International Journal of Physics | Vol. 1, No. 4, April 2010 | pp. 25–32
Research Article
Title: Spin-Orbit Coupling Effects on Exciton Binding Energies in Zinc-Blende Semiconductor Quantum Dots
Names of Authors: J. K. Dubois¹, K. L. Moreau²
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France; ²Institut Néel, CNRS, Grenoble, France
Abstract: We calculate the ground-state binding energy of excitons in spherical CdTe and ZnSe semiconductor quantum dots by incorporating the Dresselhaus and Rashba spin-orbit coupling Hamiltonians using a variational method within the effective mass approximation. As the dot radius R decreases from 20.0 nm to 2.0 nm, quantum confinement forces an enhancement of the electron-hole Coulomb interaction, raising the exciton binding energy E_x up to 48.5 meV. The inclusion of spin-orbit interactions splits the degenerate 1p-1p valence band states by an energy delta_so approximately 12.3 meV, inducing pronounced polarization anisotropy in the optical absorption spectra. Transition oscillator strengths show strong dependence on the applied external electric field F up to 50 kV/cm. The results correlate well with low-temperature photoluminescence measurements, clarifying the role of band-mixing phenomena in nanoscale heterostructures.
Keywords: Semiconductor quantum dots, Excitons, Spin-orbit coupling, Effective mass approximation, Optical properties
Manuscript Timeline: Received 04 January 2010, Revised 05 February 2010, Accepted 14 February 2010, Published 02 April 2010
Citation: Dubois, J. K., & Moreau, K. L. (2010). Spin-Orbit Coupling Effects on Exciton Binding Energies in Zinc-Blende Semiconductor Quantum Dots. International Journal of Physics, 1(4), 25–32. DOI: 10.46882/2010/IJP/000004
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