Nuclear states with anomalously large radius (size isomers)

Methods of determination of the nuclear excited state radii are discussed together with the recently obtained data on the states of some light nuclei having abnormally large radii (size isomers). It is shown that such states include excited neutron-halo states in ⁹Be, ¹¹Be, and ¹³C and some alpha-cluster states in ¹²C, ¹¹B, and ¹³C. Among the latter ones, there is the well-known Hoyle state in ¹²C—the structure of this state exhibit rudimentary features of alpha-particle states.     

Nonlinear optical properties of nanospherical layer in the presence of an electric field

The linear and nonlinear optical properties in a spherical nanolayer quantum system subjected to an uniform applied electric field directed with respect to the z-axis have been theoretically investigated within the compact-density matrix formalism and the iterative method. The dependence of the optical absorption coefficients (ACs) and refractive index (RI) changes on the core radius R₁, on the inner radius of the clad R₂, and on the applied electric field F has been investigated detailedly. The results show that the optical ACs and RI changes of the nanospherical layer have been strongly affected by these factors. Moreover, the outcome of the calculation also suggests that all the factors mentioned above can give rise to blue-shift or red-shift significantly.     

Single-electron transport through an individual InAs SAQD embedded in a graded-dope semiconductor nano-pillar

By using the semiconductor nano-pillar with a graded-dope configuration, we implemented the measurement for a single-electron transport through an individual InAs self-assembled quantum dot (SAQD). An atomic-force microscope observation showed that the SAQD had a disk-like shape with a diameter of 30 nm. We succeeded in observing a significant diamagnetic shift of the Coulomb oscillation peak under the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the disk plane. The measurement gave us a lateral confinement energy of 14 meV and an electron effective mass of 0.039, which provided us with quantitative evidence that the constituent material of the observed quantum dot originates from the InAs SAQD.     

Electret states and the phase transition in a surface layer of the TlGaSe2 ferroelectric semiconductor

The electret polarization is investigated in the TlGaSe₂ ferroelectric semiconductor. It is proved for the first time that stable internal electric fields associated with residual electret polarization are induced in crystals of the TlGaSe₂ ferroelectric semiconductor at temperatures T < 200 K. It is experimentally established that the peak of the pyroelectric current measured in the vicinity of the phase transition to the ferroelectric polar phase depends substantially on the temperature at which the external electric field is switched off when the TlGaSe₂ ferroelectric crystal under investigation is preliminarily cooled from room temperature. The results obtained are discussed in the framework of a model according to which internal electret fields are induced by charges localized at different levels in the bulk and on the surface of the TlGaSe₂ ferroelectric crystal. These fields drastically change at temperatures in a narrow range near 135 K. The inference is made that a phase transition occurs in the surface layer of the TlGaSe₂ crystal at a temperature close to ～135 K.     

Interfacial electronic states in semiconductor heterostructures

It is shown that electronic states of a new type, with energy in the band gap can exist at a heterointerface. The interfacial states may be associated with Tamm surface states in the materials forming the heterointerface, but they can appear even if there are no surface states in the initial materials. In the plane of the heterojunction, the energy spectrum of interfacial states forms a two-dimensional band. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 6, 393–398 (25 March 1998)     

Theory of multi-exciton states in semiconductor nanocrystals

In this article, the fundamental physics of multi-exciton states in semiconductor nano-crystals is reviewed focusing on the mesoscopic enhancement of the excitonic radiative decay rate and the excitonic optical nonlinearity and the mechanism of their saturation with increase of the nanocrystal size. In the case of the radiative decay rate the thermal excitation of excited exciton states having small oscillator strength within the homogeneous linewidth of the exciton ground state is essential in determining the saturation behavior. The weakly correlated exciton pair states are found to cause a cancellation effect in the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility at the exciton resonance, providing the first consistent understanding of the experimentally observed saturation of the mesoscopic enhancement of the excitonic optical nonlinearity. The presence of the weakly correlated exciton pair states is confirmed convincingly from the good correspondence between theory and experiments on the induced absorption spectra from the exciton state in CuCl nanocrystals. Furthermore, ultrafast relaxation processes of biexcitons are discussed in conjunction with the observed very fast rise of the biexciton gain in nanocrystals. In prospect of future progress in research, the theoretical formulation to calculate the triexciton states as one of the multi-exciton states beyond the biexciton is presented for the first time including the electron-hole exchange interaction.     

