ISSN:
1089-7690
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Two-dimensional heterostructures have been exploited extensively in the synthesis of optoelectronic devices. Structures with small lattice mismatch can be synthesized readily. Large lattice mismatch in II–VI film heterostructures makes synthesis of devices with these materials more difficult. However, these large mismatch heterostructures usually have useful optical properties. One such heterostructure is the ZnS/CdS system with a large exciton binding energy and a large band gap useful for blue–green emitting devices. In this work, small II–VI nanoparticles are studied. We show that II–VI heterostructures can be made in quantum dots, despite the large bulk lattice mismatch. Two well-known techniques are combined to synthesize first very small ZnS and CdS seed nanoparticles and then do nanoepitaxy on them to produce ZnS/CdS core/shell quantum-dot quantum-well heteronanostructures. These structures are characterized by UV visible absorbance. Measured spectra are compared with electronic level structures calculated for the fabricated heteronanostructures with a tight-binding model. The consistency of the observed spectra with the predicted transitions indicates that the desired core/shell and core/shell/clad structures were grown. The metastability of the ZnS/CdS/ZnS heteronanostructures is attributed to low-temperature construction and small crystal size (〈3 nm). The small particle size should produce large surface forces and ZnS core contraction. Also, the small particle size should accommodate strain, as a result of the ZnS/CdS interfacial curvature, which is not possible for planar systems. Furthermore, this new structure is kinetically stabilized against alloying by the large size difference between the Cd2+ ion and Zn2+ ions. We suggest that all of these factors contribute to the formation of quantum-dot quantum-well ZnS/CdS/ZnS heteronanostructures. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1333758
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