Optics of Zero Dimensional Semiconductor Systems

Abstract

The optical spectra of semiconductor microcrystals grown in transparent matrix of oxide glass are investigated. The size of microcrystals was varied in a controlled manner from a few tens to a few hundreds of angstroms. The microcrystal embedded in wide gap matrix represents three-dimensional potential well for electrons, holes and excitons. The optical properties of such zero-dimensional semiconductor structures are shown to be governed by the structure of energy spectra of confined electron-hole pairs. The phenomenon of the microcrystals ionization at interband optical excitation is observed. The Auger process in microcrystals containing two nonequilibrium electron-hole pairs is proposed to be responsible for this effect. The experimental dependencies of the ionization rate as a function of excitation intensity and the microcrystal size are in a good agreement with the theoretical predictions of the Auger recombination model.