(c) Dr Paul Kinsler. [Acknowledgements & Feedback]
This is part of an information maze -- see the index-file for the full picture.
A quantum-well is a semiconductor-structure which confines excitons or carriers in a thin layer (2D quantum-confinement). We can take this one step further, by making not a layer but only a thin (1D) quantum-wire of preferred semiconductor. We can go the final step, and put the carrier in (0D) quantum-confinement in just a tiny dot of material. Now it only has confined states, and no freely moving ones. This means it behaves in a very new way. This quantum-dot, although it would be made of of many thousands of atoms, would have a countable number of allowed states. Each state would be separated from the others. This means that it is more like a single atom than many atoms. Because of this, a quantum-dot system may make the ideal laser material. Also, it may be an ideal building block with which to make a quantum-computer.
XINDEX: semiconductor-structure, semiconductor-structure, quantum-wire, quantum-well, quantum-computer, index-file.
19981120 19971128 14 19961112 (c) Paul Kinsler
XKEYWORD: quantum-dot
Email Feedback: Dr.Paul.Kinsler@physics.org
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