Fabrication and characterization of a PbTe quantum dots multilayer structure

Multilayer PbTe quantum dots (QDs) and SiO₂ were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) techniques. The crystalline structure, QD size and size dispersion were observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements. This technique allows one to grow PbTe QDs as small as 1.8 nm diameter and 0.6 nm size dispersion. The whole structure can be used in a Fabry–Perot cavity for an optical device operating at the mid-infrared region.     

All-optical switching device for infrared based on PbTe quantum dots

Multilayers of PbTe quantum dots embedded in SiO₂ were fabricated by alternate use of Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) techniques. The morphological properties of the nanostructured material were studied by means of High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Grazing-Incidence Small-Angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and X-ray Reflectometry (XRR) techniques. A preliminary analysis of the GISAXS spectra provided information about the multilayer periodicity and its relationship to the size of the deposited PbTe nanoparticles. Finally multilayers were fabricated inside a Fabry–Perot cavity. The device was characterized by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Transmittance measurements show the device functionality in the infrared region.     

Carrier hopping in InAs/AlyGa1−yAs quantum dot heterostructures: effects on optical and laser properties

The optical properties of InAs/Al_yGa_1−yAs self-assembled quantum dots are studied as a function of temperature from 10 K to room temperature. The temperature dependence of carrier hopping between dots is discussed in terms of the depth of the dot confinement potential and the dispersion in dot size and composition. We show that carrier hopping between dots influences both the electrical and optical properties of laser devices having dots as active medium.     

Optical properties of 1.3 μm room temperature emitting InAs quantum dots covered by In0.4Ga0.6As/GaAs hetero-capping layer

Room temperature 1.3 μm emitting InAs quantum dots (QDs) covered by an In_0.4Ga_0.6As/GaAs strain reducing layer (SRL) have been fabricated by solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) using the Stranski–Krastanov growth mode. The sample used has been investigated by temperature and excitation power dependent photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) experiments. Three emission peaks are apparent in the low temperature PL spectrum. We have found, through PLE measurement, a single quantum dot ground state and the corresponding first excited state with relatively large energy spacing. This attribute has been confirmed by TRPL measurements which allow comparison of the dynamics of the ground state with that of the excited states. Optical transitions related to the InGaAs quantum well have been also identified. Over the whole temperature range, the PL intensity is found to exhibit an anomalous increase with increasing temperatures up to 100 K and then followed by a drop by three orders of magnitude. Carrier’s activation energy out of the quantum dots is found to be close to the energy difference between each two subsequent transition energies. PACS 68.65.Ac; 68.65.Hb; 78.67.Hc     

Optical properties of silicon nanocrystal LEDs

In this work, we describe how to fabricate good quality 3 nm nc-Si with low size distribution in thermal SiO₂ oxides. Photoluminescence, excited photoluminescence, and photocurrent measurements are discussed on the basis of theoretical calculations of the quantified levels in nc-Si. The impact of shape and size in quantum dots on transition energies has been highlighted, thanks to 2D symmetrical self-consistent Poisson–Schrödinger simulations. Both direct and indirect gaps in silicon have been considered in order to carry out a better comparison between simulations and optical measurements. A good agreement is found between simulations and experimental data for the indirect gap of 3 nm dots which show a threshold energy around 2 eV. However, the optical recombinations seems to be related to lower energy states probably due to interfacial radiative defects around 1.58 eV. On the basis of highly luminescent nc-Si, we have fabricated an optimized light emitting device (LED) with a calculated design in order to favour both electron and hole injection. Stable red electroluminescence has been obtained at room temperature and the I–V measurements confirm that the current is related to a pure tunnelling process. A modelling of I–V curves confirms a Hopping mechanism with an average trap distance between 1.4 and 1.9 nm. The Fowler–Nordheim process is not observed during light emission for electric fields below 5 MV/cm. Finally, we have not hot carrier injection and thus it seems possible to develop Si-based LEDs with a good reliability.     

