Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Quantum dots

Long life in zero dimensions

Electron relaxation time in semiconductor quantum dots, for terahertz transition energies, can be slowed down to the nanosecond range — a very encouraging result for the development of quantum-dot-based quantum cascade lasers.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Electron relaxation in a 2D semiconductor.
Figure 2: What a quantum-dot cascade laser could look like.

References

  1. Zibik, E. A. et al. Nature Mater. 8, 803–807 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ferreira, R. & Bastard, G. Phys. Rev. B 40, 1074–1086 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Faist, J. et al. Science 264, 553–556 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Köhler, R. et al. Nature 417, 156–159 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kumar, S., Hu, Q. & Reno, J. L. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 131105 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Wingreen, N. S. & Stafford, C. A. IEEE J. Quantum Elect. 33, 1170–1173 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hsu, C. F. et al. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant. 6, 491–503 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Li, X.-Q., Nakayama, H. & Arakawa, Y. Phys. Rev. B 59, 5069–5073 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Zibik, E. A. et al. Phys. Rev. B 70, 161305 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wasserman, D. et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 191118 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Chassagneux, Y. et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 091113 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Garcia, C. P. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 266806 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tredicucci, A. Long life in zero dimensions. Nature Mater 8, 775–776 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2541

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2541

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing