This volume is concerned with the crystal growth, optical properties, and optical device application of the self-formed quantum dot, which is one of the major current subjects in the semiconductor research field.The atom-like density of states in quantum dots is expected to drastically improve semiconductor laser performance, and to develop new optical devices. However, since the first theoretical prediction for its great possibilities was presented in 1982, due to the difficulty of their fabrication process. Recently, the advent of self-organized quantum dots has made it possible to apply the results in important optical devices, and further progress is expected in the near future.The authors, working for Fujitsu Laboratories, are leading this quantum-dot research field. In this volume, they describe the state of the art in the entire field, with particular emphasis on practical applications.

This multidisciplinary book provides up-to-date coverage of carrier and spin dynamics and energy transfer and structural interaction among nanostructures. Coverage also includes current device applications such as quantum dot lasers and detectors, as well as future applications to quantum information processing. The book will serve as a reference for anyone working with or planning to work with quantum dots.

This volume is concerned with the crystal growth, optical properties, and optical device application of the self-formed quantum dot, which is one of the major current subjects in the semiconductor research field. The atom-like density of states in quantum dots is expected to drastically improve semiconductor laser performance, and to develop new optical devices. However, since the first theoretical prediction for its great possibilities was presented in 1982, due to the difficulty of their fabrication process. Recently, the advent of self-organized quantum dots has made it possible to apply the results in important optical devices, and further progress is expected in the near future. The authors, working for Fujitsu Laboratories, are leading this quantum-dot research field. In this volume, they describe the state of the art in the entire field, with particular emphasis on practical applications.

The past few years have seen considerable efforts in growth and device application of self- assembled quantum dots. However, the photoluminescence (PL) linewidth, which represents structural fluctuations in dot sizes, is still in the range of 30-50 meV. This large linewidth has deleterious effects on devices such as lasers based on self-assembled dots. In this paper we will examine the configuration-energy diagram of self-assembled dots. Our formalism is based on: (1) an atomistic Monte Carlo method which allows us to find the minimum energy configuration and strain tensors as well as intermediate configurations of dots; and (2) an 8 bands k-p method to calculate the electronic spectra. We present results on the strain energy per unit cell for various distributions of InAs/GaAs quantum dots and relate them to published experimental results. In particular we examine uncovered InAs/GaAs dots and show that in the uncovered state a well-defined minimum exists in the configuration energy plot. The minimum corresponds to the size that agrees well with experiments.

We presented a comprehensive picture of electron dynamics in the unipolar quantum dot structure. Although the phonon bottleneck is circumvented with high doped electron density, relaxation processes in unipolar quantum dots have been measured with time scales longer than that of bipolar systems. The results explain the operation principles of the quantum dot infrared photodetector on a microscopic level and provide basic understanding for future applications and designs.