Changes in the Optical Properties of Semiconductor Quantum Dots under an External Electric Field
Abstract
The influence of quantum confinement on the energy spectra of spherical semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) made of CdSe, GaP, and GaAs is investigated using the particle-in-a-spherical-box model. We derive discrete energy levels for electrons and holes, demonstrating that the level spacing increases quadratically as the dot radius decreases (∝1/R2). Analytical expressions for the linear and third-order nonlinear interlevel optical absorption coefficients are obtained via the density-matrix formalism, incorporating intraband relaxation and Stark shifts induced by an external static electric field. Numerical results for GaAs QDs reveal that an applied field of F = 100 kV/cm causes significant spectral broadening and a peak reduction of up to $50\%$ at high optical intensities. Our findings demonstrate that both dot size and external fields provide efficient tuning knobs for QD optical responses, with implications for tunable lasers and electro-optic modulators.
Downloads
References
R.D. Schaller, and V.I. Klimov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 186601 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.186601
C. Wang, M. Shim, and P. Guyot-Sionnest, Science 291, 2390 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.291.5512.2390
J. Sinclair, and E. Dagotto, An introduction to quantum dots: Confinement, synthesis, artificial atoms and applications, (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville, 2009).
P. Michler, Single Quantum Dots: Fundamentals, Applications and New Concepts (Springer, Berlin, 2003).
P. Martyniuk, and A. Rogalski, Prog. Quantum Electron. 32, 89 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pquantelec.2008.07.001
A.A. Lagatsky, et al., Prog. Quantum Electron. 34, 1 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pquantelec.2009.11.001
T. Kippeny, L.A. Swafford, and S.A. Rosenthal, J. Chem. Educ. 79, 1094 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1021/ed079p1094
L.E. Brus, J. Chem. Phys. 79, 5566 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.445676
X. Gao, et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 22, 969 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt994
P.V. Kamat, J. Phys. Chem. C 112, 18737 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1021/jp806791s
P. Senellart, et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 12, 1026 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2017.218
J. Liu, et al., Phys. Rev. B 105, 045302 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.105.045302
A. Smith, and K. Kumar, J. Appl. Phys. 133, 124301 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0134112
M.R. Shcherbakov, et al., ACS Nano 18, 3105 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c10204
J.M. Harbold, The electronic and optical properties of colloidal lead selenide semiconductor nanocrystals, Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (2005).
L.E. Brus, J. Chem. Phys. 80, 4403 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.447218
R. Dingle, W. Wiegmann, and C.H. Henry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 827 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.33.827
A. Harwit, and J.S. Harris Jr., Appl. Phys. Lett. 50, 685 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.98076
D. Ahn, and S.L. Chuang, Phys. Rev. B 35, 4149 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.35.4149
D. Ahn, and S.L. Chuang, J. Appl. Phys. 62, 1460 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.339638
L.C. West, and S.J. Eglash, Appl. Phys. Lett. 46, 1156 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.95901
B.F. Levine, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 50, 273 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.98213
S.Y. Yuen, Appl. Phys. Lett. 43, 813 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.94502
Y. Kayanuma, Phys. Rev. B 38, 9797 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.38.9797
L.W. Wang, and A. Zunger, Phys. Rev. B 53, 9579 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.53.9579
Copyright (c) 2026 Kamoliddin A. Koraboev, Usman K. Sapaev, Gayrat X. Bakirov, Nilufar.V. Jurayeva, Munira N. Kazakova, Olimjon Z. Qodirov
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
