Self-assembled InAs Quantum Dots Research Articles

A Pulsed Nonclassical Light Source Driven by an Integrated Electrically Triggered Quantum Dot Microlaser

We present a novel compact nanophotonic device consisting of a nonclassical light source excited by a monolithically integrated and electrically driven quantum dot (QD) microlaser. Our device concept is based on self-assembled InAs QDs embedded in micropillar cavities and has many potential applications in the fields of quantum communication and quantum optics-based information processing. Electrically driven micropillars act as whispering gallery mode microlasers operable in both continuous and pulsed mode, with narrow pulse widths of 520 ps and decay constants as low as 160 ps observed. These microlasers are used as on-chip excitation sources to laterally excite individual QDs in nearby micropillars, which in turn act as vertically emitting nonclassical light sources. Our compact solid-state platform utilizes cavity-quantum electrodynamic effects to create antibunched light in continuous and pulsed operation with g (2)CW(0) = 0.76 ± 0.03 and g (2)Pulsed(0) = 0.78 ± 0.11, demonstrating its potential for the generation of triggered single photons in a highly integrated chip.

Spin polarization of carriers in resonant tunneling devices containing InAs self-assembled quantum dots

In this work, we have investigated transport and optical properties of n-i-n resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) containing a layer of InAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) grown on a (311)B oriented GaAs substrate. Polarization-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and magneto-transport measurements were performed under applied voltage and magnetic fields up to 15 T at 2 K under linearly polarized laser excitation. It was observed that the QD circular polarization degree depends strongly on the applied voltage. Its voltage dependence is explained by the formation of excitonic complexes such as positively (X+) and negatively (X−) charged excitons in the QDs. Our results demonstrate an effective electrical control of an ensemble of InAs QD properties by tuning the applied voltage across a RTD device into the resonant tunneling condition.

Gate-controlled terahertz single electron photovoltaic effect in self-assembled InAs quantum dots

We have observed a terahertz (THz) induced single electron photovoltaic effect in self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs). We used a single electron transistor (SET) geometry that consists of a single InAs QD and nanogap electrodes coupled with a bowtie antenna. Under a weak, broadband THz radiation, a photocurrent induced by THz intersublevel transitions in the QD is generated even when no bias voltage is applied to the SET. The observed single electron photovoltaic effect is due to an energy-dependent tunneling asymmetry in the QD-SET. Moreover, the tunneling asymmetry changes not only with the shell but also with the electron number in the QD, suggesting the manybody nature of the electron wavefunctions. The THz photovoltaic effect observed in the present QD-SET system may have potential applications to nanoscale energy harvesting.

Investigation of single-layer/multilayer self-assembled InAs quantum dots on GaAs1-xSbx/GaAs composite substrates

The structure-performance properties of single-layered and multi-layered InAs/GaAs1−xSbx quantum dot (QD) system, grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates, have been investigated as a function of Sb concentration. Electron microscopy observations showed no significant crystalline defects for the single-layered InAs QDs (Sb 20%). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the increase of Sb concentration from 7.3% to 10.2% for the multi-layered QDs increased the strain relaxation from 0% to ∼23% and the dislocation density of GaAsSb layers went up to 3.6 × 109 cm−2. The peak energy of QD luminescence was red-shifted with increasing Sb concentration due to reduced strain inside QDs. Moreover, the carrier lifetime of the QDs was highly improved from 1.7 to 36.7 ns due to weak hole confinement as the Sb concentration was increased from 7.3% to 10.2%. These structures should be highly promising as the basis for photovoltaic solar-cell applications. Finally, the increased Sb concentration increased the thermal activation energy of electrons confined in the QDs from 163.7 to 206.8 meV, which was indicative of the improved thermal stability with Sb concentration.

