Group III–V and Group IV Quantum Dot Synthesis

Abstract

Semiconductor structures that exhibit quantum confinement effects in three dimensions have attracted considerable attention owing to their potential as tools for exploration of conceptually simple mesoscopic systems, and also because of their potential for new optoelectronic devices. In order to observe unique quantum dot transport and optical properties at room temperature, the characteristic dimensions of the carrier confining potentials and structures should be less than 10–20 nm. Although the electronic structure issues are quite different for group III–V semiconductors (prototypically GaAs/AlGaAs) than for group IV semiconductors (prototypically Si and Ge), growth of dense arrays of small (≤ 10 nm), uniformly-sized structures are important goals for both materials systems. In particular, there is a compelling need for development of synthesis techniques capable of making denselypacked,uniformly-sized structures which are less than 10–15 nm in size, over large areas.