Multiple excitons and the electron–phonon bottleneck in semiconductor quantum dots: An ab initio perspective

Abstract

The article presents the current perspective on the nature of photoexcited states in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). The focus is on multiple excitons and photo-induced electron–phonon dynamics in PbSe and CdSe QDs, and the advocated view is rooted in the results of ab initio studies in both energy and time domains. As a new type of material, semiconductor QDs represent the borderline between chemistry and physics, exhibiting both molecular and bulk-like properties. Similar to atoms and molecules, the electronic spectra of QD show discrete bands. Just as bulk semiconductors, QDs comprise multiple copies of the elementary unit cell, and are characterized by valence and conduction bands. The electron–phonon coupling in QDs is weaker than in molecules, but stronger than in bulk semiconductors. Unlike either material, the QD properties can be tuned continuously by changing QD size and shape. The molecular and bulk points of view often lead to contradicting conclusions. For example, the molecular view suggests that the excitations in QDs should exhibit strong electron-correlation (excitonic) effects, and that the electron–phonon relaxation should be slow due to the discrete nature of the optical bands and the mismatch of the electronic energy gaps with vibrational frequencies. In contrast, a finite-size limit of bulk properties indicates that the kinetic energy of quantum confinement should be significantly greater than excitonic effects and that the electron–phonon relaxation inside the quasi-continuous bands should be efficient. Such qualitative differences have generated heated discussions in the literature. The great potential of QDs for a variety of applications, including photovoltaics, spintronics, lasers, light-emitting diodes, and field-effect transistors makes it crutual to settle the debates. By synthesizing different viewpoints and presenting a unified atomistic picture of the excited state processes, our ab initio analysis clarifies the controversies regarding the phonon bottleneck and the generation of multiple excitons in semiconductor QDs. Both the electron–hole and charge-phonon interactions are strong and, therefore, optical excitations can directly generate multiple excitons, while the electron–phonon relaxation exhibits no bottlenecks, except at low excitation energies and in very small QDs.