Anomalous Stark shifts in single vertically coupled pairs of InGaAs quantum dots

Vertically coupled Stranski Krastanow quantum dots (QDs) are predicted to exhibit strong tunnelling interactions that lead to the formation of hybridised states. We report the results of investigations into single pairs of coupled QDs in the presence of an electric field that is able to bring individual carrier levels into resonance and to investigate the Stark shift properties of the excitons present. Pronounced changes in the Stark shift behaviour of exciton features are identified and attributed to the significant redistribution of the carrier wavefunctions as resonance between two QDs is achieved. At low electric fields coherent tunnelling between the two QD ground states is identified from the change in sign of the permanent dipole moment and dramatic increase of the electron polarisability, and at higher electric fields a distortion of the Stark shift is attributed to a coherent tunnelling effect between the ground state of the upper QD and the excited state of the lower QD.     

Playing with quantum Hall effects and single-electron-tunneling effects

The usefulness of quantum Hall effect (QHE) conductors and quantum dot (QD) devices is revealed by reviewing five remarkable effects. The first is the sensitive detection of terahertz (THz) radiation by QHE conductors. The second is the imaging of THz emission from non-equilibrium carriers in QHE conductors, by using scanning THz microscopes. The third is the single-photon detection of THz radiation in strong magnetic fields, which is carried out by incorporating a QHE electron system into a QD. Individual events of single-THz-photon absorption within the QD via cyclotron resonance cause the QD to electrically polarize, which, in turn, is detected as switches of the tunnel conductance through the QD. The fourth is the single-photon detection of THz radiation by using double QDs in the absence of a magnetic field. Both of the photon detectors are implemented in gate-voltage-induced lateral GaAs/AlGaAs QDs, and exploiting the extraordinary sensitivity of single-electron transistors to the charge. The fifth is the coherent control of nuclear spins in QHE conductors. Nuclear spins are (i) electrically polarized by unequally populating spin-split QHE edge channels via the hyperfine interaction, (ii) coherently controlled via pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance induced by local RF magnetic fields, and (iii) finally detected by the edge channels through resistance change of the Hall device. The controlled nuclear spins are limited to those along the edge channels, on the order of 10⁹.     

Effects of a longitudinal magnetic field on spin injection and detection in InAs/GaAs quantum dot structures

Effects of a longitudinal magnetic field on optical spin injection and detection in InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) structures are investigated by optical orientation spectroscopy. An increase in the optical and spin polarization of the QDs is observed with increasing magnetic field in the range 0-2?T, and is attributed to suppression of exciton spin depolarization within the QDs that is promoted by the hyperfine interaction and anisotropic electron-hole exchange interaction. This leads to a corresponding enhancement in spin detection efficiency of the QDs by a factor of up to 2.5. At higher magnetic fields, when these spin depolarization processes are quenched, the electron spin polarization in anisotropic QD structures (such as double QDs that are preferably aligned along a specific crystallographic axis) still exhibits a rather strong field dependence under non-resonant excitation. In contrast, such a field dependence is practically absent in more 'isotropic' QD structures (e.g.?single QDs). We attribute the observed effect to stronger electron spin relaxation in the spin injectors (i.e.?wetting layer and GaAs barriers) of the lower-symmetry QD structures, which also explains the lower spin injection efficiency observed in these structures.     

Spin relaxation mechanism of hopping transport in a 2D asymmetric quantum dot array

Spin relaxation is studied in the hopping conduction mode in 2D arrays of quantum dots (QDs) with structural asymmetry. It is shown that the absence of the “up-down” symmetry in a QD leads to the emergence of a new spin relaxation mechanism in tunneling in a 2D QD array. The difference in spin relaxation mechanisms for symmetric and asymmetric QDs is demonstrated on the basis of theoretical analysis of an elementary event (jump between two tunnel-coupled dots). It is shown that spin flip during tunneling between QDs is the main spin relaxation mechanism in the transport in dense arrays of QDs in Ge placed in weak (1–10 T) magnetic fields.     

The second-harmonic generation in parabolic quantum dots in the presence of electric and magnetic fields

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient for parabolic quantum dots (QDs) subject to applied electric and magnetic fields is theoretically investigated, within the framework of the compact-density-matrix approach and an iterative method. Numerical results are presented for typical GaAs/AlGaAs parabolic QDs. These results show that the radius of QD and the magnitude of electric and magnetic fields have a great influence on the SHG coefficient. And the peak shifts to the aspect of high energy when considering the influence of electric and magnetic fields. Moreover, the SHG coefficient also depends sensitively on the relaxation rate of the spherical QD system.     

