Study of ultrafast linear and nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor quantum dots

Author(s)

Lázaro Aurélio Padilha Junior

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin
• Defense date: 2006-09-18

Examining board members

Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz; Mônica Alonso Cotta; Hugo Luis Fragnito; Franklin Massami Matinaga; Lucio Hora Acioli

• Advisor: Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz

Abstract

In this thesis the linear and non-linear optical properties of direct band-gap semiconductors, CdTe and CdSe, quantum dots are studied at femtosecond time scale, mainly those properties important for applications in all-optical switching such as response time and third order susceptibility. The photo-excited electron recombination processes are investigated as well their response time using a theoretical model considering the influence of the surface trapping states and the Auger recombination. The third order nonlinear optical properties, two-photon absorption and optical Kerr effect, are studied by different experimental techniques: Z-scan, pump and probe and two-photon induced photo-luminescence. Strong influence from the nanocrystals size is observed, especially on the two-photon absorption spectra. Theoretical models based on the effective mass approximation and Kane¿s p k model are used to describe the influence of the quantum confinement on the degenerate and non-degenerate two-photon absorption processes. The importance of the hole band mixing is easily seen from the two-photon absorption fitting. Finally, all-optical switching by absorption saturation and polarization control are demonstrated for CdTe quantum dots in doped glass (AU)