Influence of the surface ligand molecules length on the optical properties and photoconductivity of PbS quantum dot condensates

The influence of ligands—organic molecules on the quantum dot (QD) surface—on the optical properties of thin-layer condensates of lead sulfide QDs and the photoconductivity of diode structures based on them has been investigated. A decrease in the ligand length by a factor of 4 is shown to reduce significantly the luminescence-decay time and increase exponentially the conductivity.     

Investigations on the morphology,optical and photoresponse properties of PbS/CdS binary colloidal quantum dot thin film

Binary thin film exhibits not only the quantum features of the individual building blocks but also novel collective properties through coupling of colloidal quantum dot components. In this paper, lead sulfide (PbS) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized by using oleate and oleylamine as ligand. The as-synthesized PbS and CdS CQDs were monodispersity and well passivation. The average diameter of as-synthesized PbS and CdS CQDs were about 3 nm and 6 nm, respectively. By blending PbS with CdS CQDs and utilizing ethanedithiol for ligand passivation, the responsivity and detectivity of PbS CQDs thin film was enhanced with the weight ratio of CdS CQDs increased, the optimum responsivity and detectivity were 21.9 mA/W and 2.1 × 10¹⁰ Jones, respectively. The desirable properties of binary colloidal quantum dot thin films have important applications in future electronic and optoelectronic devices.     

Structural and optical properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond / InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot structures

The combination of the unique properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films and of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) structures could significantly improve the performance of different electronic and optoelectronic devices, where e.g. good thermal management and advanced mechanical parameters are required. In the current work quantum dot InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with different densities between 1.6 × 10¹⁰ cm^− 2 and 1.6 × 10¹¹ cm^− 2 controlled by the substrate temperature in the range between 490 and 515 °C. These structures were overgrown with UNCD by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWCVD) using methane/nitrogen mixtures at 570 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that without ultrasonic pretreatment the diamond nucleation density on QD structures is low and only separate islands of UNCD are deposited, while after pretreatment thin closed films are formed. From the cross-section SEM images a growth rate of ca. 3 nm/min is estimated which is very close to that on silicon at the same deposition conditions. The UNCD coatings exhibit a morphology consisting of two types of structures as shown by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The first one includes nodules with diameters between 180 and 350 nm varying with the density of the underlying QDs; the second is formed by a kind of granular substructure of these nodules with diameters of about 40 nm for all QD densities. The optical properties were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy before and after the deposition of UNCD. The PL signals of QD structures overgrown with UNCD, although with decreased intensity, remain almost unchanged with respect to the peak positions and widths, revealing that the UNCD/QD structures retain the optical properties of uncoated InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots.     

The influence of post-growth annealing on the optical properties of InAs quantum dot chains grown on pre-patterned GaAs(100)

We report on the effect of post-growth thermal annealing of [011]- ,[011(-)]-, and [010]-oriented quantum dot chains grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs(100) substrates patterned by UV-nanoimprint lithography. We show that the quantum dot chains experience a blueshift of the photoluminescence energy, spectral narrowing, and a reduction of the intersubband energy separation during annealing. The photoluminescence blueshift is more rapid for the quantum dot chains than for self-assembled quantum dots that were used as a reference. Furthermore, we studied polarization resolved photoluminescence and observed that annealing reduces the intrinsic optical anisotropy of the quantum dot chains and the self-assembled quantum dots.     

Tunable optical properties of colloidal quantum dots in electrolytic environments

The absorption spectra of colloidal cadmium sulfide quantum dots in electrolytic solutions are found to manifest a shift in the absorption threshold as the concentration of the electrolyte is varied. These results are consistent with a shift in the absorption threshold that would be caused by electrolytic screening of the field caused by the intrinsic spontaneous polarisation of these würtzite structured quantum dots. These electrolyte-dependent absorption properties provide a potential means of gaining insights on the variable extracellular and intracellular electrolytic concentrations that are present in biological systems.     

Influences of silicon doping in quantum dot layers on optical characteristics of InAs/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetector

We have investigated the effects of silicon doping concentration within thirty-period self-assembled quantum dot (QD) layers on quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). The lens-shaped quantum dots with the dot density of 1 × 10¹¹ cm^− 2 were observed by atomic force microscope (AFM). From the high ratio of photoluminescence (PL) peak intensities from dot layer to that from wetting layer, we have concluded that high dot density caused the short diffusion length for carriers to be easily captured by QDs. Moreover, the Si-doped samples exhibited the multi-state transitions within the quantum dots, which were different to the single level transition of undoped sample. Besides, the dominant PL peaks of Si-doped samples were red-shifted by about 25 meV compared to that of the undoped sample. It should result from the dopant-induced lowest transition state and therefore, the energy difference should be equal to the binding energy of Si in InAs QDs.     