Optimum Quantum Yield of the Light Emission from 2 to 10 nm Hydrosilylated Silicon Quantum Dots

Optimizing the light‐emitting efficiency of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) has been recently intensified by the demand of the practical use of Si QDs in a variety of fields such as optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and bioimaging. It is imperative that an understanding of the optimum light‐emitting efficiency of Si QDs should be obtained to guide the design of the synthesis and processing of Si QDs. Here an investigation is presented on the characteristics of the photoluminescence (PL) from hydrosilylated Si QDs in a rather broad size region (≈2–10 nm), which enables an effective mass approximation model to be developed, which can very well describe the dependence of the PL energy on the QD size for Si QDs in the whole quantum‐confinement regime, and demonstrates that an optimum PL quantum yield (QY) appears at a specific QD size for Si QDs. The optimum PL QY results from the interplay between quantum‐confinement effect and surface effect. The current work has important implications for the surface engineering of Si QDs. To optimize the light‐emission efficiency of Si QDs, the surface of Si QDs must be engineered to minimize the formation of defects such as dangling bonds at the QD surface and build an energy barrier that can effectively prevent carriers in Si QDs from tunneling out.     

Numerical investigation on threading dislocation bending with InAs/GaAs quantum dots

The threading dislocations (TDs) in GaAs/Si epitaxial layers due to the lattice mismatch seriously degrade the performance of the lasers grown on silicon. The insertion of InAs quantum dots (QDs) acting as dislocation filters is a pretty good alternative to solving this problem. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) is proposed to calculate the critical condition for InAs/GaAs QDs bending TDs into interfacial misfit dislocations (MDs). Making a comparison of elastic strain energy between the two isolated systems, a reasonable result is obtained. The effect of the cap layer thickness and the base width of QDs on TD bending are studied, and the results show that the bending area ratio of single QD (the bending area divided by the area of the QD base) is evidently affected by the two factors. Moreover, we present a method to evaluate the bending capability of single-layer QDs and multi-layer QDs. For the QD with 24-nm base width and 5-nm cap layer thickness, taking the QD density of 10¹¹ cm^-2 into account, the bending area ratio of single-layer QDs (the area of bending TD divided by the area of QD layer) is about 38.71%. With inserting five-layer InAs QDs, the TD density decreases by 91.35%. The results offer the guidelines for designing the QD dislocation filters and provide an important step towards realizing the photonic integration circuits on silicon.     

Surface integral determination of built-in electric fields and analysis of exciton binding energies in nitride-based quantum dots

We present a simple analytical approach to calculate the built-in strain-induced and spontaneous piezoelectric fields in nitride-based quantum dots (QDs) and then apply the method to describe the variation of exciton, biexciton and charged exciton energy with dot size in GaN/AlN QDs. We first present the piezoelectric potential in terms of a surface integral over the QD surface, and confirm that, due to the strong built-in electric field, the electrons are localised near the QD top and the holes are localised in the wetting layer just below the dot. The strong localisation and smaller dielectric constant results in much larger Coulomb interactions in GaN/AlN QDs than in typical InAs/GaAs QDs, with the interaction between two electrons, J_ee, or two holes, J_hh, being about a factor of three larger. The electron–hole recombination energy is always blue shifted in the charged excitons, X⁻ and X⁺, and the biexciton, and the blue shift increases with increasing dot height. We conclude that spectroscopic studies of the excitonic complexes should provide a useful probe of the structural and piezoelectric properties of GaN-based QDs.     

Excitonic Rabi oscillations in a quantum dot: local field impact

The influence of local fields on the excitonic Rabi oscillations in an isolated, arbitrary shaped quantum dot (QD) has been theoretically investigated. QD interaction with both a classical electromagnetic field and quantum light has been considered. In the classical light, time harmonic and ultrashort pulse excitations are analyzed. The general formalism has been formulated for quantum light and applied to the case of a Fock qubit. Noticeable modification of the Rabi oscillation dynamics induced by the local fields is predicted to be observable in QDs exposed to both classical and quantum light. In particular, the bifurcation and anharmonism in the Rabi oscillations have been revealed under time harmonic excitation and a dependence of the Rabi oscillation period on the QD depolarization has been obtained.     

