the distinctive modifications of photoluminescence (PL) behaviors in single CdSe/ZnS/TOPO nanocrystals depending on their environments. Long-time traces of PL intensity from single nanocrystals have been obtained in both vacuum and a wet nitrogen atmosphere. While all of the nanocrystals in both environments exhibit PL blinking behaviors, i.e. on-off intermittency of PL intensity, as usual, some of the nanocrystals in the wet nitrogen atmosphere show significant increase in duration time of on-events. As for the duration time of blinking off-events, it is for the moment associated with the occasional events of carrier capturing at trap sites on or near the nanocrystal surfaces. We propose a model in which adsorbed water molecules at the trap sites on the nanocrystal surfaces transform them under light irradiation, which eventually decreases the occurrence of the trapping events due to their inactivation. It in turn increases the PL on-times. In addition to the drastic modification of the blinking profile, we also found that in the PL time traces some kinds of undulated behaviors, i.e. continuous and rather low frequency fluctuation of PL intensity, appear during each on-event in vacuum while they disappear totally in the wet nitrogen atmosphere. These results are also described on the basis of the inactivation model of the trap sites introduced above.     

Optimization of two-photon absorption enhancement in one-dimensional photonic crystals with defect states

One-dimensional photonic crystals with a defect layer of CdS were fabricated. The observed enhancement of two-photon absorption (TPA) in the CdS layer can be attributed to the intensified optical field confined within the defect layer of the photonic crystal. The results show that the enhancement of TPA coefficient depends basically on the number of periods of the photonic crystal and the defect mode position in the photonic band gap. The observation agrees qualitatively with the expectations of a computation by matrix transfer formulation.     

Quantum interference in the Raman scattering from the silicon nanostructures

We report here microscopic process involved in the photo-excited Fano interaction due to nonlinear process in the silicon nanostructures. Photo-excited Raman line-shapes are investigated to reveal the presence of nonlinear Fano interaction in the silicon nanostructures for three different sizes. The Fano interaction is found to be more prominent due to the phase matching between electronic and phonon Raman scatterings for smaller sized nanostructures. Phase matching is achieved by nonlinear process of two-wave mixing in the silicon nanostructures followed by the formation of electron-phonon bound state.     

Omni-directional reflection bands in one-dimensional plasma dielectric photonic crystals

In this paper the omni-directional reflection bands in one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal (PPC) have been studied theoretically. We present the study of plasma photonic crystal, having alternate regions of plasma?dielectric (Al₂O₃ or ZnS). Reflectances from this periodic multilayered structure in TE- and TM-modes are calculated for different angles of incidence in microwave region for omni-directional reflection bands. The reflectance is obtained by solving a Maxwell's equation using a translational matrix method. In addition to this, we have also studied the effect of variation of plasma width as well as plasma density on the reflection properties of plasma dielectric photonic crystal in TE- and TM-modes. The study of reflectance bands of such plasma photonic crystals shows that it can be used as omni-directional reflector.     

Thermal quenching of photoluminescence in ZnO/ZnMgO multiple quantum wells following oxygen implantation and rapid thermal annealing

The temperature-dependent photoluminescence in oxygen-implanted and rapid thermally annealed ZnO/ZnMgO multiple quantum wells is investigated. A difference in the thermal quenching of the photoluminescence is found between the implanted and unimplanted quantum wells. Oxygen implantation and subsequent rapid thermal annealing results in the diffusion of magnesium atoms into quantum wells and thus, leads to an increased fluctuation in the potential of the quantum wells and the observation of a large thermal activation energy. However, a high dose of implantation results in large defect clusters and thus an additional nonradiative channel, which leads to a flat potential fluctuation and a small thermal activation energy.     

Photoreflectance spectroscopy of a Ga0.62In0.38N0.026As0.954Sb0.02/GaAs single quantum well tailored at 1.5 μm

Optical properties of a Ga_0.62In_0.38As_0.954N_0.026Sb_0.02/GaAs single quantum well (SQW) tailored at ∼1.5 μm have been investigated by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy. The identification of the optical transitions was carried out in accordance with theoretical calculations, which were performed within the framework of the usual envelope function approximation. Using this method, four confined states for both electrons and heavy holes have been found and the optical transitions between them have been determined. The obtained result corresponds to a conduction band offset ratio close to 80%. In addition, the effect of ex situ annealing has been investigated. Lineshape analysis of the PR transitions shows that one of the phenomena responsible for the blueshift of QW transitions is the change in the nitrogen nearest-neighbour environment from Ga-rich to In-rich environments.     

