Charge Carriers in Quantum Dots

A self-organized quantum dot acts as a potential well and can confine electrons and holes. Depending on the conditions in the surroundings of the QD, the number of charges occupying the QD can change over time The theory of carrier emission and capture is analogous to that of deep traps in semiconductors [1, 2]. Past experiments investigating the carrier dynamics of QDs have shown that the theory derived for deep traps is also valid for QDs [3–6]. The following chapter will derive the theory of carrier dynamics and the underlying emission and capture processes in QDs.