Structural and optical properties of In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum dots in an In0.1Ga0.9As well using repeated depositions of InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices for the application of optical communication

We report structural and optical properties of In_0.5Ga_0.5As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) in a 100 Å-thick In_0.1Ga_0.9As well grown by repeated depositions of InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices with atomic force microscope, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurement. The QDs in an InGaAs well grown at 510 °C were studied as a function of n repeated deposition of 1 monolayer thick InAs and 1 monolayer thick GaAs for n=5–10. The heights, widths and densities of dots are in the range of 6–22.0 nm, 40–85 nm, and 1.6–1.1×10¹⁰/cm², respectively, as n changes from 5 to 10 with strong alignment along [1 −1 0] direction. Flat and pan-cake-like shape of the QDs in a well is found in TEM images. The bottoms of the QDs are located lower than the center of the InGaAs well. This reveals that there was intermixing—interdiffusion—of group III materials between the InGaAs QD and the InGaAs well during growth. All reported dots show strong 300 K-PL spectrum, and 1.276 μm (FWHM: 32.3 meV) of 300 K-PL peak was obtained in case of 7 periods of the QDs in a well, which is useful for the application to optical communications.     

A comparison between optically active CdZnSe/ZnSe and CdZnSe/ZnBeSe self-assembled quantum dots: effect of beryllium

The composition and size of optically active Cd_xZn_1−xSe/ZnSe quantum dots are estimated with a previously developed method. The results are then compared with those obtained for Cd_xZn_1−xSe/Zn_0.97Be_0.03Se QDs. We show that introducing Be into the barrier material enhances both Cd composition and quantum size effect of optically active quantum dots.     

A comparative study on the performance of hybrid solar cells containing ZnSTe QDs in hole transporting layer and photoactive layer

In this paper, ZnSTe quantum dots-based hybrid solar cells (HSC) with two different device architectures have been investigated. The improved performance of the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]phenyl C₇₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM)-based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells by the incorporation of ZnSTe quantum dots (QDs) with an average size of 2.96 nm in PEDOT:PSS layer and active layer that have been demonstrated. Although the efficiency of both types of devices is almost the same, a close comparison reveals different reasons behind their improved performance. The device prepared with QDs in the HTL has shown reduced series resistance, increased shunt resistance, and improved mobility. On the other hand, QDs in the photoactive layer demonstrates increased photo-generation leading to improved efficiency.     

Ge dots on Si (1 1 1) and (1 0 0) surfaces with SiO2 coverage: Raman study

Germanium quantum dots formed on Si (1 1 1) and (1 0 0)-oriented surfaces coated with ultra-thin oxide layers are studied using Raman spectroscopy technique. Some structural properties (height, stoichiometry and mechanical stresses) of the dots were estimated from Raman data. For analysis of the experimental data, the Raman spectra of Ge nanoclusters containing some hundreds of Ge atoms were calculated numerically. The effects of the resonance enhancement of the intensity of Raman scattering in the Ge-nanoclusters–SiO₂–Si system were discussed. The influence of the lateral sizes of Ge nano-clusters on the frequencies of phonons localized in them was studied using numerical simulation. The influence of multi-layer growth on the structure of the Ge quantum dots was investigated.     

Optical properties of Stranski–Krastanov grown three-dimensional Si/Si1−xGex nanostructures

Detailed Raman and photoluminescence (PL) measurements are reported for Si/Si_1−xGe_x nanostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy under near Stranski–Krastanov (S–K) growth mode conditions. In samples with x ranging from 0.096 to 0.53, we observe that an increase in the Raman signal related to Ge–Ge vibrations correlates with (i) a red shift in the PL peak position, (ii) an increase in the activation energy of PL thermal quenching, and (iii) an increase in the PL quantum efficiency. The results indicate that for x>0.5 Ge atoms form nanometer size clusters with a nearly pure Ge core surrounded by a SiGe shell. Time-resolved PL measurements reveal a stretched-exponential long-lived PL component that is associated with compositional and dimensional fluctuations in the SiGe dots.     

