Interparticle coulombic decay in coupled quantum dots: Enhanced energy transfer via bridge assisted mechanisms

Abstract

Interparticle coulombic decay (ICD) is an efficient energy transfer process between two weakly interacting systems. ICD was recently proposed as the underlying fundamental mechanism for technological purposes based on quantum dot nanostructures, such as wavelength-sensitive detectors. Via ICD, an excited donor quantum dot releases its excess energy by ionizing a neighboring acceptor dot. Here, we demonstrate that the presence of a third (ICD inactive) quantum dot can serve as a bridge between the two dots, which is shown to result in an enhancement of the efficiency of the ICD-mediated energy transfer. Furthermore, our results show that this enhancement is found to be robust against change in the characteristics of the bridge quantum dot, particularly the depth and size. On the other hand, its relative position with respect to the donor and acceptor dots is found to foster ICD when it is located in between the two dots. Our findings provide new insights for the development of ICD-based nanostructure technologies, particularly for rational design of three coupled quantum dots.