Temperature dependence of the photoluminescence properties of colloidal Cd Se ∕ Zn S core/shell quantum dots embedded in a polystyrene matrix

We report on the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and of the PL relaxation dynamics for colloidal $\mathrm{Cd}\mathrm{Se}∕\mathrm{Zn}\mathrm{S}$ core/shell quantum dots (QDs) embedded in an inert polystyrene matrix. We demonstrate that the confinement energy in the QDs is independent of the temperature. The coupling with both acoustic and optical phonons is also studied. Quantum confinement results in a strong increase of the exciton\char21{}acoustic-phonon coupling constant, up to 71\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}∕\mathrm{K}, and in a reduced exciton\char21{}longitudinal-optical (LO)-phonon coupling constant, down to $21\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$, with respect to bulk CdSe. In addition, we demonstrate that the main nonradiative process that limits the quantum efficiency of the QD at room temperature is the thermal escape from the dot assisted by scattering with four LO phonons. Thermally activated trapping in surface states is also observed at low temperature, with an activation energy of about $15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$

Ground state of excitons and charged excitons in a quantum well

A variational calculation of the ground state of a neutral exciton and of positively and negatively charged excitons (trions) in single quantum well is presented. We study the dependance of the correlation energy and of the binding energy on the well width and on the hole mass. Our results are are compared with previous theoretical results and with avalaible experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures presented to OECS

Well-width dependence of the ground level emission of GaN/AlGaN quantum wells

We have performed a systematic investigation of GaN/AlGaN quantum wells grown on different buffer layers (either GaN or AlGaN) in order to clarify the role of strain, structural parameters, and built-in field in determining the well-width dependence of the ground level emission energy. We find that identical quantum wells grown on different buffer layers exhibit strong variation of the ground level energy but similar well-width dependence. The data are quantitatively explained by an analytic model based on the envelope function formalism which accounts for screening and built-in field, and by a full self-consistent tight binding model

Light Emission Properties of Thermally Evaporated CH3 NH3 PbBr3 Perovskite from Nano-to Macro-Scale: Role of Free and Localized Excitons

Over the past decade, interest about metal halide perovskites has rapidly increased, as they can find wide application in optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, although thermal evaporation is crucial for the development and engineering of such devices based on multilayer structures, the optical properties of thermally deposited perovskite layers (spontaneous and amplified spontaneous emission) have been poorly investigated. This paper is a study from a nano-to micro-and macro-scale about the role of light-emitting species (namely free carriers and excitons) and trap states in the spontaneous emission of thermally evaporated thin layers of CH3 NH3 PbBr3 perovskite after wet air UV light trap passivation. The map of light emission from grains, carried out by SNOM at the nanoscale and by micro-PL techniques, clearly indicates that free and localized excitons (EXs) are the dominant light-emitting species, the localized excitons being the dominant ones in the presence of crystallites. These species also have a key role in the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) process: for higher excitation densities, the relative contribution of localized EXs basically remains constant, while a clear competition between ASE and free EXs spontaneous emission is present, which suggests that ASE is due to stimulated emission from the free EXs

Photoluminescence efficiency of Substituted Quaterthiophene Crystals

none8The photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of substituted α-conjugated quaterthiophene crystals shows marked differences depending on crystal packing and molecular geometry. This effect is studied by evaluating the role of the intermolecular interactions and the effects of the single molecule conformation on the intersystem crossing (ISC) rate. The comparison of these calculations with absolute quantum efficiency measurements and with the experimental temperature dependence of the PL decay time, indicates that the differences in PL efficiency are not inherent to crystal packing effects but they are determined by the ISC rate.G.GIGLI; F.DELLA SALA; M.LOMASCOLO; M.ANNI; G.BARBARELLA; A.DI CARLO; P.LUGLI; R. CINGOLANIGigli, Giuseppe; F., DELLA SALA; M., Lomascolo; Anni, Marco; G., Barbarella; A., DI CARLO; P., Lugli; Cingolani, Robert

Dominance of charged excitons in single quantum dot photoluminescence spectra

Single InxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum dot photoluminescence spectra, obtained by low-temperature near-field scanning optical microscopy, are compared with theoretically derived optical spectra. The spectra show shell filling as well as few-particle fine structure associated with neutral and charged multiexcitons, in good agreement with the many-body calculations. There appears to be a greater tendency to charged-exciton formation, which is discussed in terms of the high diffusivity of photogenerated electrons

Spontaneous polarization and piezoelectric field in G a N / A l 0.15 Ga 0.85 N quantum wells: Impact on the optical spectra

We have investigated the effects of the built-in electric field in ${\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{N}/\mathrm{A}\mathrm{l}}_{0.15}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.85}\mathrm{N}$ quantum wells by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The fundamental electron heavy-hole transition redshifts well below the GaN bulk gap for well widths larger than 3 nm for the specific quantum wells investigated and exhibits a concomitant reduction of the intensity with increasing well thickness. The experimental data are quantitatively explained by means of a self-consistent tight-binding model that includes screening (either dielectric or by free-carriers), piezoelectric field and spontaneous polarization field. The impact of the built-in field on the exciton stability is discussed in detail. We demonstrate that the exciton binding energy is substantially reduced by the built-in field, well below the values expected from the quantum size effect in the flat band condition

Effects of thermal annealing on the optical properties of InGaNAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells

We present an optical characterization of as-grown and thermally annealed InGaNAs/GaAs multiple quantum well samples. In both samples, from the analysis of the photoluminescence spectra we can infer that the low-temperature photoluminescence emission is related to carriers localized in the alloy potential fluctuations; with increasing temperature, we observe their gradual delocalization and then the transition towards a completely different type of lineshape, typical of free carrier recombinations. The comparison between the photoluminescence spectra of the as-grown and the annealed samples shows that a remarkable improvement of the optical properties occurs after the thermal annealing. This improvement is related to an important reduction in the density of the defects and in the depth of the alloy potential fluctuations

Nanoscale compositional fluctuations in multiple InGaAs/GaAs quantum wires

An accurate analysis of nanoscale compositional fluctuations in InGaAs/GaAs quantum wires grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on V-grooved substrates was performed by means of high-spatial-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. Small In fluctuations (2%-3% excess indium), spatially localized over approximately 5 nm, were detected and related to changes in the photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra

Structural Basis of Enzymatic Activity for the Ferulic Acid Decarboxylase (FADase) from Enterobacter sp. Px6-4

Microbial ferulic acid decarboxylase (FADase) catalyzes the transformation of ferulic acid to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene (4-vinylguaiacol) via non-oxidative decarboxylation. Here we report the crystal structures of the Enterobacter sp. Px6-4 FADase and the enzyme in complex with substrate analogues. Our analyses revealed that FADase possessed a half-opened bottom β-barrel with the catalytic pocket located between the middle of the core β-barrel and the helical bottom. Its structure shared a high degree of similarity with members of the phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) superfamily. Structural analysis revealed that FADase catalyzed reactions by an “open-closed” mechanism involving a pocket of 8×8×15 Å dimension on the surface of the enzyme. The active pocket could directly contact the solvent and allow the substrate to enter when induced by substrate analogues. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that the E134A mutation decreased the enzyme activity by more than 60%, and Y21A and Y27A mutations abolished the enzyme activity completely. The combined structural and mutagenesis results suggest that during decarboxylation of ferulic acid by FADase, Trp25 and Tyr27 are required for the entering and proper orientation of the substrate while Glu134 and Asn23 participate in proton transfer