Sinusoidal Phase-Modulating Superluminescent Diode Interferometer with Fabry-Perot Etalone for Step-Profile Measurement

In this paper we use a superluminescent diode (SLD) as the light source of an interferometer and extract a narrow spectrum from a wide spectrum of the SLD with a Fabry-Perot Etalone (FPE). By varying sinusoidally the distance between the two mirrors of FPE, the central wavelength of the narrow spectrum is scanned sinusoidally. The distance between the mirrors is exactly set by a feedback control system, and sinusoidal phase-modulated SLD light that has a large scanning width of about 10 nm can be obtained with high stability and spatial uniformity. The phase of the interference signal has two different components. One is amplitude Z_b of sinusoidal phase modulation, which is proportional to the optical path difference (OPD) and the scanning width. The other is conventional phase α, which provides a fractional value of the OPD in the range of the wavelength. By combining the two values of the OPD obtained from Z_b and α, an exact OPD larger than the wavelength can be measure with ment accuracy in α. Characteristics of the interferometer are made clearly through step-profile measurements.     

Successful growth of two different quantum dots on one substrate

We report the successful growth of ZnSe and ZnTe quantum dots (QDs) embedded in ZnS on GaAs substrate. These QDs have good optical properties and show quantum confinement effect. High-resolution electron scanning microscope studies show that these QDs are grown in Volmer–Weber mode. It is found that the size of the QDs is controlled by the growth duration. When the growth time is short, high density of QDs could be fabricated, but with a long growth time the small QDs get together to form a large cluster. We also show that with this growth method it is possible to grow both ZnSe quantum and ZnTe QDs on one substrate at the same time. For this dual QDs system, two peaks corresponding to the emission from the ZnSe dots (3.0 eV, blue–violet) and ZnTe dots (2.6 eV, green–blue) could be observed at the same time in the photoluminescence measurement.     

Single-electron charging spectra: from natural to artificial atoms

We present a theoretical study of the charging spectra in natural and artificial atoms. We apply a model electrostatic potential created by a homogenously charged sphere. This model potential allows for a continuous passage from the Coulomb potential of the nucleus to parabolic confinement potential of quantum dots. We consider electron systems with N=1,…,10 electrons with the use of the Hartree–Fock method. We discuss the qualitative similarities and differences between the chemical potential spectrum of electron systems bound to nucleus and confined in quantum dots.     

Adaptive computation by interacting quantum dots

We present a theoretical study and discussion of computationally useful nanoelectronic circuits which use adaptive control methods both to achieve the circuit function and to compensate for unpredictable nonuniformities in the circuit environment. In the regime where the scaling of conventional digital electronics breaks down, nanoelectronic circuitry will be required to perform robustly in the presence of inevitable device–device interactions, sensitivity to circuit parameters of quantum devices, and deviations from ideal circuit design. To examine the role of adaption in addressing these issues, we focus on a specific class of scaleable circuit architectures composed of Coulombically interacting polarizable anisotropic quantum dots which include input polarization dots, output polarization dots, and an array of processing dots. We implement the adaptive control of these circuits by assuming that particular features of the processing dots such as energy barriers, charge, shape, or orientation can be experimentally modified. A method of adaptive feedback is used to modify the processing dots and produce desired correlations between the input and output dot polarizations as computed by the circuit. A variational quantum Monte Carlo method has been used to simulate the many-body response of model GaAs dot circuits in which the mutual orientation of the dots is adapted to successfully achieve different desired patterns of correlation. We demonstrate the robustness of the adaptive circuits for circuit nonuniformities and for sensitivity to circuit parameters due to quantum effects.     

Raman E 1 and E 1 + Δ1 resonances in a system of unstrained germanium quantum dots

The positions and shapes of the Raman E ₁ and E ₁ + Δ₁ resonances of optical phonons are studied as functions of the size of unstrained germanium quantum dots. The quantum dots are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy in GaAs/ZnSe/Ge/ZnSe structures on GaAs(111) wafers. The positions of the E ₁ and E ₁ + Δ₁ resonances are found to shift by at most 0.3 eV. This shift is shown to be well described in terms of a cylindrical model using the quantization of the spectrum of bulk electron-hole states in germanium that form an exciton in a two-dimensional critical point. The fact that the peaks of the E ₁ and E ₁ + Δ₁ resonances appear separately has been detected for the first time, and it is related to the transformation of the interband density of states into a delta function because of spectrum quantization. An increase in the resonance amplitudes in quantum dots as compared to the bulk case is related to the degeneracy multiplicity of the exciton state in the (111) direction.     