Fabrication of InAs quantum dot stacked structure on InP(311)B substrate by digital embedding method

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on an InP(311)B substrate were embedded using lattice-matched InAlAs/InGaAs superlattice with the digital embedding method. The thickness of quantum wells and barriers of the superlattice varied from 2 to 16 monolayers. The six layer stacking structures were successfully grown without any degradation of the QD and superlattice structure. The cross-sections of QDs embedded within the superlattice were visualized by scanning transmission microscope. The emission wavelength of the QDs was measured by photoluminescence and could be changed by changing the thickness of the superlattice.

The impact of quantum dot filling on dual-band optical transitions via intermediate quantum states

InAs/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetectors with different doping levels were investigated to understand the effect of quantum dot filling on both intraband and interband optical transitions. The electron filling of self-assembled InAs quantum dots was varied by direct doping of quantum dots with different concentrations. Photoresponse in the near infrared and middle wavelength infrared spectral region was observed from samples with low quantum dot filling. Although undoped quantum dots were favored for interband transitions with the absence of a second optical excitation in the near infrared region, doped quantum dots were preferred to improve intraband transitions in the middle wavelength infrared region. As a result, partial filling of quantum dot was required, to the extent of maintaining a low dark current, to enhance the dual-band photoresponse through the confined electron states.

Theoretical analyses of the elastic and electronic properties of InAs QDs and QD-in-WELL structures grown on GaAs high index substrates

We report a theoretical study of the wetting layer thickness, InxGa(1−x)As quantum-well thickness and Indium composition effects on the physical properties of InAs quantum dots (QDs) and quantum dots-in-well (QD-in-WELL) grown on GaAs high index substrates. Finite element method is used to calculate the strain, piezoelectric field distributions and the electronic structure. Coulomb interaction has been taken as a perturbation in the interband transition energy. The ground–state transition energy is influenced by the wetting layer thickness (WL) and the substrate orientation; however, it is not affected by the InGaAs quantum-well thickness. We have found that the tensile strain at the interface is the main factor responsible for the difficulty of self-assembled InAs QDs formation on GaAs(111) substrate. On the other hand, the stability of the relaxed strain into QD–IN–WELL depended on the Indium composition and the quantum-well thickness as well as the orientation substrate. The appropriate Indium composition in the InGaAs quantum-well is found to be 0.3 for the QD–IN–WELL grown on GaAs(111) and 0.2 for the QD–IN–WELL grown on GaAs(119). This work can be helpful to controlling the wavelength of QD–IN–WELL grown on high index substrates by changing the In composition or the quantum well-thickness.

Optical characterization of In-flushed InAs/GaAs quantum dots emitting a broadband spectrum with multiple peaks at ~1 μm.

We investigated optical properties of In-flushed InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. By using the In-flush technique for setting the height of self-assembled InAs QDs, we have tuned the emission wavelength of InAs QDs to the ~1 μm regime, which can be utilized as a non-invasive and deeply penetrative probe for biological and medical imaging systems. The controlled emission exhibited a broadband spectrum comprising multiple peaks with an interval of approximately 30 meV. We examined the origin of the multiple peaks using spectral and time-resolved photoluminescence, and concluded that it is attributed to monolayer step fluctuations in the height of the In-flushed QDs. This feature can be advantageous for realizing a broadband light source centered at the ~1 μm regime, which is especially suitable for the non-invasive cross-sectional biological and medical imaging system known as optical coherence tomography.

Effect of cavity-layer thicknesses on two-color emission in coupled multilayer cavities with InAs quantum dots

A GaAs/AlAs coupled multilayer cavity structure was grown on a (001) GaAs substrate. The top cavity contains self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) as optical gain materials for two-color emission of cavity-mode light. The bottom cavity layer was grown with lateral thickness variation in the wafer to investigate the effects of the thickness difference between the two cavity layers quantitatively. The frequency difference was minimum, and the intensity ratio of the two-color emission was unity when the optical thicknesses of the two cavity layers were the same. The emission intensity ratio was explained in terms of the electric fields at the top cavity region containing the QDs.

