Combined STM/AFM visualization of the local density of states in the InAs/GaAs quantum dots

Combined ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling/atomic-force microscopy (STM/AFM) has been implemented for the first time for the tunneling spectroscopy of the size-quantized states in the InAs/GaAs(001) surface quantum dots (QDs). The tunneling spectra and current images, which reflect the energy and spatial distribution of the local density of the ground and excited states in the QDs have been obtained.     

Controllable dissipative tunneling in an external electric field

We have studied the problem of controllable dissipative tunneling in the system of tunnel-binding quantum dots (quantum molecules) and in the “AFM/STM cantilever tip-quantum dot” system, which was simulated by a double-well oscillator potential interacting with a heat-bath in an external electric field. We show that theoretical results qualitatively describe some experimental I–V curves for “the AFM/STM cantilever tip-zirconium quantum dot” system. These experimental curves were obtained in the Research Institute of Physics and Technologies at the State University of Nizhniy Novgorod.     

Correlation between the size and photoluminescence spectrum of quantum dots in InAs-QD/GaAs

A computational method for determining the real sizes of quantum dots based on the data of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is suggested. It is shown that the experimentally observed measurement error (for the AFM method) of the sizes of the pyramidal quantum dots with a base edge of a ～ 30–46 nm, stemming from convolution, is approximately equal to a quarter of the curvature radius of the AFM probe. Calibration curves of the dependence of the photoluminescence-peak positions of InAs-QD/GaAs heterostructures (in the range 900–1800 nm) on the sizes of the quantum dots measured with the probes whose curvature radii were from from 10 to 100 nm are established.     

Evolution of Si0.8Ge0.2 quantum dots during Si encapsulation

Surface structure, determined by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), surface morphology, determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface composition, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of 20.0 nm Si_0.8Ge_0.2 quantum dots formed at 800 °C and encapsulated with 0-10 nm of Si at 500 °C and 800 °C are presented. It is observed that the quantum dot surface morphology changes during the Si encapsulation at 800 °C by the smoothing of the quantum dots. The height of the quantum dots decreases faster than can be accounted for from the amount of Si deposited, indicating that there is movement of material out of the quantum dots during the encapsulation process. Encapsulation at 500 °C results in a retention of the quantum dot surface morphology with increased Ge segregation compared to Si encapsulation at 800 °C. We conclude that the changing surface morphology at 800 °C is not the result of Ge segregation but due to intermixing resulting from the tensile strain of Si depositing on SiGe.     

Study of local density of electron states in InGaAs/GaAs quantum rings by combined STM/AFM

The electronic structure of self-assembled InGaAs/GaAs(001) quantum rings grown by atmospheric pressure metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy has been investigated by combined scanning tunneling/atomic force microscopy (STM/AFM) in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) for the first time. The current images and the tunnel spectra of contact of Pt-coated Si AFM probe to the quantum ring heterostructure surface revealing the spatial distribution of the local density of states and the electron size quantization spectra in the quantum rings have been obtained.     

Spatially resolved STM light emission spectra of cleaved (1 1 0) AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

We have measured the spectra of light emitted from individual single GaAs quantum wells of cleaved (1 1 0) AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures using the STM (scanning tunneling microscope) tip as a local electron injection source. The cross-sectional STM images of the quantum wells were obtained, and the light emission spectra were measured by locating the STM tip over individual quantum wells of interest. Single emission peaks were observed to shift to the high-energy side with decreasing well width. The peak positions agree with the calculated transition energies for the corresponding well width. The thermalization length of the injected electron was estimated by observing the change in the emission intensity as the tip is moved at different distances from a given well.     

CdTe,核 壳型CdTe/CdS及CdTe/ZnS量子点的合成及表征

在水相中制备了半导体CdTe纳米晶,核 壳型CdTe/CdS和CdTe/ZnS纳米晶（即量子点;QDs）.利用扫描隧道显微镜（STM）和荧光光谱(FS)对合成的纳米晶量子点进行了研究,并且根据FS的数据进行了量子效率的计算.STM的结果表明合成的量子点直径约为3 nm并且分布良好.为了提高量子效率,对Cd2+浓度和Cd2+∶S2－比例等反应条件进行了研究,结果表明随着回流时间的增加,核 壳型量子点CdTe/CdS的量子效率总体上呈下降趋势.CdTe/CdS在pH8.5,Cd2+∶S2－=10∶1（摩尔比）时可获得80.0%的最大量子效率.同时制备了核 壳型量子点CdTe/ZnS,其最大发射波长由551 nm（CdTe）红移到635 nm（CdTe/ZnS）表明量子点的尺寸在增长,但是量子效率下降到14.4%. 当前研究的量子点可适用于生物标记,生物成像,以及基于共振能量转移的生物传感研究.     

