Kimberly Sablon

Bio: Kimberly Sablon is an academic researcher from United States Army Research Laboratory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Quantum dot & Solar cell. The author has an hindex of 19, co-authored 67 publications receiving 1264 citations. Previous affiliations of Kimberly Sablon include University of Arkansas.

Strong Enhancement of Solar Cell Efficiency Due to Quantum Dots with Built-In Charge

Abstract: We report a 50% increase in the power conversion efficiency of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells due to n-doping of the interdot space. The n-doped device was compared with GaAs reference cell, undoped, and p-doped devices. We found that the quantum dots with built-in charge (Q-BIC) enhance electron intersubband quantum dot transitions, suppress fast electron capture processes, and preclude deterioration of the open circuit voltage in the n-doped structures. These factors lead to enhanced harvesting and efficient conversion of IR energy in the Q-BIC solar cells.

Nanoholes fabricated by self-assembled gallium nanodrill on GaAs(100)

Abstract: Self-assembled nanodrill technology based on droplet epitaxy growth was developed to obtain nanoholes on a GaAs(100) surface. In this technology, the gallium droplets act like “electrochemical drills” etching away the GaAs substrate beneath to give rise to nanoholes more than 10nm deep. The driving force of the nanodrill is attributed to the arsenic desorption underneath the gallium droplet at high growth temperatures and Ga-rich condition. This nanodrill technology provides an easy and flexible method to fabricate nanohole templates on GaAs(100) surface and has great potential for developing quantum dots and quantum dot molecules for quantum computation applications.

Low density InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs nanoholes

Abstract: A growth technique combining droplet epitaxy and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is developed to obtain a low density of InAs quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs nanoholes. This growth technique is simple, flexible, and does not require additional substrate processing. It makes possible separate control of the QD density via droplet epitaxy and the QD quality via MBE growth. In this letter the authors report the use of this technique to produce InAs QDs with a low density of 2.7×108cm−2 as well as good photoluminescence properties. The resulting samples are suitable for single QD device fabrication and applications.

Monolithically Integrated InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Mid-Infrared Photodetectors on Silicon Substrates

Abstract: High-performance, multispectral, and large-format infrared focal plane arrays are the long-demanded third-generation infrared technique for hyperspectral imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and target identification. A promising solution is to monolithically integrate infrared photodetectors on a silicon platform, which offers not only low-cost but high-resolution focal plane arrays by taking advantage of the well-established Si-based readout integrated circuits. Here, we report the first InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) infrared photodetectors monolithically integrated on silicon substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The III–V photodetectors are directly grown on silicon substrates by using a GaAs buffer, which reduces the threading dislocation density to ∼106 cm–2. The high-quality QDs grown on Si substrates have led to long photocarrier relaxation time and low dark current density. Mid-infrared photodetection up to ∼8 μm is also achieved at 80 K. This work demonstrates that III–V photodetectors can directly be i...

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Theory of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor microcrystallites

Abstract: We analyze theoretically the optical properties of ideal semiconductor crystallites so small that they show quantum confinement in all three dimensions [quantum dots (QD's)]. In the limit of a QD much smaller than the bulk exciton size, the linear spectrum will be a series of lines, and we consider the phonon broadening of these lines. The lowest interband transition will saturate like a two-level system, without exchange and Coulomb screening. Depending on the broadening, the absorption and the changes in absorption and refractive index resulting from saturation can become very large, and the local-field effects can become so strong as to give optical bistability without external feedback. The small QD limit is more readily achieved with narrow-band-gap semiconductors.

Quantum dots: synthesis, bioapplications, and toxicity.

Abstract: This review introduces quantum dots (QDs) and explores their properties, synthesis, applications, delivery systems in biology, and their toxicity. QDs are one of the first nanotechnologies to be integrated with the biological sciences and are widely anticipated to eventually find application in a number of commercial consumer and clinical products. They exhibit unique luminescence characteristics and electronic properties such as wide and continuous absorption spectra, narrow emission spectra, and high light stability. The application of QDs, as a new technology for biosystems, has been typically studied on mammalian cells. Due to the small structures of QDs, some physical properties such as optical and electron transport characteristics are quite different from those of the bulk materials.