Jun 22 2010
A team of German researchers has introduced quantum dots, without using hybrid systems, in fully epitaxial nitride laser structures. The new approach eliminates the difficult method of integrating various materials from evaporation and epitaxy. The researchers believe that this should lead the way for more optimization of single photon emitters and lasers in the visible spectrum.
Postdoctoral researcher from the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, and a member of the team, Kathrin Sebald said that gallium nitride-based laser diodes can be reliably used for developing light sources in the spectral region of UV-blue to green. He further commented that by decreasing the size of the material to nano scale, efficiency of devices such as BluRay players could be increased. This would pave the way for using quantum optoelectronic effects.
Kathrin Sebald also added that when the quantum dots are combined with optical microcavities, the light emitted can be concentrated to small volumes by means of resonant recirculation. Microcavities can allure quantum dots to discharge spontaneous photons in a particular direction, paving the way for a massive increase in output.
Details of the study are available in the Applied Physics Letters, a journal published by the American Institute of Physics.