Electrospray deposition of quantum dot-doped Ge23Sb7S70 chalcogenide glass films

Abstract The incorporation of quantum dots (QDs) into chalcogenide glass films is attractive for their luminescent properties. Such QD-doped glass structures could serve as a compact, on-chip light source for planar photonic devices. Typical processing methods such as spin coating have limitations of excessive material waste, little control on the pattern of the film and difficulty for scale-up. To overcome these limitations, this study introduces electrospray as a more versatile processing method and has deposited QD-doped chalcogenide glass thin films. The parameters of the electrospray process are prudently chosen to ensure one or none QD is enclosed per liquid droplet. The transmission electron microscopy imaging of resultant films confirm enhanced QD dispersion with reduced aggregations. Absorption and photoluminescence characterization shows the QD-doped chalcogenide glass films prepared by electrospray maintain signature spectra of QDs from the manufacturer.