Rashba Effect in a Single Colloidal CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystal Detected by Magneto-Optical Measurements.

This study depicts the influence of the Rashba effect on the band-edge exciton processes in all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite single colloidal nanocrystal (NC). The study is based on magneto-optical measurements carried out at cryogenic temperatures under various magnetic field strengths in which discrete excitonic transitions were detected by linearly and circularly polarized measurements. Interestingly, the experiments show a nonlinear energy splitting between polarized transitions versus magnetic field strength, indicating a crossover between a Rashba effect (at the lowest fields) to a Zeeman effect at fields above 4 T. We postulate that the Rashba effect emanates from a lattice distortion induced by the Cs+ motion degree of freedom or due to a surface effect in nanoscale NCs. The unusual magneto-optical properties shown here underscore the importance of the Rashba effect in the implementation of such perovskite materials in various optical and spin-based devices.

Interface control of electronic and optical properties in IV-VI and II-VI core/shell colloidal quantum dots: a review.

Semiconductor colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted vast scientific and technological interest throughout the past three decades, due to the unique tuneability of their optoelectronic properties by variation of size and composition. However, the nanoscale size brings about a large surface-to-bulk volume ratio, where exterior surfaces have a pronounced influence on the chemical stability and on the physical properties of the semiconductor. Therefore, numerous approaches have been developed to gain efficient surface passivation, including a coverage by organic or inorganic molecular surfactants as well as the formation of core/shell heterostructures (a semiconductor core epitaxially covered by another semiconductor shell). This review focuses on special designs of core/shell heterostructures from the IV-VI and II-VI semiconductor compounds, and on synthetic approaches and characterization of the optical properties. Experimental observations revealed the formation of core/shell structures with type-I or quasi-type-II band alignment between the core and shell constituents. Theoretical calculations of the electronic band structures, which were also confirmed by experimental work, exposed surplus electronic tuning (beyond the radial diameter) with adaptation of the composition and control of the interface properties. The studies also considered strain effects that are created between two different semiconductors. It was disclosed experimentally and theoretically that the strain can be released via the formation of alloys at the core-shell interface. Overall, the core/shell and core/alloyed-shell heterostructures showed enhancement in luminescence quantum efficiency with respect to that of pure cores, extended lifetime, uniformity in size and in many cases good chemical sustainability under ambient conditions.

Quantum Confinement Regimes in CdTe Nanocrystals Probed by Single Dot Spectroscopy: From Strong Confinement to the Bulk Limit.

Sufficiently large semiconductor nanocrystals are a useful model system to characterize bulk-like excitons, with the electron and hole bound predominantly by Coulomb interaction. We present optical characterization of excitons in individual giant CdTe nanocrystals with diameters up to 25.5 nm at 4.2 K under varying excitation power and magnetic field strength. We determine values for the biexciton binding energy, diamagnetic shift constant, and Landé g-factor, which approach the bulk values with increasing nanocrystal size.