Removal of interminiband interactions in dynamic Wannier-Stark ladder by means of a pulse train with periodic repetition

A quasienergy structure of a dynamic Wannier-Stark ladder (DWSL) that is driven by a pulse train with periodic repetition is analyzed. Here, novel properties on coherent control realized by means of tuning a combination of laser parameters are revealed. In particular, we report a striking property that interminiband interactions due to both static and dynamic Zener tunnelings are completely removed from the DWSL by utilizing the periodic pulse train with either square or full-cycle saw-toothed unit-pulse-shape in a temporal domain, regardless of magnitude of Dc- and Ac-electric fields exerted on the original superlattices.     

Local Surface-Plasmons in Nonspherical Metal Nanoparticles

When a small metallic nanoparticle.is irradiated by incident light, the oscillating electric field can cause the conduction electrons to oscillate coherently, which excites the local surface plasmons （LSPs）. As is well known, excited LSPs can gather the energy of incident light to the surface of metallic nanoparticle. Recently, some nonspherical particles, e.g. tetrahedron, are suggested to obtain stronger localized electric field. We employ the discrete dipole approximation method to calculate the optical response of the tetrahedron nanoparticle, including the extinction and distribution of the electric field around the particle. The influences of some parameters, including the nanoparticle size, incident direction and polarization, are investigated to analyse the response modes and to obtain stronger localized electric field.     

Optical properties of organic-inorganic hybrid films prepared by the two-step growth process

Thin films of microcrystalline (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ have been prepared by the two-step growth process as follows: (1) precipitation of nanometer-sized PbBr₂ particles on substrates by vapor deposition and then (2) growth of (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films by exposing PbBr₂ particles to C₈H₁₇NH₃Br vapor. Atomic force microscope observations reveal that the substrate is fully covered with nanometer-sized rodlike precipitates. X-ray diffraction studies suggest that (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films are found to be microcrystalline form, single phase and highly oriented with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films show a clear exciton absorption and free-exciton emission even at room temperature. At low temperatures below 40 K, the emission band separates into three bands at 3.07 (A-band), 3.14 (B-band) and 3.20 (C-band) eV, respectively. Both A- and C-bands correspond to the free-exciton emission with large binding energies. On the contrary, time-resolved PL spectra indicate that the B-band is attributed to phosphorescence formed by the intersystem crossing.     

Contactless electroreflectance of GaNyAs1−y/GaAs multi quantum wells: The conduction band offset and electron effective mass issues

Interband transitions in GaN_yAs_1−y/GaAs multi quantum well (MQW) samples with y=0.012 and 0.023 have been studied by contactless electroreflectance spectroscopy (CER). Optical transitions related to absorption in the GaAs barriers and in the GaN_yAs_1−y/GaAs QWs have been observed and analyzed. The GaAs related transition exhibits clear Franz-Keldysh oscillations with the period corresponding to the built-in electric field of 14 and 17 kV/cm for samples with y=0.012 and 0.023, respectively. The portion of the CER spectrum related to absorption in the GaN_yAs_1−y/GaAs QW exhibits two clear resonances which are attributed to optical transitions between the ground and excited states confined in the QWs. The resonance attributed to the ground state transition is associated with absorption between the first light- and heavy-hole subbands and the first electron subband (11L and 11H) while the resonance attributed to the excited state transition is associated with absorption between the second heavy-hole subband and the second electron subband (22H). The energies of the 11H and 22H transitions have been matched with those obtained from theoretical calculations performed within the effective mass approximation. Thus, the GaN_yAs_1−y/GaAs QWs are type-I structures with a conduction band offset, Q_C, between 70 and 80%. Moreover, the incorporation of N atoms into GaAs is found to cause a significant increase in the electron effective mass. The determined values of electron effective mass for GaN_yAs_1−y/GaAs QW with y=0.012 and 0.023 are 0.105m₀ and 0.115m₀, respectively.     

Decay dynamics of ultraviolet photoluminescence in ZnO nanocrystals

Time resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements at low temperature are performed on colloidal ZnO nanocrystals dispersed in t-butanol. Considering the particle size dependence of the decay times we conclude that the luminescence is composed of two trap related emissions one of which undergoes lifetime shortening due to a non-radiative process. Initial fast shift of the spectrum within 30 ps is observed and it is interpreted as a fast hole cooling just after the excitation.     

Luminescence Properties of Nanostructure ZnO-Covered Carbon Fibers Prepared by Thermal Oxidation

We report on ZnO nanosheets and nanorods synthesized by thermal oxidation of zinc films deposited on carbon fiber surfaces. The structure and optical properties are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectrum. An orange-red emission around 683 nm is found in the PL spectrum when the sample prepaxs at 400℃ for four hours in air. With annealing temperature increasing from 400℃ to 500℃, the blue shift is observed.     

