Theoretical Characterization of Semiconductor Nano-structures for Infrared Device Applications

H.I. Ikeri¹ , A.I. Onyia² , G.C. Ogbu³ , F.N. Kalu⁴

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.8 , Issue.4 , pp.21-25, Dec-2021

Online published on Dec 31, 2021

Copyright © H.I. Ikeri, A.I. Onyia, G.C. Ogbu, F.N. Kalu . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

View this paper at   Google Scholar | DPI Digital Library

XML View     PDF Download

How to Cite this Paper

Abstract :
In this research, theoretical characterization of tunable infrared (IR) photo active materials with a few application oriented scenarios to illustrate the technological vitality and significant growth opportunities for integrated photonics in the IR regime is studied using effective mass approximation. The strong quantum confinement effect in QDs allows their optical wavelength to be tuned in a large spectral range covering infrared (IR) waveband by dimensional constraints. Results show that CdSe and CdS possess the trait for possible extension of their wavelength to emit in the NIR and should be further explored for infrared applications.By selective control of the sizes of QDs, emission wavelength within the first (650–950nm) and second (1000–1400nm)near-infrared biological transparency window were obtained for InAs, InSb, PbS, PbSe, and PbTe QDs, which allows for deeper tissue penetration imaging of biological systems. Our results suggest that QDs offer strong and widely tunable light absorption and emission across the infrared radiation waveband.These properties make QDs emerging candidates both as IR light emitters as well as IR absorbers suitable for biological imaging, solar energy harvesting, optical displays, photo-detectors, health technologies and communications. Among all the considered QDs, lead chalcogenides (PbS, PbSe and PbTe) QDs displayed an exceptional optical spectra that can be tuned in broadband of near to far IR, which is attractive both in IR technological applications and fundamental scientific research.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Infrared, quantum dots, absorption, emission, optical wavelength, confinement

References :
[1] Jain, P.K., Huang, X., El-Sayed, I.H., and El-Sayed, M.A., Noble metals on the nanoscale: optical and photothermal properties and some applications in imaging, sensing, biology, and medicine. Acc. Chem. Res. 41, 1578–1586, 2021.
[2] Corrigan, T. D., Park, D. H., Drew, H. D., Guo, S. H., Kolb, P. W., Herman, W. N., Broadband and mid-infrared absorber based on dielectric-thin metal film multilayers. Appl. Opt. 51, 1109–1114, 2012.
[3] Vatansever, F.; Hamblin, M. R. Far Infrared Radiation (FIR): Its Biological Effects and Medical Applications. Photonics and Lasers in Medicine; De Gruyter; Vol. 1; p 255, 2012.
[4] Zhang, Y.; Hong, G.; Zhang, Y.; Chen, G.; Li, F.; Dai, H.; Wang, Q. Ag2S Quantum Dot: A Bright and Biocompatible Fluorescent Nanoprobe in the Second Near-Infrared Window. ACS Nano, 6, 3695?3702, 2012
[5] Kubicek-Sutherland, J.Z., Makarov, N.S., Stromberg, Z.R., Lenz, K.D., Castaneeda, C., Mercer, A.N., Mukundan, H., McDaniel, H., and Ramasamy, K., Exploring the biocompatibility of near-IR CuInSexS2–x/ZnS quantum dots for deep-tissue bioimaging. ACS Appl. Bio Mater. 3, 8567–8574, 2020.
[6] Zhu, C.-N.; Jiang, P.; Zhang, Z.-L.; Zhu, D.-L.; Tian, Z.-Q.; Pang, D.-W. Ag2Se Quantum Dots with Tunable Emission in the Second Near-Infrared Window. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 5, 1186? 1189, 2013.
[7] Vatansever, F.; Hamblin, M. R. Far Infrared Radiation (FIR): Its Biological Effects and Medical Applications. Photonics & Lasers in Medicine; De Gruyter; Vol. 1; p 255, 2012.
[8] Nozik, A. J.; Beard, M. C.; Luther, J. M.; Law, M.; Ellingson, R. J.; Johnson, J. C. Semiconductor Quantum Dots and Quantum Dot Arrays and Applications of Multiple Exciton Generation to Third-Generation Photovoltaic Solar Cells. Chem. Rev., 110, 6873?6890, 2010.
[9] Konstantatos, G.; Howard, I.; Fischer, A.; Hoogland, S.; Clifford, J.; Klem, E.; Levina, L.; Sargent, E. H. Ultrasensitive Solution-Cast Quantum Dot Photodetectors. Nature, 442, 180?183, 2006.
[10] Kovalenko, M. V.; Kaufmann, E.; Pachinger, D.; Roither, J.; Huber, M.; Stangl, J.; Hesser, G.; Schaffler, F.; Heiss, W. Colloidal HgTe Nanocrystals with Widely Tunable Narrow Band Gap Energies: From Telecommunications to Molecular Vibrations. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 128, 3516?3517, 2006.
[11] Rogalski, Antonio, Infrared Detectors. CRC Press, 2000.
[12] Rieke, George H., History of infrared telescopes and astronomy.Experimental Astronomy, 25 (1–3): 125–141, 2009.
[13] Marija Strojnik, Advanced infrared technology and applications. Applied Optics, Vol. 57 Issue 1, 2019.
[14] Yang, Z. P., Ci, L. J., Bur, J. A., Lin, S. Y., and Ajayan, P. M., Experimental observation of an extremely dark material made by a low-density nanotube array.Nano Lett.8, 446–451, 2008.
[15] Vinita Mittal, George Devitt, Milos Nedeljkovic, Lewis G. Carpenter,Harold M. H. Chong, James S. Wilkinson, Sumeet Mahajan, Goran Z. Mashanovich, Ge on Si waveguide mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy of proteins and their aggregates. Biomedical Optics Express, 11(8), 4714, 2020
[16] Augustine Ike Onyia, Henry Ifeanyi Ikeri, Abraham Iheanyichukwu Chima, Surface and Quantum Effects in Nanosized Semiconductor, American Journal of Nano Research and Applications. Vol. 8, No. 3,pp. 35-41, 2020
[17] Ikeri, H. I. and Onyia, A. I., Theoretical investigation of size effect on energy gap of quantum dots using particle in a box model. Chalcogenide Letters, 14(2): 49 – 54, 2017.
[18] Smith, A. M. and Nie, S., Semiconductor nanocrystals: structure, properties, and band gap engineering. Acc. Chem. Res., 43: 190–200, 2010.
[19] Onyia, A. I. and Ikeri, H. I., Theoretical study of quantum confinement effect on quantum dots using particle in a box model. Journal of Ovonic Research, 14 (1): 49 – 54, 2018.
[20] Klimov, V. I., Mechanisms for photogeneration and recombination of multiexcitons in semiconductor nanocrystals: implications for lasing and solar energy conversion. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 110(34): 161 -165, 2006.
[21] Brus, L. E., Electron-electron and electron-hole interactions in small semiconductor crystallites: the size dependence of the lowest excited electronic state. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 80(9): 403-4409, 1984.
[22] Madan, S., Monika, G. and Kamal, D., Size and shape effects on the band gap of semiconductor compound nanomaterials. Journal of Taibah University for Science, 12(4): 470-475, 2018.
[23] Jamieson, T., Bakhshi, R., Petrova, D., Pocock, R., Imani, M., and Seifalian, A.M., Biological applications of quantum dots. Biomaterials. 28, 4717–4732, 2007.