Influence of the quantum dot shape on the determination of the electronic structure and electron decoherence

Theoretical calculations of electron–phonon scattering rates in AlGaN/GaN quantum dots (QDs) have been performed by means of effective mass approximation in the frame of finite element method. The influence of a symmetry breaking of the carrier's wave function on the electron dephasing time is investigated for various QDs shapes. In a QD system the electron energy increases when the QD shape changes from a spherical to a non-spherical form. In addition, the influence of the QD shape upon the electronic structure can be modulated by external magnetic fields. We also show that the electron–acoustic phonon scattering rates strongly depend upon both the QD shape and the applied magnetic field. As an additional parameter, the QD shape can be used to modify the electron–acoustic phonon interaction in a wide range. Moreover, the scattering rate of different transitions, such as Δm=0(1), presents distinct magnetic field dependency.     

Diffuse X-ray scattering from crystalline structures with quantum dots of pyramidal shape

Diffuse scattering from crystalline structures with quantum dots (QDs) in the shape of a regular truncated pyramid with a square base is investigated. The elastic strains around QDs are calculated using the Green function method. The fields of the QD atomic displacements and the angular distribution of scattering intensity in the reciprocal space as functions of the QD concentration are simulated numerically. The influence of a pyramidal QD cross section by the diffraction plane on the diffuse X-ray scattering is demonstrated.     

Energy transfer in associates of semiconductor quantum dots with tetrapyridinoporphyrazine molecules

The interaction of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with metal-free tetrapyridinoporphyrazine (TPPA) molecules in chloroform has been investigated. It was found that, at QD concentrations lower than ～3 × 10^?7 M, QD luminescence is quenched in the presence of TPPA and characteristic changes occur in the absorption and luminescence spectra of TPPA, which reflect the interaction of TPPA molecules with the QD surface. Along with the QD luminescence quenching, sensitized luminescence of TPPA molecules adsorbed on QDs was observed. The luminescence excitation spectra of adsorbed TPPA molecules unambiguously indicate the presence of energy transfer from QDs to TPPA. The efficiency of energy transfer from QDs to TPPA is estimated from the quantum yield of sensitized TPPA luminescence.     

Biphasic Dielectrophoresis of Isotropic Pocket Carriers Containing Quantum Dots (QDs) in Nematic Medium and Fabrication of QD Cluster Array with Matrix Emission of Point Light Sources

Unusual physical properties of an anisotropic liquid crystal (LC) medium, such as topological defects, elastic interaction with particles, and nonlinear electrophoresis, are ingeniously utilized to handle nanoparticles. Here, a new approach to manipulate quantum dots (QDs) using volume‐tunable and electrically movable isotropic pocket carriers in a nematic medium is demonstrated. This method is based on multiple mechanisms: spontaneous formation of QD flocs in LCs, sharp solubility contrast of QDs in nematic and isotropic phases, and biphasic dielectrophoresis in isotropic–nematic mixture. By thermally and electrically controlling the isotropic pockets containing QDs, an array of hierarchical QD clusters with the arbitrarily controllable size and location is fabricated. The phase boundary pressure squeezes the QD flocs to adhere to each other and on the substrate. The QD cluster array can be transferred to a flexible substrate, and can serve as a point light source array for display and image acquisition applications.     

Electrochemical characterization of core@shell CoFe2O4/Au composite

Quantum dots (QDs) have received considerable attention due to their unique optical and electrical properties. Although substantial research has focused on the potential applications and toxicological impacts of QDs, far less effort has been directed toward understanding their fate and transport in the environment. In this work, the effect of four coatings, polyethylene glycol functionalized polymer (PEGP), carboxyl derivatized polymer (COOHP), linoleic acid (LA), and polyacrylic acid-octylamine (PAA-OA), on the transport and retention of QDs in porous media were evaluated under environmentally relevant conditions. Aqueous QD suspensions (ca. 10 nM) were introduced into water-saturated columns packed with 40–50 mesh Ottawa sand at a pore-water velocity of 7.6 m/day. At an ionic strength (IS) of 3 mM and pH of 7, PEGP-coated QDs were completely retained within the column, while more than 60 % of COOHP-coated QDs were transported through a column run under identical conditions. When PAA-OA and LA were used as coatings, effluent QD recoveries increased to more than 65 and 89 % of the injected mass, respectively. Additionally, a decrease in pH from 9.5 to 5.0, or an increase of IS from 0 to 30 mM reduced the eluted mass of PAA-OA-coated QDs by more than 2 and 15 times, respectively. The relative mobility of coated QDs (LA > PAA-OA > COOHP > PEGP) was consistent with total interaction energy profiles between QDs and sand surfaces calculated based on Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory. At an IS of 3 mM (NaCl) and pH 7, a linear correlation was obtained between the fraction of eluted QDs and the magnitude of the primary interaction energy barrier. These findings demonstrate the strong dependence of QD transport on coating type and indicate that interaction energies based on DLVO theory can be used to predict the relative mobility of QDs in porous media.     

