Multiexciton absorption and multiple exciton generation in CdSe quantum dots

Efficient multiple-exciton generation (MEG) in semiconductor quantum dots has been recently reported. The MEG efficiency has so far been evaluated assuming that the change (bleaching) of the absorption spectrum due to MEG is linearly proportional to the number of excitons N(X). Here, we critically examine this assumption using atomistic pseudopotential calculations for colloidal CdSe nanocrystals. We find that the bleaching of the first absorption peak depends nonlinearly on N(X), due to carrier-carrier interactions. This nonlinearity mandates an upper bound of 1.5 to the value of the normalized bleaching that can be attributed to MEG, significantly smaller than the limit of 2.0 predicted by the linear scaling assumption. Thus, measured values of the normalized bleaching in excess of 1.5 cannot be due entirely to MEG, but must originate in part from other mechanisms.     

Relaxation and dephasing of multiexcitons in semiconductor quantum dots

We measure the dephasing time of ground-state excitonic transitions in InGaAs quantum dots under electrical injection in the temperature range from 10 to 70 K. Electrical injection into the barrier region results in a pure dephasing of the excitonic transitions. Once the injected carriers fill the electronic ground state, the biexciton to exciton transition is probed and a correlation of the exciton and biexciton phonon scattering mechanisms is found. Additional filling of the excited states creates multiexcitons that show a fast dephasing due to population relaxation.     

Electron–phonon-induced spin relaxation in InAs quantum dots

We have calculated spin-relaxation rates in parabolic quantum dots due to the phonon modulation of the spin–orbit interaction in the presence of an external magnetic field. Both deformation potential and piezoelectric electron–phonon coupling mechanisms are included within the Pavlov–Firsov spin–phonon Hamiltonian. Our results have demonstrated that, in narrow gap materials, the electron–phonon deformation potential and piezoelectric coupling give comparable contributions to spin-relaxation processes. For large dots, the deformation potential interaction becomes dominant. This behavior is not observed in wide or intermediate gap semiconductors, where the piezoelectric coupling, in general, governs the spin-relaxation processes. We have also demonstrated that spin-relaxation rates are particularly sensitive to the Landé g-factor.     

Theory of phonon-induced spin relaxation in laterally coupled quantum dots

Phonon-induced spin relaxation in coupled lateral quantum dots in the presence of spin-orbit coupling is calculated. The calculation for single dots is consistent with experiment. Spin relaxation in double dots at useful interdot couplings is dominated by spin-hot spots that are strongly anisotropic. Spin-hot spots are ineffective for a diagonal crystallographic orientation of the dots with a transverse in-plane field. This geometry is proposed for spin-based quantum information processing.     

Spin-flip limited exciton dephasing in CdSe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots

The dephasing time of the lowest bright exciton in CdSe/ZnS wurtzite quantum dots is measured from 5 to 170 K and compared with density dynamics within the exciton fine structure using a sensitive three-beam four-wave-mixing technique unaffected by spectral diffusion. Pure dephasing via acoustic phonons dominates the initial dynamics, followed by an exponential zero-phonon line dephasing of 109 ps at 5 K, much faster than the ~10 ns exciton radiative lifetime. The zero-phonon line dephasing is explained by phonon-assisted spin flip from the lowest bright state to dark-exciton states. This is confirmed by the temperature dependence of the exciton lifetime and by direct measurements of the bright-dark-exciton relaxation. Our results give an unambiguous evidence of the physical origin of the exciton dephasing in these nanocrystals.     

Exciton relaxation in self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots

The present study focuses on the effect of excited states on the exciton–polaron spectrum for self-assembled InAs/GaAs semiconductor quantum dots. The analytical model takes into account the Coulomb interactions between the electron and the hole as well as, each carrier, the coupling with the longitudinal optical phonon field. Furthermore, the key role played by the exciton continuum in the dot spectrum is also introduced. Such an approach is well fitted to analyze recent experimental findings about single-dot spectroscopy and allows peaks assignment, line width estimation, relaxation time evaluation, etc., necessary steps toward an understanding of the internal dynamics of quantum dots.     

Spin relaxation quenching in semiconductor quantum dots

We have studied the spin dynamics in self-organized InAs/GaAs quantum dots by time-resolved photoluminescence performed under strictly resonant excitation. At low temperature, we observe strictly no decay of both the linear and the circular luminescence polarization. This demonstrates that the carrier spins are totally frozen on the exciton lifetime scale.     

Spin relaxation and antiferromagnetic coupling in semiconductor quantum dots

We report carrier spin dynamics in highly uniform self-assembled InAs quantum dots and the observation of antiferromagnetic coupling between semiconductor quantum dots. The spin relaxation times in the ground state and the first excited state were measured to be 1.0 and 0.6 ns, respectively, without the disturbance of inhomogeneous broadening. The measured spin relaxation time decreases rapidly from 1.1 ns at 10 K to 200 ps at 130 K. This large change in the spin relaxation time is well-explained in terms of the mechanism of acoustic phonon emission. In coupled quantum dots, the formation of antiferromagnetic coupling is directly observed. Electron spins are found to flip at 80 ps after photoexcitation via the interdot exchange interaction. The antiferromagnetic coupling exists at temperatures lower than 50–80 K. A model calculation based on the Heitler–London approximation supports the finding that the antiferromagnetic coupling is observable at low temperature. These carrier spin features in quantum dots are suitable for the future quantum computation.     

