A

PRESENTATION ON
“QUANTUM DOT”

Institute of Tech. & Management Bhilwara

Guided by:- Submitted by:-

Mr. Nitin Kothari Amit Majumdar
Ms. Arushi Somani VIII Sem EC
 A Quantum Dot:
A Quantum What?
What is a Quantum Dot? Applications

OUTLINE

Advantage
Fabrication Techniques
Quantum dot

A quantum dot is a semiconductor

nanostructure that confines the motion of
conduction band electrons , valence band
holes , or excitons (pairs of conduction band
electrons and valence band holes) in all
three spatial directions.
Dimensions
 Small quantum dots, such as colloidal semiconductor
nanocrystals, can be as small as 2 to 10 nanometers,
corresponding to 10 to 50 atoms in diameter and a total
of 100 to 100,000 atoms within the quantum dot volume.

 At 10 nanometers in diameter, nearly 3 million quantum

dots could be lined up end to end and fit within the width
of a human thumb.
 quantum wires , which confine the motion of
electrons or holes in two spatial directions
and allow free propagation in the third. 2)
quantum wells, which confine the motion of
electrons or holes in one direction and allow
free propagation in two directions.
Compared to atoms

 both have a discrete energy spectrum and bind a small

number of electrons.
 In contrast to atoms, the confinement potential in quantum
dots does not necessarily show spherical symmetry.
 In addition, the confined electrons do not move in free
space but in the semiconductor host crystal.
 play an important role for all quantum dot properties.
Energy Scales

 the order of 10 ev in atoms, but only 1 milli e.v in

quantum dots.
 In contrast to atoms, the energy spectrum of a
quantum dot can be engineered by controlling the
geometrical size, shape, and the strength of the
confinement potential.
 it is relatively easy to connect quantum dots by
tunnel barriers to conducting leads
Coloration

 The larger the dot, the

redder
 The smaller the dot, the
bluer
 The coloration is
directly related to the
energy levels of the
quantum dot.
Blue Shift

 the bandgap energy inversely proportional to

the square of the size of the quantum dot.
 Larger quantum dots have more energy
levels which are more closely spaced.
 This allows the quantum dot to absorb
photons containing less energy, i.e. those
closer to the red end of the spectrum.
Quantum Superposition

 Quantum superposition is the application of the

superposition principle to quantum mechanics.
 The superposition principle is the addition of the
amplitudes of wavefunctions , or state vectors
 . It occurs when an object simultaneously
"possesses" two or more values for an observable
quantity
(e.g. the position or energy of a particle).
Quantum Entanglement

 is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in

which the quantum states of two or more
objects have to be described with reference
to each other, even though the individual
objects may be spatially separated .
 leads to correlations between observable
physical properties of the systems.
Quantum Entanglement
 For example, it is possible to prepare two particles in a
single quantum state such that when one is observed to
be spin-up, the other one will always be observed to be
spin-down and vice versa

 it is impossible to predict , according to quantum

mechanics, which set of measurements will be
observed. As a result, measurements performed on one
system seem to be instantaneously influencing other
systems entangled with it.
Quantum computer

 A quantum computer is any device for computation

that makes direct use of distinctively quantum
mechanical phenomena , such as superposition and
entanglement , to perform operations on data.

 The basic principle :

the quantum properties of particles can be used to
represent and structure data, and that quantum
mechanisms can be devised and built to perform
operations with these data.
Bits vs. Qubits
 The device computes by manipulating those bits with
the help of logic gates.
 A qubit can hold a one, a zero, or, crucially, a
superposition of these.
 manipulating those qubits with the help of quantum
logic gates.
 A classical computer has a memory made up of bits ,
where each bit holds either a one or a zero.
Bits vs. Qubits
 the qubits can be in a superposition of all the
classically allowed states.
 the register is described by a wavefunction :
 the phases of the numbers can constructively and
destructively interfere with one another; this is an
important feature for quantum algorithms.
The confinement can be due to

>Electrostatic potentials
(generated by external electrodes, doping, strain,
impurities)
> The presence of an interface between different
semiconductor materials
> The presence of the semiconductor surface (e.g.
in the case of a semiconductor nanocrystal ).
> A combination of these.
Fabrication Techniques

 Colloidalsynthesis
 molecular beam epitaxy
 electron beam lithography
Electronic Beam Epitaxy Method
Applications
 Quantum Dot Computing
 Biology
 Photovoltaic devices
 Light emitting devices
 Quantum dot laser
 Life sciences
 Quantum dot switches
 Other applications
Advantages

 sharper density of states

 superior transport and optical properties, and are being
researched for use in diode lasers , amplifiers, and
biological sensors.
 use in solid-state quantum computation . By applying
small voltages to the leads, one can control the flow of
electrons through the quantum dot and thereby make
precise measurements of the spin and other properties
Advantages

 Another cutting edge application of quantum dots is

also being researched as potential artificial
fluorophore for intra-operative detection of tumors
using fluorescence spectroscopy .
 Quantum dots may have the potential to increase
the efficiency and reduce the cost of todays typical
silicon photovoltaic cells .
 7-fold increase in final output