Phonon-polariton density of states in semiconductor superlattices

An interesting property of modulated semiconductor materials is that their reflectance and absorption spectra can nearly be chosen at will by adjusting the layer geometry. Introducing the concept of phonon-polariton density of states, this paper is aimed at investigating spectral properties of multilayered materials in the infra-red frequency range. Using powerful analytical methods, we will successively consider the cases of infinite and semi-infinite superlattices. The local density of states of polariton modes is obtained using a Green's function technique. Complete information is then available on allowed radiative and non-radiative electromagnetic excitations, (as a function of frequency and wavelength), at any depth in the stratified material. This approach will depict the essential role played by the surface, which changes significantly the polariton density of states as compared to ideal unbounded materials. In multilayered materials, in addition to the effect induced by the surface, one can similarly investigate the influence of the internal interfaces on the polariton local density of states and, from these, on the optical properties of those systems. Electromagnetic eigenmodes arising from the accumulation of interfaces are crucial to assess the spectral properties involving TM-polarized radiations. Effects related to the TE-polarized radiations are explained from the macroscopic anisotropy due to the alternate growth of different semiconductors. These results will be used to discuss reflectance experiments and simulated ATR spectra.     

Quasibound states in semiconductor quantum well structures

We present a study on quasibound states in multiple quantum well structures using a finite element model (FEM). The FEM is implemented for solving the effective mass Schrödinger equation in arbitrary layered semiconductor nanostructures with an arbitrary applied potential. The model also includes nonparabolicity effects by using an energy dependent effective mass, where the resulting nonlinear eigenvalue problem was solved using an iterative approach. We focus on quasibound/continuum states above the barrier potential and show that such states can be determined using cyclic boundary conditions. This new method enables the determination of both bound and quasibound states simultaneously, making it more efficient than other methods where different boundary conditions have to be used in extracting the relevant states. Furthermore, the new method lifted the problem of quasibound state divergence commonly seen with many other methods of calculation. Hence enabling accurate determination of dipole matrix elements involving both bound and quasibound states. Such calculations are vital in the design of intersubband optoelectronic devices and reveal the interesting properties of quasibound states above the potential barriers.     

Charged magneto-exciton states in semiconductor quantum dots

By embedding a layer of self-assembled quantum dots into a field-effect structure, we are able to control the exciton charge in a single dot. We present the results of photoluminescence experiments as a function of both charge and magnetic field. The results demonstrate a hierarchy of energy scales determined by quantization, the direct Coulomb interaction, the electron–electron exchange interaction, and the electron–hole exchange interaction. For excitons up to the triply charged exciton, the behavior can be understood from a model assuming discrete levels within the quantum dot. For the triply charged exciton, this is no longer the case. In a magnetic field, we discover a coherent interaction with the continuum states, the Landau levels associated with the wetting layer.     

Coulombic bound states in semiconductor quantum wells

Recent theoretical works on Coulombic bound states in semiconductor quantum wells (Q.W.) are reviewed. Due to carrier confinement along the growth axis the bound impurity or exciton states display enhanced binding energies over the bulk values. The presence of free carriers in modulation-doped quantum wells decreases the impurity binding energies. However the quasi-bidimensionality of the carrier motion prevents a complete vanishing of impurity bound states. The photoluminescence line of high-quality quantum well is often Stokes-shifted with respect to the absorption or excitation spectra. This Stokes shift can be correlated with interface defects in a qualitative fashion.     