The transitional heterojunction behavior of PbS/ZnO colloidal quantum dot solar cells

The nature of charge separation at the heterojunction interface of solution processed lead sulphide-zinc oxide colloidal quantum dot solar cells is investigated using impedance spectroscopy and external quantum efficiency measurements to examine the effect of varying the zinc oxide doping density. Without doping, the device behaves excitonically with no depletion region in the PbS layer such that only charge carriers generated within a diffusion length of the PbS/ZnO interface have a good probability of being harvested. After the ZnO is photodoped such that the doping density is near or greater than that of the PbS, a significant portion of the depletion region is found to lie within the PbS layer increasing charge extraction (p-n operation).     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of PbS and PbSe quantum dot thin films

PbS and PbSe were prepared by hot injection method. The powders were used for preparing the corresponding films by using thermal evaporation technique. The structural, optical and electrical properties of PbS and PbSe thin films were investigated. The structural properties of PbS and PbSe were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray techniques (EDX). PbS and PbSe films were found to have cubic rock salt structure. The particles size ranged from 1.32 to 2.26 nm for PbS and 1.28–2.48 nm for PbSe. EDX results showed that PbS films have rich sulphur content, while PbSe films have rich lead content. The optical constants (absorption coefficient and the refractive index) of the films were determined in the wavelength range 200–2500 nm. The optical energy band gap of PbS and PbSe films was determined as 3.25 and 2.20 eV, respectively. The refractive index, the optical dielectric constant and the ratio of charge carriers concentration to its effective mass were determined. The electrical resistivity, charge carriers concentration and carriers mobility of PbS at room temperature were determined as 0.55 Ω cm, 1.7 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 and 656 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, and for PbSe films they were determined as 0.4 Ω cm, 9 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3 and 1735 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. These electrical parameters were investigated as a function of temperature.     

Thermal-induced intermixing effects on the optical properties of long wavelength low density InAs/GaAs quantum dots

The effect of post-growth rapid thermal annealing on the photoluminescence properties of long wavelength low density InAs/GaAs (001) quantum dots (QDs) with well defined electronic shells has been investigated. For an annealing temperature of 650 °C for 30 s, the emission wavelength and the intersublevel spacing energies remain unchanged while the integrated PL intensity increases. For higher annealing temperature, blue shift of the emission energy together with a decrease in the intersublevel spacing energies are shown to occur due to the thermal activated In–Ga interdiffusion. While, this behaviour is commonly explained as a consequence of the enrichment in Ga of the QDs, the appearance of an additional exited state for annealing temperatures higher than 650 °C suggests a variation of the intermixed QDs's volume/diameter ratio toward QDs's enlargement.     

Influence of nanowire density on the shape and optical properties of ternary InGaAs nanowires

We have synthesized ternary InGaAs nanowires on (111)B GaAs surfaces by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Au colloidal nanoparticles were employed to catalyze nanowire growth. We observed the strong influence of nanowire density on nanowire height, tapering, and base shape specific to the nanowires with high In composition. This dependency was attributed to the large difference of diffusion length on (111)B surfaces between In and Ga reaction species, with In being the more mobile species. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis together with high-resolution electron microscopy study of individual InGaAs nanowires shows large In/Ga compositional variation along the nanowire supporting the present diffusion model. Photoluminescence spectra exhibit a red shift with decreasing nanowire density due to the higher degree of In incorporation in more sparsely distributed InGaAs nanowires.     

Emission properties of colloidal quantum dots on polyelectrolyte multilayers

We present steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of differently charged CdTe quantum dots (QDs) adsorbed onto a polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayer. The PE multilayer is built up using a layer-by-layer assembly technique. We find that the diffusion of the QDs into the PE multilayer is an important factor in the case of 3-mercapto-1, 2-propanediol stabilized QDs (neutral surface charge), resulting in a ～31-fold enhancement in PL intensity accompanied by a blue shift in the PL spectra and an increase in decay lifetime from 3.74?ns to a maximum of 11.65?ns. These modified emission properties are attributed to the enhanced surface related emission resulting from the interaction of the QD's surface with the PE. We find that diffusion does not occur for thioglycolic acid (TGA) stabilized QDs (negative surface charge) or 2-mercaptoethylamine stabilized QDs (positive surface charge), indicating localization of the QDs on top of the PE multilayer. However, the PL lifetime of the TGA stabilized QDs decreases from 9.58 to 5.78?ns with increasing PE multilayer thickness. This provides evidence for increased intrinsic exciton recombination relative to surface related emission, which results in an overall reduction in the average lifetime. Our studies indicate the importance of the QD surface charge in determining the interaction with the PE multilayers and the subsequent modification of the QD emission properties.     

Effect of ligand passivation on morphology,optical and photoresponse properties of CdS colloidal quantum dots thin film

In the present report, cadmium sulfide (CdS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) with average diameter of 6 nm were synthesized by using oleylamine as ligand and solvent. The insulating oleylamine ligands form barriers around the CdS CQDs to decrease carrier mobility. In order to remove the ligands and improve the photoelectrical properties of the closed-packed film, ethanedithiol, mercaptopropionic acid and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were applied for solid state ligand exchange. CTAB treated film had the fastest 3 dB bandwidth of 144.7 Hz and yielded the highest detectivity of 1.37 × 10⁸ Jones. The excellent properties of ligand passivation have important application in nanocrystals based electronic and optoelectronic devices.     