Relaxation of hot excitons in CdZnSe/ZnSe quantum wells and quantum dots

The relaxation dynamics of hot excitons was studied in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe quantum wells and quantum dots. A fast population of the radiative excitonic ground state occurs for an excitation excess energy corresponding to an integer number of optical phonon energies. This is indicated by a spectrally narrow photoluminescence peak observed immediately after the exciting laser pulse. Spatial diffusion of excitons, controlled by the interaction between excitons and acoustic phonons, causes a distinct linewidth broadening with increasing delay time in quantum wells. In contrast, this process is found to be strongly suppressed in quantum dots.     

离子束溅射自组装Ge/Si量子点生长的演变

采用离子束溅射技术,通过改变Ge的沉积量,在n型Si(100)衬底上自组装生长了一系列Ge量子点样品. 利用AFM和Raman光谱对样品表面形貌和结构进行表征,系统地研究了Ge量子点形貌、密度、尺寸大小以及Ge的结晶性和量子点中组分等随Ge沉积量的演变规律. 结果表明:Ge层从二维薄层向三维岛过渡过程中,没有观察到传统的由金字塔形向圆顶形量子点过渡,而是直接呈圆顶形生长;且随着Ge沉积量的增加,量子点密度先增大后减小,Ge的结晶性增强同时Ge/Si互混加剧,量子点中Si的组分增加. 关键词： 离子束溅射 量子点 表面形貌 Raman光谱     

Temperature dependent time-resolved exciton luminescence in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wires and dots

Transient photoluminescence of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wires and quantum dots formed by strain confinement is studied as a function of temperature. At low temperature, luminescent decay times of the wires and dots correspond to the radiative decay times of localized excitons. The radiative decay time can be either longer or shorter than that of the host quantum well, depending on the size of the wires and dots. For small wires and dots (∼ 100 nm stressor), the exciton radiative recombination rate increases due to lateral confinement. Exciton localization due to the fluctuation of quantum well thickness plays an important role in the temperature dependence of luminescent decay time and exciton transfer in quantum wire and dot structures up to at least ∼ 80 K. Lateral exciton transfer in quantum wire and dot structures formed by laterally patterning quantum wells strongly affects the dynamics of wire and dot luminescence. The relaxation time of hot excitons increases with the depth of strain confinement, but we find no convincing evidence that it is significantly slower in quasi 1-D or 0-D systems than in quantum wells.     

Growth of InGaAs-capped InAs quantum dots characterized by Atomic Force Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is typically used to measure the quantum dot shape and density formed by lattice mismatched epitaxial growth such as InAs on GaAs. However, AFM images are distorted when two dots are situated in juxtaposition with a distance less than the AFM tip width. Scanning electron Microscope (SEM) is much better in distinguishing the dot density but not the dot height. Through these measurements of the growth of In_xGa_1-xAs cap layer on InAs quantum dots, it was observed that the InGaAs layer neither covered the InAs quantum dots and wetting layer uniformly nor 100% phase separates into InAs and GaAs grown on InAs quantum dots and wetting layer, respectively.     

Energy Spectrum of Charge Carriers in Elastically Strained Assemblies of Ge/Si Quantum Dots

The results of studying the energy spectrum of electrons and holes localized in second-type Ge/Si heterostructures with Ge quantum dots are presented. In such structures, holes are localized at Ge quantum dots, and electrons, in three-dimensional quantum wells, which form in Si at the Ge—Si interface because of inhomogeneous deformations that appear as a result of the difference between the Ge and Si lattice constants. It is shown that changes in the deformations in the assembly of quantum dots as a result of a variation in their spatial arrangement significantly changes the binding energy of electrons, the position of their localization at quantum dots, the binding energy and wave-function symmetry of holes at double quantum dots (artificial molecules), and the exchange interaction of electrons and holes in the exciton composition. A practically important result of the presented data is the development of approaches to increase the luminescence quantum efficiency and the absorption coefficient in assemblies of quantum dots.     

Polarization anisotropy of exciton in self-assembled elliptical InP/InGaP quantum dots

Optical anisotropy of self-assembled elliptical InP quantum dots has been investigated in terms of the polarization dependence of excitons. Although large size inhomogeneity is present, two kinds of characteristic quantum dots, which are classified into large and small quantum dots, were found in terms of the polarization anisotropy. We have confirmed that the large quantum dots are more pronounced in the polarization anisotropy, where the degree of linear polarization for the large quantum dots is significantly larger (∼60%) than that for the small ones (∼36%). The effective shape of quantum dots is also estimated by using the size dependence of oscillator strength, which is in agreement with the AFM image. We also suggest that the anisotropy of exciton oscillator strength can be modified via the dipole–dipole interaction between nearest exciton dipoles.     

Infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices

We report the study of infrared spectroscopy of intraband transitions in Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices. The superlattices, which were grown on (001) oriented Si substrates by a solid source molecular beam epitaxy system, are composed mainly of 20 or 30 periods of Ge dot layers and Si spacer films. The structural properties of them and of the uncapped Ge dots grown on the surfaces of some of them were tested by cross-sectional transmission electron and atomic force microscopes, respectively. It is found that the Ge quantum dots have flat lens-like shapes. Infrared absorption signals peaking in the mid-infrared range were observed using Fourier transform infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy techniques. Experimental and theoretical analysis suggests that the mid-infrared response be attributed to intraband transitions within the valence band of the Ge quantum dots in the superlattices. The fact that the intraband absorption is strongly polarized along the growth axis of the superlattices signifies that the Ge quantum dots with flat lens-like shapes perform as Ge/Si-based quantum wells. This study demonstrates the application potential of these kinds of Ge/Si quantum dot superlattices for developing mid-infrared photodetectors.     

effect of surface modification on the properties of hydrogen-sensitive GaAs-based Schottky diodes

The surface of hydrogen-sensitive GaAs Schottky diodes is modified by nonpolishing etching and by producing quantum wells and quantum dots in the space-charge region of the semiconductor. The sensitivity to hydrogen is found to increase by a factor of 8–37 after the etching and by two or three orders of magnitude after the introduction of quantum wells and dots. It is shown that the increased sensitivity is associated with the lowering of the barrier at the Pd/GaAs interface, the retardation of hydrogen diffusion into GaAs due to the presence of strained quantum-size layers, and an increase in the recombination current. The presence of the recombination component is supported by luminescence from the quantum wells and quantum dots, as well as from the GaAs substrate. The etch composition is shown to be a decisive factor in raising the sensitivity.     

Scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy study of the misfit layer compounds (LaS)1.14(NbS2)n (n=1, 2) and [(Pb,Sb)S)]1.14NbS2

The misfit layer compounds (LaS)_1.14(NbS₂)_n (n=1, 2) and [(Pb,Sb)S]_1.14NbS₂ were examined by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In these compounds the NaCl-type double MS (M=La, Pb, Sb) layers (Q layers) alternate with the NbS₂ layers (H layers) made up of NbS₆ trigonal prisms. It was possible to record AFM and STM images for only the H layers for (LaS)_1.14(NbS₂)_n, but for both the H- and Q-layers for [(Pb,Sb)S]_1.14NbS₂. Partial and total electron density plots of the H and Q layers were calculated to interpret the observed STM and AFM images. The bright spots in the STM and AFM images of the H layer correspond to S atoms, and those of the Q layer to Pb and Sb atoms. The STM images for the Q layers of [(Pb,Sb)S]_1.14NbS₂ suggest that a short-range ordering of the Pb and Sb atoms occurs in the (Pb,Sb)S sheets of the Q layer.     

