Semiconductor quantum-dot nanostructures: Their application in anew class of infrared photodetectors

摘要

Semiconductor quantum-dot nanostructures are interesting objectsnfor fundamental as well as practical reasons. Fundamentally, they cannform the basis of systems in which to study the quantum mechanics ofnelectrons confined in zero-dimensional (0-D) space. In practice, thendots can be embedded in the active regions of a new class of electronicnand optoelectronic devices with novel functionalities. This papernreviews the state-of-the-art in the use of these objects in infraredndetectors. It describes the progress, challenges, and projections forncontinued development of normal-incidence intersublevel detectorsnoperating in the spectral region between 6 and 20 Μm