Quantum dots are man-made nanoscale crystals that exhibit unique optical and electronic properties. They are also called semiconductor nanocrystals and are a few nanometers in size. Quantum dots are artificial nanostructures that can possess many varied properties, depending on their material and shape. They were first theorized in the 1970s and then successfully synthesized in the early 1980s. When semiconductor particles are made small enough, they exhibit quantum effects, which restrict the energies at which electrons and holes can exist within the particle. As energy is linked to wavelength (or color), this results in the optical properties of the particle being tunable based on its size.
Quantum dots have many potential applications, including:
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Optical applications: Quantum dots are particularly promising for optical applications due to their high extinction coefficient and ultrafast optical nonlinearities. They can be used for developing all-optical systems and displays because they emit light in very specific Gaussian distributions.
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Quantum information processing: Quantum dots have been suggested as implementations of qubits for quantum information processing.
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Thermoelectrics: Quantum dots can be used as active elements for thermoelectrics.
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Biosensors and imaging: Quantum dots enable researchers to study cell processes at the level of a single molecule and may have applications in biosensors and imaging.
Quantum dot manufacturing relies on a process called high-temperature dual injection, which has been scaled by multiple companies for commercial applications that require large quantities of quantum dots. This reproducible production method can be applied to a wide range of quantum dot sizes and compositions.