Quantum cascade transitions in nanostructures

In this article we review the physical characteristics of quantum cascade transitions (QCTs) in various nanoscopic systems. The quantum cascade laser which utilizes such transitions in quantum wells is a brilliant outcome of quantum engineering that has already demonstrated its usefulness in various real-world applications. After a brief introduction to the background of this transition process, we discuss the physics behind these transitions in an externally applied magnetic field. This has unravelled many intricate phenomena related to intersubband resonance and electron relaxation modes in these systems. We then discuss QCTs in a situation where the quantum wells in the active regions of a quantum cascade structure are replaced by quantum dots. The physics of quantum dots is a rapidly developing field with its roots in fundamental quantum mechanics, but at the same time, quantum dots have tremendous potential applications. We first present a brief review of those aspects of quantum dots that are likely to be reflected in a quantum-dot cascade structure. We then go on to demonstrate how the calculated emission peaks of a quantum-dot cascade structure with or without an external magnetic field are correlated with the properties of quantum dots, such as the choice of confinement potentials, shape, size and the low-lying energy spectra of the dots. Contents PAGE 1 Introduction 456 2 Intersubband transitions in quantum wells 458 3 Quantum cascade transitions 462 3.1. Basic principles 462 3.1.1. Minibands and minigaps 464 3.1.2. Vertical transitions 464 3.1.3. GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers 464 3.1.4. QCLs based on superlattice structures 465 3.1.5. Type-II quantum cascade lasers 466 3.1.6. Recent developments 466 3.2. Applications: sense-ability and other qualities 466 4 Quantum cascade transitions in novel situations 467 4.1. External magnetic field 467 4.1.1. Parallel magnetic field 468 4.1.2. Many-body effects: depolarization shift 470 4.1.3. The role of disorder 471 4.1.4. Tilted magnetic field 475 4.2. Magneto-transport experiments and phonon relaxation 479 4.3. Magneto-optics experiment and phonon relaxation 484 5 A brief review of quantum dots 485 5.1. From three- to zero-dimensional systems 485 5.2. Making the dots 487 5.2.1. Lithographic patterning 487 5.2.2. Self-assembled quantum dots 488 5.3. Shell filling in quantum dots 489 5.4. Electron correlations: spin states 490 5.5. Anisotropic dots 491 5.6. Influence of an external magnetic field 491 5.6.1. The Fock diagram 491 5.6.2. The no-correlation theorem 492 5.6.3. Correlation effects and magic numbers 492 5.6.4. Spin transitions 493 5.7. Quantum dots in novel systems 494 5.8. Potential applications of quantum dots 494 5.8.1. Single-electron transistors (SETs) 494 5.8.2. Single-photon detectors 494 5.8.3. Single-photon emitters 495 5.8.4. Quantum-dot lasers 495 6 Quantum cascade transitions in quantum-dot structures 496 6.1. Quantum dots versus quantum wells 496 6.2. QCT with rectangular dots 497 6.2.1. Vertical transitions 500 6.2.2. Diagonal transitions 501 6.3. QCT in a parabolic dot 504 6.4. Magnetic field effects on intersubband transitions 506 6.5. Mid-IR luminescence from a QD cascade device 512 7 Summary and open questions 513 Acknowledgements 515 References 515     

红光InAlAs量子点的结构和光学性质

利用ＭＢＥ方法在（００１）衬底上成功地生长密度大、尺寸小、发红光的ＩｎＡｌＡｓ／ＡｌＧａＡｓ量子点结构。通过原子力显微镜观察表明,ＩｎＡｌＡｓ量子的密度和大小都随覆盖厚度的增加而增大;发现Ａｌ原子的表面迁移率决定ＩｎＡｌＡｓ量子点的形貌,光荧光谱证实了量子点的发光峰值在红光范围,并结合形貌的统计得到了量子点的发光峰展宽主要昌受量子点的横向尺寸影响。     

Influence of quantum dots shape approximation on size reconstructed from atomic force microscopy measurements

In this work we discuss the influence of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe tip geometry and the object — quantum dot form on the quantum dots dimension in the growth plane reconstructed from the AFM measurements. It is shown that ignoring the geometry of the probe tip and the quantum dot leads to significant differences between dimensions obtained from the AFM measurements and the real dimensions. Inaccuracies in QD size determination of the nano-objects from AFM measurements are defined.     

大气环境下合成白光发射的Tb3+/Eu3+共掺杂全无机卤化物钙钛矿量子点

为克服因混合不同卤化物钙钛矿量子点发生阴离子交换反应、不稳定的红光发射卤化物钙钛矿量子点等而导致在获取白光发射方面存在的不足,提出了一种可以在大气环境下合成Tb³⁺,Eu³⁺稀土离子共掺杂全无机卤化物钙钛矿量子点的方法。调节Tb³⁺,Eu³⁺稀土离子的掺杂比例,调控从钙钛矿量子点主晶格到Tb³⁺和Eu³⁺离子的能量转移,获得了单一组分、白光发射的钙钛矿量子点(Tb,Eu):CsPbCl3和(Tb,Eu):CsPb(Cl/Br)3,并对量子点的形貌、结构、发光性能及能量传递机理和稳定性进行了详细研究。研究结果表明:在365nm激光激发下,不同含量Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺离子共掺杂的钙钛矿量子点(Tb,Eu):CsPbCl3发射光谱对应的色坐标位于1931色度图中的白光区域。在进料比PbCl2∶TbCl3∶EuCl3为1∶1.5∶1时,量子产率为3.59%,比纯的CsPbCl3量子点的量子产率(0.57%)提高了6倍。进一步研究发现,该(Tb,Eu):CsPbCl3量子点在空气中储存2个月之后,量子产率几乎保持不变(3.63%),保持了良好的稳定性。此外,研究了采用不同溶剂(正辛烷、十八烯)合成Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺共掺杂钙钛矿量子点的发光特性。Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺离子共掺杂的钙钛矿量子点(Tb,Eu):CsPbCl3可实现单一组分的白光发射,有良好的稳定性,具备一定的应用前景。