Molecular Beam Epitaxy growth of Semiconductor Nanostructures: present status and future prospects

The talk will discuss the growth, structure and properties of self-assembled III-V semiconducting quantum dots produced by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth. These quantum dot nanostructures of dimensions of in the 10nm range possess unique quantised electronic properties which can overcome some of the limitations of present-day optoelectronic devices, whilst offering new opportunities for quantum communications and computation. The talk will describe work performed on the synthesis of InGaAs quantum dots at Sheffield, including investigations of quantum dot structural properties, the electronic and optical properties of single quantum dots and quantum dot arrays and device applications in the fields of optical communications and sensing. Some of the limitations of present approaches and possible ways forward will be discussed. The talk will go on to examine future directions in MBE growth, including prospects for the integration with new materials, alternative nanostructures and methods to achieve higher degrees of ordering between individual nanostructures.