Effect of branching of tetrapod-shaped CdTe/CdSe nanocrystal heterostructures on their luminescence

We have studied the CdTe/CdSe tetrapod-shaped nanocrystal heterostructures with the use of photoluminescence spectra measurements and time-correlated single photon counting technique. The tetrapods were grown to have CdTe arms with different thickness of the CdSe shell. We have observed non-exponential photoluminescence decay of excited tetrapod-nanocrystals and proposed kinetic theory based on the branched crystal morphology and on the assumption about a potential barrier in the junction point of tetrapod. Analysis of studied nanocrystal behavior gives an evidence for tetrapods to behave as four weakly connected quantum wells. This interesting effect might find applications in nanoelectronics.     

Photoluminescence spectra of thin films containing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots irradiated by 532-nm laser radiation and gamma-rays

We have investigated temporal behavior of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of thin films containing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots irradiated by 532 nm laser radiation and gamma-rays. Under ∼100 W/cm² laser radiation, the PL intensity (I_PL) increases with irradiation time upto about 500 s and thereafter declines linearly. The wavelength of the PL emission (λ_peak) exhibits a blue-shift with exposure time. Upon simultaneous irradiation by 100 W/cm² 532-nm laser, as well as 0.57 and 1.06 MeV gamma-rays, the temporal behaviors of both I_PL and λ_peak are significantly different; I_PL increases to a saturation level, and the magnitude of the blue-shift in λ_peak is reduced. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying these results.     

The second hyperpolarizability of CdTe nanocrystals using polarization-resolved degenerate four-wave mixing

Polarization-resolved forward degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) in a nonresonant region revealed the effective third-order nonlinear susceptibility of colloidal CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) with the size near the Bohr radius and various concentrations. The second hyperpolarizabilities, and , of the CdTe NCs were ∼1.15 × 10⁻⁴¹ m⁵/V² and ∼3.01 × 10⁻⁴² m⁵/V² from the measurement of the concentration-dependent third-order nonlinear susceptibility of CdTe NCs, respectively. The ratio (/) of the hyperpolarizabilities was ∼0.26, which indicated a large contribution of an electronic polarization process to the third-order nonlinearity of CdTe NCs.     

Superheating of silicon nanocrystals observed by Raman spectroscopy

In the Raman spectra of silicon nanocrystals a new anomalous component was detected. Close to the usual first order Raman peak situated for a bulk crystal at 521 cm⁻¹ at room temperature, two peaks arise shifting towards lower energy and demonstrating a huge temperature increase, as measured by the ratio of the Stokes/anti-Stokes peak intensities. This behavior is dependent on the laser power and on the morphology of the nanocrystals. We can exclude, however, confinement effects, although surface enhanced phonon modes could be responsible of such superheating. Alternative explanations are also suggested and discussed.     

Optics of circularly polarized light waves in one-dimensional magneto-photonic crystals: Theory

A theory is presented for propagation of electromagnetic waves through one-dimensional magnetic Bragg structures (magneto-photonic crystals). Within the self-consistent Green-function technique the transfer matrices and magneto-optical characteristics are derived in terms of circularly polarized waves propagating in periodical arrays of alternating magnetic and dielectric layers. For finite-thickness magneto-photonic crystals, the Faraday rotation and other magneto-optical responses are demonstrated to change considerably in the spectral range of stop-bands, the magnetic modulation of the in-plane reflection intensity being essentially enhanced.     

Chemical role of amines in the colloidal synthesis of CdSe quantum dots and their luminescence properties

The role of organic amines in the colloidal synthesis of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) has been studied. CdSe QDs were synthesized from the source solutions containing 5 vol% of amines having various alkyl chain lengths, stereochemical sizes and electron donation abilities. The role of the additional amines was evaluated on the basis of the photoluminescence (PL) properties such as PL wavelength and intensity of the obtained CdSe QDs. The observed PL spectra were explained by the fact that the amines behaved as capping ligands on the surface of the QDs in the product colloidal solution and complex ligands for cadmium in the source solutions. It was shown that the particle size was controlled by the diffusion process depending on the mass and stereochemical shape of the amines, and the luminescence intensity increased with the increasing electron donation ability and capping density of the amines.     

A novel method for extracting oscillator strength of select rare-earth ion optical transitions in nanostructured dielectric materials

A new technique to obtain the oscillator strength of select rare-earth optical transitions in nanostructured dielectric materials (nanophosphors) is presented. It is based on the experimentally observed nanophosphor lifetime dependence on the embedding medium. A constant oscillator strength and parity-allowed electric dipole transitions of the RE ion emission are assumed. The oscillator strength is obtained from the slope of the 1/τ_ij vs. n(n²+2)² plot, where τ_ij is the radiative lifetime of transition between states i and j, and n is the index of refraction of the embedding medium. The use of the technique is illustrated for the Y ₂SiO₅:Ce nanophosphor.