Time-resolved transconductance spectroscopy on self-assembled quantum dots: Spectral evolution from single- into many-particle states

Using transconductance spectroscopy we study the tunneling dynamics of electrons from a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) into excited and ground states of a layer of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs). From an initially selected nonequilibrium condition, we observe the charging dynamics of the QD states and their spectral evolution for one- and two-electron configurations. Furthermore, we measure the electron emission from the QD states into the 2DEG for the corresponding evolution of the QD-hydrogen and QD-helium spectra. The comparison with theoretically predicted energies, as well as the evaluation of the dynamics in charging and emission, allows us to separate and identify ground and excited electron configurations in the spectral evolution and discuss in detail the observed maxima in the different spectra.