Nanometer Scale Materials for Photonics: Why Size Matters


Semiconductor nanocrystals are inorganic particles containing a few thousand atoms, with sizes commonly in the range of 2 to 20 nm. Due to quantum confinement effects, the electronic states of semiconductor nanocrystals remarkably can be easily tuned by simply varying their size.

I will discuss the optical and electronic properties of colloidal CdSe and PbSe nanocrystals, as well as techniques used to synthesize and manipulate them. Photonics relevant applications for these materials will also be discussed, including their potential use in solar cells, LEDs, optical switches, directional displays, and tunable lasers.