High-density 1.54 μm InAs/InGaAlAs/InP(100) based quantum dots with reduced size inhomogeneity

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The impact of the growth parameters like the growth temperature of the InGaAlAs nucleation layer, V/III ratio and growth rate during growth of QD layers were carefully investigated by using atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The excellent size uniformity of InAs QDs grown on InP substrates are verified by narrow photoluminescence line widths of 17meV for single QD layers and 26meV for stacked QD layers, respectivaly. Both values measured at 10K.

Imaging of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography using a superluminescent diode based on InAs quantum dots emitting broadband spectrum with Gaussian-like shape

We developed a low-coherence light source based on self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) with controlled emission wavelengths and applied it to optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. A current-driven superluminescent diode (SLD) light source including four layers of QDs exhibits a broadband (80-nm-bandwidth) emission centered at approximately 1.2 µm with a Gaussian-like spectral shape at room temperature. Spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) using the QD-SLD as a light source was developed and imaging with the SD-OCT was demonstrated. The axial resolution was estimated to be approximately 8 µm in air and no apparent side lobes appeared beside the point spread function, indicating the effectiveness of the QD-SLD for high-resolution, noise-reduced OCT imaging.

Fermion Zero Modes and Topological-charge on a Domain Wall of the D-brane-like Dot

Anomalous excitations in the electron state of self-assembled InAs quantum dots have been analyzed from viewpoint of field-theoretical formula. It is suggested strongly that exotic excitations with fractional charges might exist in the semiconductor-dot with the domain wall shell. We have discussed the toy-model of the quantum-dot, which is composed of three degenarated D4-brane-like solitons.

Revealing energy level structure of individual quantum dots by tunneling rate measured by single-electron sensitive electrostatic force spectroscopy.

We present theoretical and experimental studies of the effect of the density of states of a quantum dot (QD) on the rate of single-electron tunneling that can be directly measured by electrostatic force microscopy (e-EFM) experiments. In e-EFM, the motion of a biased atomic force microscope cantilever tip modulates the charge state of a QD in the Coulomb blockade regime. The charge dynamics of the dot, which is detected through its back-action on the capacitavely coupled cantilever, depends on the tunneling rate of the QD to a back-electrode. The density of states of the QD can therefore be measured through its effect on the energy dependence of tunneling rate. We present experimental data on individual 5 nm colloidal gold nanoparticles that exhibit a near continuous density of state at 77 K. In contrast, our analysis of already published data on self-assembled InAs QDs at 4 K clearly reveals discrete degenerate energy levels.

Four-wave mixing in GaAs/AlAs triple-coupled cavity with InAs quantum dots

We have investigated a GaAs/AlAs triple-coupled multilayer cavity structure for an ultrafast wavelength conversion device. We found that significant improvement in the wavelength conversion was realized by introducing good nonlinear materials in the cavity layer, and that the precise control of the cavity modes was important to obtain stronger frequency conversion signals. We grew a triple coupled multilayer cavity structure with self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) by molecular beam epitaxy and investigated the frequency separations of the cavity modes in relation to the cavity layer thickness using on the basis of the reflection spectra. Clear four-wave mixing (FWM) signals were demonstrated by time-resolved FWM measurements were performed at room temperature using a femtosecond laser system.

Suppression of photoluminescence from wetting layer of InAs quantum dots grown on (311)B GaAs with AlAs cap

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs), without and with an AlAs cap, were grown on (311)B GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Surface morphologies of QDs were characterized by atomic force microscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) was performed in the 4–300K temperature range. For QDs without AlAs cap, sharp and intense PL emitted from wetting layer was observed. PL from QDs was relatively weak at 4K. The PL intensity of QDs decreased as measurement temperature increased and was not observed at 300K. For QDs with AlAs cap, PL from WL vanished while PL from QDs were substantially enhanced at 300K. Suppression of PL from WL indicates that the thickness of WL was reduced due to phase separation result from AlAs cap, which is an effective way to improve the PL of InAs QDs grown on (311)B GaAs substrate.

Strain engineering of quantum dots for long wavelength emission: Photoluminescence from self-assembled InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs(001) at wavelengths over 1.55 μm

Photoluminescence (PL) at wavelengths over 1.55 μm from self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs(001) is observed at room temperature (RT) and 4 K using a bilayer structure with thin cap. The PL peak has been known to redshift with decreasing cap layer thickness, although accompanying intensity decrease and peak broadening. With our strain-controlled bilayer structure, the PL intensity can be comparable to the ordinary QDs while realizing peak emission wavelength of 1.61 μm at 4 K and 1.73 μm at RT. The key issue lies in the control of strain not only in the QDs but also in the cap layer. By combining with underlying seed QD layer, we realize strain-driven bandgap engineering through control of strain in the QD and cap layers.

Quantum dot spontaneous emission control in a ridge waveguide

We investigate the spontaneous emission (SE) of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in GaAs ridge waveguides that lay on a low index substrate. In thin enough waveguides, the coupling to the fundamental guided mode is vanishingly small. A pronounced anisotropy in the coupling to non-guided modes is then directly evidenced by normal-incidence photoluminescence polarization measurements. In this regime, a measurement of the QD decay rate reveals a SE inhibition by a factor up to 4. In larger wires, which ensure an optimal transverse confinement of the fundamental guided mode, the decay rate approaches the bulk value. Building on the good agreement with theoretical predictions, we infer from calculations the fraction β of SE coupled to the fundamental guided mode for some important QD excitonic complexes. For a charged exciton (isotropic in plane optical dipole), β reaches 0.61 at maximum for an on-axis QD. In the case of a purely transverse linear optical dipole, β increases up to 0.91. This optimal configuration is achievable through the selective excitation of one of the bright neutral excitons.

Terahertz intersublevel transitions in single self-assembled InAs quantum dots with variable electron numbers.

We propose a method for performing terahertz spectroscopy on nanometer (nm)-scale systems by using metal nanogap electrodes. Intersublevel transition spectra of single self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) have been measured with high signal/noise ratios by using a single electron transistor geometry that consists of a QD and nanogap metal electrodes as a terahertz detector. Photocurrent distribution with respect to the Coulomb diamonds indicates that there are two mechanisms for the photocurrent generation. When the p shell was fully occupied, we observed rather simple photocurrent spectra induced by the p → d transitions. However, when the p shell was half-filled, the photocurrent spectra exhibited a markedly different behavior, which we attribute to the fluctuation in electron configuration when the empty p state is filled back from the electrodes.

Charge sensitivity simulation on a double barrier GaAs/InGaAs/InAs quantum dot-in-well hybrid structure photodetector

In this paper we simulated a photodetector based on a double barrier GaAs/InGaAs/InAs quantum dots–quantum well hybrid structure, calculated its I–V and C–V characteristic and studied the electronic states of the self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs and GaAs quantum wells. By optimizing the device structure, ultrahigh sensitivity was obtained. We attributed this high sensitivity to the double barrier structure that effectively lowered dark current. This simulation method can be used to designing and optimizing devices with similar structure.

Photoelectric Characteristics of Double Barrier Quantum Dots-Quantum Well Photodetector

The photodetector based on double barrier AlAs/GaAs/AlAs heterostructures and a layer self-assembled InAs quantum dots and In0.15Ga0.85As quantum well (QW) hybrid structure is demonstrated. The detection sensitivity and detection ability under weak illuminations have been proved. The dark current of the device can remain at 0.1 pA at 100 K, even lower to3.05×10-15 A, at bias of −1.35 V. Its current responsivity can reach about6.8×105 A/W when 1 pw 633 nm light power and −4 V bias are added. Meanwhile a peculiar amplitude quantum oscillation characteristic is observed in testing. A simple model is used to qualitatively describe. The results demonstrate that the InAs monolayer can effectively absorb photons and the double barrier hybrid structure with quantum dots in well can be used for low-light-level detection.