Electrostatic Control of Single InAs Quantum Dots Using InP Nanotemplates

Abstract

This thesis focuses on pioneering a scalable route to fabricate quantum information devices based upon single InAs/InP quantum dots emitting in the telecommunications wavelength band around 1550 nm. Using metallic gates in combination with nanotemplate, site-selective epitaxy techniques, arrays of single quantum dots are produced and electrostatically tuned with a high degree of control over the electrical and optical properties of each individual quantum dot. Using metallic gates to apply local electric fields, the number of electrons within each quantum dot can be tuned and the nature of the optical recombination process controlled. Four electrostatic gates mounted along the sides of a square-based, pyramidal nanotemplate in combination with a flat metallic gate on the back of the InP substrate allow the application of electric fields in any direction across a single quantum dot. Using lateral fields provided by the metallic gates on the sidewalls of the pyramid and a vertical electric field able to control the charge state of the quantum dot, the exchange splitting of the exciton, trion and biexciton are measured as a function of gate voltage. A quadrupole electric field configuration is predicted to symmetrize the product of electron and hole wavefunctions within the dot, producing two degenerate exciton states from the two possible optical decay pathways of the biexciton. Building upon these capabilities, the anisotropic exchange splitting between the exciton states within the biexciton cascade is shown to be reversibly tuned through zero for the first time. We show direct control over the electron and hole wavefunction symmetry, thus enabling the entanglement of emitted photon pairs in asymmetric quantum dots. Optical spectroscopy of single InAs/InP quantum dots atop pyramidal nanotemplates in magnetic fields up to 28T is used to examine the dispersion of the s, p and d shell states. The g-factor and diamagnetic shift of the exciton and charged exciton states from over thirty single quantum dots are calculated from the spectra. The g-factor shows a generally linear dependence on dot emission energy, in agreement with previous work on this subject. A positive linear correlation between diamagnetic coefficient and g-factor is observed.