Local field effects on phonon-induced transparency in quantum dots embedded in a semiconductor medium

We study theoretically the influence of local fields on phonon-induced transparency (PIT) in quantum-dot systems embedded in a semiconductor matrix. As compared with our previous work without local field effects, we present analytical and numerical results from solution of the generalized optical Bloch equations including the local field effects. It is shown that the local field effects broaden the transparency window due to PIT and reduce the group velocity of light. For some specific parameters of the light and quantum dots, fast light can be obtained in such systems. The results also demonstrate that Kerr nonlinearity is enhanced greatly due to the local field effects. PACS 42.50.Gy; 78.67.Hc; 73.21.La; 03.67.-a     

纳米半导体中多重激子效应研究进展

多重激子效应是指纳米半导体吸收一个高能光子后产生两个甚至多个电子-空穴对的物理过程,不仅具有重要的基础研究意义,而且在新型太阳电池及高性能光电子器件领域具有潜在应用价值.综述了多重激子效应的发展历程;总结了纳米半导体的材料组分、体系结构甚至表面质量对多重激子效应的影响;介绍了多重激子效应的实验测试分析方法以及解释多重激子效应的理论方法;概括了目前多重激子效应在器件中的应用并对其应用前景进行展望.     

Single electron charging effects in semiconductor quantum dots

We have studied charging effects in a lateral split-gate quantum dot defined by metal gates in the two dimensional electron gas (2 DEG) of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. The gate structure allows an independent control of the conductances of the two tunnel barriers separating the quantum dot from the two 2 DEG leads, and enables us to vary the number of electrons that are localized in the dot. We have measured Coulomb oscillations in the conductance and the Coulomb staircase in current-voltage characteristics and studied their dependence on the conductances of the tunnel barriers. We show experimentally that at zero magnetic field charging effects start to affect the transport properties when both barrier conductances are smaller than the first quantized conductance value of a point contact at 2e ²/h. The experiments are described by a simple model in terms of electrochemical potentials, which includes both the discreteness of the electron charge and the quantum energy states due to confinement.     

Carrier recombination dynamics in self-ordered InAs quantum dots

Il Nuovo Cimento D - A photoluminescence study of self-ordered InAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs substrate is reported. Short pulses and high excitations have been used in...     

Nonequilibrium nuclear-electron spin dynamics in semiconductor quantum dots

We study the spin dynamics in charged quantum dots in the situation where the resident electron is coupled to only about 200 nuclear spins and where the electron spin splitting induced by the Overhauser field does not exceed markedly the spectral broadening. The formation of a dynamical nuclear polarization as well as its subsequent decay by the dipole-dipole interaction is directly resolved in time. Because not limited by intrinsic nonlinearities, almost complete nuclear polarization is achieved, even at elevated temperatures. The data suggest a nonequilibrium mode of nuclear polarization, distinctly different from the spin temperature concept exploited on bulk semiconductors.     

Reduced electron relaxation rate in multielectron quantum dots

We use a configuration-interaction approach and the Fermi golden rule to investigate electron-phonon interaction in multielectron quantum dots. Lifetimes are computed in the low-density, highly correlated regime. We report numerical evidence that electron-electron interaction generally leads to reduced decay rates of excited electronic states in weakly confined quantum dots, where carrier relaxation is dominated by the interaction with longitudinal acoustic phonons.     

Nonadiabatic electron charge pumping in coupled semiconductor quantum dots

The possibility of nonadiabatic electron pumping in the system of three coupled quantum dots (QDs) attached to the leads is discussed. We have found out that periodical changing of energy level position in the middle QD results in non-zero mean tunneling current appeared due to nonadiabatic non-equilibrium processes. The same principle can be used for fabrication of a new class of semiconductor electronic devices based on non-stationary non-equilibrium currents. As an example we propose a nanometer quantum emitter with non-stationary inverse level occupation achieved by electron pumping.     

Injection, intersubband relaxation and recombination in GaAs multiple quantum wells

Results of continuous excitation, time-delayed and time-resolved cathodoluminescence experiments on undoped and Be-doped GaAs multiple quantum wells of thickness 5–11 nm are reported for temperatures 5–300 K and excitation intensities 1–10³ W/cm². Comparison is made with similar investigations of bulk epitaxial GaAs layers. Increasing structural localisation of the carriers is identified to lead to a qualitative change of the type of recombination. Increasingly faster radiative excitonic recombination leads to a bypass of impurity and trap capture processes in undoped as well as in doped material, at low temperatures as well as at room temperature. Despite the exponential character of excitonic decay, the luminescence transients are found to be very complex due to an interplay of intersubband scattering and recombination processes and time-dependent carrier temperature. Transients are analysed in detail, excitonic lifetimes and intersubband scattering times are derived. It is argued that both the lifetime reduction in quantum wells and the novel process of recombination heating lead to a strongly increased quasiequilibrium temperature of excited carriers in the wells as compared to bulk material. Injection of carriers from 18 nm GaAlAs barriers to GaAs wells is found to occur in less than 10^-12 s without loss.     

Theory of excitons, charged excitons, exciton fine-structure and entangled excitons in self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots

We show how the atomistic pseudopotential many-body theory of InGaAs/GaAs addresses some important effects, including (i) the fine-structure splittings (originating from interband spin exchange), (ii) the optical spectra of charged quantum dots and (iii) the degree of entanglement in a quantum dot molecule.