Electron states at steps in semiconductor surfaces

Based on the Bethe-Peierls approximation we have developed a method to study surfaces where local deviations from periodicity are present. Since the method leaves out everything but short-range order, the effect of particular local configurations are easily studied. In particular, we apply the method to study the electronic structure of steps in Si surfaces. The results are in fair agreement with photoemission experimental data.     

Magnetic-impurity states of electron in two-dimensional semiconductor structures

Electron states on an attractive center of small-radius r _c ? l (l = $\sqrt {\frac{{c\hbar }}{{eH}}} $ is the magnetic length) located in a two-dimensional structure are investigated in a uniform magnetic field H applied perpendicularly to the structure surface. The spectrum of magnetic-impurity (MI) particle states with an arbitrary moment projection on the direction H for Landau bands 0 ≤ N < l ²/r _c ² is derived in the approximation that mixing of Landau levels is weak. The dependence of the electron energy states on magnetic field, the layer thickness, and the impurity position are studied. It is shown that dimension lowering leads to a qualitatively different spectrum of MI states compared to the three-dimensional case [1]. A comparison of the obtained binding energy of the D ^? center with experimental data is performed.     

Stark states in semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices

The quasi-bound states of electrons and holes in coupled GaAsAlGaAs quantum wells in the presence of an applied electric field perpendicular to the wells are determined by the exact solution of the Schroedinger equation using the iteration matrix formalism. The transmission probability in a finite superlattice is also calculated taking into account the exact wave functions in the barriers and wells. The method can be useful to interpret recent tunneling-current measurements.     

Electron states in curved quantum structures with varying radius

The influence of size and shape is investigated for quantum-dot electronic states and intra-band oscillator strengths adapting a method originally due to Stevenson. The present work solves the one-band envelope-function problem for conduction-band eigenstates in the framework of theory using general curved coordinates. The eigenstates found are subsequently employed to express intra-band oscillator strengths and emphasis is given to the dependence of oscillator strengths on quantum-dot size and shape. We finally provide four simple examples.     

Muonium states in semiconductor crystals: Quantum-chemical calculations

The electronic structure of muonium (Mu) located at the bond-centered sites of the silicon and diamond crystals is calculated by the intermediate neglect of differential overlap method. Calculations of the electronicg- and hyperfine interaction tensors of the impurity atom are performed. The results obtained are compared to the experimental properties of “anomalous” muonium Mu^*. It is shown that the properties of Mu located at the bond-centered sites of the Si and C lattices are in qualitative agreement with the observed properties of Mu^*.     

Local density of states in a model variable-band semiconductor

A model of a variable-band semiconductor which permits of an accurate solution is considered. The wave functions and an equation defining the energy spectrum of the system are obtained. The local density of states, which, generally speaking, is an oscillating function depending on the energy and number of lattice points is calculated. An accurate representation is introduced of the coordinate dependence of the region of the maximum of the local density of states, which is a generalization of the approximate representation of the curvature of the energy bands. In the case of a fairly smooth variation in the potential parameter of the variable-band system a comparison is made with the approximate band-structure pattern.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 50–55, June, 1981.     

Single-electron tunneling in silicon nanostructures

We present a brief overview on different realizations of single-electron devices fabricated in silicon-on-insulator films. Lateral structuring of highly doped silicon films allows us to observe quasi-metallic Coulomb blockade oscillations in shrunken wires where no quantum dot structure is geometrically defined. Embedding quantum dot structures into the inversion channel of a silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistor Coulomb blockade up to 300 K is observed. In contrast to the quasi-metallic structures, in these devices the influence of the quantum mechanical level spacing inside the dot becomes visible. Suspending highly doped silicon nanostructures leads to a novel kind of Coulomb blockade devices allowing both high-power application as well as the study of electron–phonon interaction. Received: 14 April 2000 / Accepted: 17 April 2000 / Published online: 6 September 2000