量子点背光技术的研究进展

量子点材料因具有发光波长可调,色度纯,量子效率高等优异特性而受到广泛关注,在光致发光高色彩显示方面有着巨大的应用潜力。本文综述了量子点背光技术的研究进展,主要对比了QDs On-Chip、QDs On-Surface及QDs On-Edge 3种量子点背光主流技术的基本原理及结构,并分析了它们在液晶显示领域的应用,未来前景及面临的挑战;然后介绍了几种新型的量子点背光技术,并对两种量子点背光新技术进行重点说明:一种是采用低温注塑成型工艺将量子点与高分子材料均匀混合为一体,用于制备直下式背光的量子点体散射型结构扩散板;另一种新技术是采用丝网印刷或喷墨打印工艺将量子点转印至导光板表面,形成应用于侧入式背光的量子点网点微结构导光板。这两种背光都具有制备工艺简单、成本低、生产效率高等特点,对高色域液晶显示的研究及发展意义深远。     

Kondo transport through a quantum dot coupled with side quantum-dot structures

This paper investigates Kondo transport properties in a quadruple quantum dot (QD) based on the slave-boson mean field theory and the non-equilibrium Green’s function.In the quadruple QD structure one Kondo-type QD sandwiched between two leads is side coupled to two separate QD structures:a single-QD atom and a double-QD molecule.It shows that the conductance valleys and peaks always appear in pairs and by tuning the energy levels in three side QDs,the one-,two-,or three-valley conductance pattern can be obtained.Furthermore,it finds that whether the valley and the peak can appear is closely dependent on the specific values of the interdot couplings and the energy level difference between the two QDs in the molecule.More interestingly,an extra novel conductance peak can be produced by the coexistence of the two different kinds of side QD structures.     

量子点中磁激子的极化子效应

采用推广的LLP方法研究了自组织量子点中磁激子的极化子效应。考虑带电粒子和声子的相互作用,得到了激子能量随磁场的变化关系。结果表明,激子-声子的相互作用降低了激子的能量,但影响很小;极化子效应在没有外磁场时较明显,随着外磁场的增加,这种效应变得越来越弱。     

Förster Energy Transfer in Arrays of Epitaxial CdSe/ZnSe Quantum Dots Involving Bright and Dark Excitons

Using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, we establish the presence of the Förster energy transfer mechanism between two arrays of epitaxial CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes. The mechanism operates through dipole–dipole interaction between ground excitonic states of the smaller QDs and excited states of the larger QDs. The dependence of energy transfer efficiency on the width of barrier separating the QD insets is shown to be in line with the Förster mechanism. The temperature dependence of the PL decay times and PL intensity suggests the involvement of dark excitons in the energy transfer process.     

Optical and electronic properties of quantum dots with magnetic impurities

The article discusses some of the recent results on semiconductor quantum dots with magnetic impurities. A single Mn impurity incorporated in a quantum dot strongly changes the optical response of a quantum-dot system. A character of Mn-carrier interaction is very different for II-VI and III-V quantum dots (QDs). In the II-VI QDs, a Mn impurity influences mostly the spin-structure of an exciton. In the III-V dots, a spatial localization of hole by a Mn impurity can be very important, and ultimately yields a totally different spin structure. A Mn-doped QD with a variable number of mobile carriers represents an artificial magnetic atom. Due to the Mn-carrier interaction, the order of filling of electronic shells in the magnetic QDs can be very different to the case of the real atoms. The “periodic” table of the artificial magnetic atoms can be realized in voltage-tunable transistor structures. For the electron numbers corresponding to the regime of Hund's rule, the magnetic Mn-carrier coupling is especially strong and the magnetic-polaron states are very robust. Magnetic QD molecules are also very different to the real molecules. QD molecules can demonstrate spontaneous breaking of symmetry and phase transitions. Single QDs and QD molecules can be viewed as voltage-tunable nanoscale memory cells where information is stored in the form of robust magnetic-polaron states. To cite this article: A.O. Govorov, C. R. Physique 9 (2008).