Optics of Solid-state Nanostructures (Spring 2010)

Overview

This course focuses on semiconductor nanostructures, e.g. quantum wells (QWs) and quantum dots (QDs), and their optical properties. We will be discussing the ways in which modern crystal growth and processing techniques are used to create low-dimensional systems for the study of quantum mechanics, spin physics, and for device engineering. In addition, we will highlight optical methods for investigating these systems. The course will start by coving some fundamental concepts and build up to review state-of-the-art experiments.

The main topics to be covered include: band structure, optical absorption and emission, optical selection rules, band engineering, heterostructure growth, QWs, QDs, excitons, spin injection and polarized excitation/detection, Hanle effect, Faraday effect, dynamic nuclear polarization, optically detected magnetic resonance, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic semiconductors, spintronics and applications, and photonic band-gap devices.

Format and Requirements

The course consists of one 2-hour lecture per week and one 1-hour exercise session per week. Exercise sessions will be a forum for in depth discussion of relevant papers, assigned exercises, and general questions. A final report on an important experimental paper is required (4-5 pages or 3000-5000 words). The course will be conducted in English. The grading is pass/fail.

This course will be aimed at 3rd-year bachelor and master students in physics and nanoscience. Physics III is a prerequisite. Previous course-work in solid-state physics and quantum mechanics is expected.

Most of the source material and reading in this class will be drawn from The Physics of Low-dimensional Semiconductors, J. H. Davies (Cambridge University Press, 1998. Some reading will be based on short sections of Fundamentals of Semiconductors, P. Y. Yu and M. Cordona (Springer, 2005); Wave Mechanics Applied to Semiconductor Heterostructures, G. Bastard (Les Editions de Physique, 1988); Optical Orientation, F. Meier and B. P. Zakharchenya (North-Holland, 1984); and from original papers in scientific journals. Copies of these readings will be distributed in class.

Schedule

Lectures: Wednesdays, 14.00-16.00, Sitzungszimmer 1.09
Exercise Sessions: Thursdays, 15:00-16:00, Sitzungszimmer 3.12

References

• The Physics of Low-dimensional Semiconductors, J. H. Davies (Cambridge University Press, 1998).

• Fundamentals of Semiconductors, P. Y. Yu and M. Cordona (Springer, 2005).

• Wave Mechanics Applied to Semiconductor Heterostructures, G. Bastard (Les Editions de Physique, 1988).

• Optical Orientation, F. Meier and B. P. Zakharchenya (North-Holland, 1984).

Suggested Publications for Reports

• Photonic band-gap structures, E. Yablonovitch, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 10, 283 (1993).

• Making Nonmagnetic Semiconductors Ferromagnetic, H. Ohno et al., Science 281, 951 (1998); Electrical spin injection in a ferromagnetic semiconductor heterostructure, Y. Ohno et al., Nature 402, 790 (1999); Electric field control of ferromagnetism, H. Ohno et al., Nature 408, 944 (2000).

• Near-field optics: from subwavelength illumination to nanometric shadowing, A. Lewis et al., Nature Biotech. 21, 1378 (2003).

• Observation of the Spin Hall Effect in Semiconductors, Y. K. Kato et al., Science 306, 1910 (2004); A Hall of Spin, V. Sih et al., Physics World 11, 33 (2005).

• Optically programmable electron spin memory using semiconductor quantum dots, M. Kroutvar et al., Nature 432, 81 (2004).

• A semiconductor source of triggered entangled photon pairs, R. M. Stevenson et al., Nature 439, 179 (2006); Improved fidelity of triggered entangled photons from single quantum dots, R. J. Young et al., New J. Phys. 8, 29 (2006).

• Optical pumping of a single hole spin in a quantum dot, B. D. Gerardot et al., Nature 451, 441 (2008); A Coherent Single-Hole Spin in a Semiconductor, D. Brunner et al., Science 325, 70 (2009).

• Nanoscale magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond, J. R. Maze et al., Nature 455,644 (2008); Nanoscale imaging magnetometry with diamond spins under ambient conditions, G. Balasubramanian et al., Nature 455, 648 (2008); Microscopy with single spins, C. Degen, Nat. Nanotech. 3, 643 (2008)