Antiresonance of electron tunneling through a quantum dot array

Electronic transport through a one-dimensional quantum dot array is theoretically studied. In such a system both electron reservoirs of continuum states couple with the individual component quantum dots of the array arbitrarily. When there are some dangling quantum dots in the array outside the dot(s) contacting the leads, the electron tunneling through the quantum dot array is wholly forbidden if the electron energy is just equal to the molecular energy levels of the dangling quantum dots, which is called as antiresonance of electron tunneling. Accordingly, when the chemical potential of the reservoir electrons is aligned with the electron levels of all quantum dots, the linear conductance at zero temperature vanishes if there are odd number dangling quantum dots; Otherwise, it is equal to 2e²/h due to resonant tunneling if the total number of quantum dots in the array is odd. This odd–even parity is independent of the interdot and the lead–dot coupling strength.     

Electron transport through the electromechanical quantum dots devices

In the nanometer structure, the island with discrete energy spectrum should be considered. The transport characteristics of an electromechanical quantum dots device at zero temperature are investigated by using Monte Carlo method. An indirect and effective method is applied to estimate the trend of the current curves, by analyzing the average electrostatic forces. The current–voltage curves show the Coulomb blockade phenomena, which is the result of the interaction between discrete levels and the island vibration.     

Coherent electronic properties of coupled two-dimensional quantum dot arrays

In this paper we review our recent study of coherent electronic properties of coupled two-dimensional quantum dot arrays using numerical exact-diagonalization methods on a Mott–Hubbard type correlated tight-binding model. We predict the existence of a novel kind of persistent current in a two-dimensionalisolatedarray of quantum dots in a transverse magnetic field. We calculate the conductance spectrum for resonant tunneling transport through a coherent two-dimensional array of quantum dots in the Coulomb Blockade regime. We also calculate the effective two-terminal capacitance of an array coupled to bias leads.     

Simulation of electroluminescence of quantum dot-based microcavity light-emitting device

We present a detailed analysis and computations of the emitted radiation spectrum for quantum dots (QDs) microcavity light-emitting device, where the total physical thickness of the cavity spacer was kept at 254 nm which corresponds to the wavelength of the mode number (m) = 1 resonant mode of the cavity. Our calculation gives good results for QD diameter only from 1.2 to 6.4 nm. The computations are used to examine how the emitted radiation spectrum can be optimized by varying the position of the light-emitting layer, the type of cathode material, the choice of hole transport layer material, and the thickness of electron transport layer, QD layer, and hole transport layer. These studies showed that the variation of layers geometry and the position of the light-emitting layer will optimize the output intensity and the radiation spectrum and varying the ETL and QD layer thickness will have a more effect on the emitted spectrum than varying HTL thickness. In addition, we have examined the effect of using different quantum dots sizes in emission layer. On the other hand, we have investigated the difference between the electroluminescence (EL) emissions for microcavity device in comparison with the non-cavity device, and we have found that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the EL is reduced from 45 nm for the QD non-cavity LED to 30 nm for the output of a resonant microcavity device. Finally, we have investigated the compatibility between our calculation and the experimental results and found a fairly good agreement between them.     

Splitting and storing excitons in strained coupled self-assembled quantum dots

We present a novel self-assembled quantum dot structure designed to spatially separate and store photo-generated electrons and holes in pairs of strain coupled quantum dots. The spatial separation of electron–hole pairs into quantum dots and strain-induced quantum dots has been investigated and verified by photoluminescence experiments. Results from time-resolved PL demonstrates that at low temperatures (3 K) the electron–hole pair can be stored for several seconds.