The effect of exposure to arsenic flow on the optical properties of quantum dot arrays in the InAs/GaAs(100) system

The optical properties of quantum dot arrays in the MBE-grown InAs/GaAs(100) epitaxial system with an effective InAs layer thickness of 1.9 monolayers were studied in samples exposed to the beam of As₄ for various times after switching off the In beam. The results of photoluminescence measurements showed that the emission wavelength increased with the exposure time within certain limits. This behavior agrees with predictions of the kinetic model of the initial stage of quantum dot formation.     

Effect of quantum dot shape dispersion on their joint density of states

An original approach to evaluating the influence of the distribution of quantum dots with respect to their shapes on the joint density of states is proposed. Expressions that describe the shift and inhomogeneous broadening of the main spectral band of luminescence depending on the coefficient of modulation of the surface shape of quantum dots are obtained.     

Direct spectroscopic evidence for the formation of one-dimensional wetting wires during the growth of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot chains

We report direct spectroscopic evidence for the formation of one-dimensional (1D) wetting wires (WWs) during the Stransky-Krastanov growth of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) chains. The wire-like nature of these 1D WWs was demonstrated by their 1D density of states and absorption anisotropies from the photoluminescence excitation measurements. Two groups of QDs were found sitting on top of these 1D WWs and the traditional two-dimensional wetting layers, respectively, with size-dependent emission polarization anisotropies of ca. 6-25% because of their elongated shapes.     

Transparent and flexible ultraviolet photodetectors based on colloidal ZnO quantum dot/graphene nanocomposites formed on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates

Transparent colloidal ZnO quantum-dot (QD)/graphene nanocomposites were formed on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. Ultraviolet (UV)–visible absorption spectra showed a shoulder peak around 350 nm corresponding to the absorption of ZnO QDs. Optical transmittance of the ZnO QD/graphene/PET multilayer was approximately 80%. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images showed that the ZnO QDs were distributed along the circumferences of the surfaces on the graphene layers. Current–voltage and current–time measurements on the UV photodetector after bending at 300 K exhibited the ON/OFF switching states and stability resulting from the light-induced conductivity of the flexible graphene layer.     

Domain structure and optical properties of colloidal photonic crystal

Thin colloidal photonic crystals were grown using shear-flow crystallization of polystyrene colloidal nanoparticles. The arrays consist of two types of domains, which are clearly visible on scanning electron microscopy patterns. Both domains have cubic close packing and are distinguished by their orientation with regards to substrate surface. The positions of the main minima in the visible-near-IR transmittance spectrum of the arrays as well as the dependence of these minima on the angle of the light incidence have been measured and interpreted using photon band structure of the two-component media.     

氘代聚苯乙烯胶体晶体的制备及光学性质研究

以水作为介质合成了高度单分散的氘代聚苯乙烯微球,并利用垂直沉积法制备了高质量的氘代聚苯乙烯胶体晶体.傅立叶变换红外光谱清楚地表明氘代苯乙烯单体发生了聚合反应;扫描电镜表面分析展示出胶体微球的高度有序排列,断面分析表明氘代聚苯乙烯胶体晶体为面心立方结构;光学透射谱显示出氘代聚苯乙烯胶体晶体的高次布拉格衍射特征,通过和理论计算的能带结构对比,进一步证实了氘代聚苯乙烯胶体晶体为面心立方结构;变角度光学透射谱测量显示,随着入射角的增大,(111)面的衍射峰蓝移,而(200)和(220)面的衍射峰发生红移.     

Influence of the position of InGaAs quantum dot array on the spectral characteristics of AlGaAs/GaAs photovoltaic converters

Results of a comparative study of the internal quantum yield of AlGaAs/GaAs photovoltaic converters (PVCs) with variable position of the array of vertically coupled InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) are presented. It is established that the QD array placed immediately at the i-region/base interface does not change the PVC sensitivity compared to that for QDs arranged inside the i-region of the p-n junction. However, the QD array shifted to the base or the back potential barrier decreases the contribution of a base layer to the PVC photocurrent and reduces the photosensitivity of the QD-based medium.     

Independent control of InAs quantum dot density and size on AlxGa1–xAs surfaces

Decoupling of InAs quantum dot (QD) size and density on Al_xGa_1?xAs surfaces (x = 0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45) is achieved by using a low growth rate and careful control of the temperature. The deposition rate of 0.01 μm/h, instead of 0.05 μm/h, allows the QDs to ripen with additional InAs deposition while the substrate temperature (490–520 °C) determines the QD density. On the GaAs surface, an increase of 10 °C results in an order of magnitude lower QD density. The increase of Al in the Al_xGa_1?xAs surfaces results in a higher dot density, lower dot size, and an increased size distribution. All surfaces show reduced QD density with increasing temperature and an identical zero dot density temperature at 523 °C. The GaAs surface shows increasing QD height with temperature while the Al_xGa_1?xAs surfaces show the opposite trend, but the InAs volume fraction in QDs for all surfaces decreases with increasing temperature, implying a more stable wetting layer. Increasing Al content also increases the InAs volume fraction in QDs, implying the wetting layer for all but the 520 °C samples is less than one monolayer. Photoluminescence samples demonstrate ground state QD energies above the GaAs bandedge.