Superradiant emission from self-assembled light emitters: From molecules to quantum dots

Abstract

Colloidal synthesis methods and ultrahigh-vacuum molecular beam epitaxy can tailor semiconductor-based nanoscale single emitters—quantum dots—as the building blocks for classical optoelectronic devices, such as lasers, light-emitting devices, and display technologies. These novel light sources have a basic resemblance of luminescent organic molecules, individually and in the aggregated forms. Highly ordered superstructures of quantum dots, obtained via scalable bottom-up self-assembly, exhibit diverse collective phenomena, such as band-like charge transport or superradiant emission. Superradiance emerges from coherent coupling of several emitters via a common radiation field resulting in a single giant dipole leading to short (sub-nanosecond) and intense (proportional to the squared number of coupled emitters) bursts of light. In this article, we review the basic principles and progress in the development of superradiant emitters with organic molecules and inorganic quantum dots, in view of their integration into classical and novel quantum light sources.

Supplementary Materials

Gabriele Rainò has been a senior research fellow at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, since 2017. He received his PhD degree in innovative materials and technologies from the University of Salento, Italy, in 2008. In 2008, he joined IBM Research-Zürich, Switzerland, as a postdoctoral researcher, studying organic–inorganic nanomaterials for integrated photonics. In 2011, Rainò became a junior researcher at IBM Research-Zürich and began the exploration of colloidal nanomaterials as nonclassical light sources. His current research focuses on continuing the exploration of colloidal nanomaterials for optoelectronics and quantum applications. He has co-authored more than 45 publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds three patents. Rainò can be reached by email at rainog@ethz.ch.

Hendrik Utzat is a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. He studied chemistry at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and ETH Zürich, Switzerland, and received his PhD degree in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019. His current research focuses on solid-state emitters for quantum photonics and strong light–matter coupling. He has published more than 15 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of semiconducting polymers, solid-state quantum emitters, microfluidics, and spectroscopy. Utzat can be reached by email at hutzat@stanford.edu.

Moungi G. Bawendi is the Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his AB degree from Harvard University in 1982, and his PhD degree in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1988. He conducted postdoctoral research at Bell Laboratories. His research focuses on the technology of nanomaterials, including applications in light emission, energy harvesting, and biological imaging. Bawendi has published more than 500 scientific publications and holds more than 50 US patents. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Bawendi can be reached by email at mgb@mit.edu.

Maksym V. Kovalenko is a professor at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He received his PhD degree in nanoscience and nanotechnology from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, in 2007. He then joined the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow, studying the surface chemistry and self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals. In 2011, Kovalenko joined ETH Zürich and Empa as a tenure-track assistant professor, an associate professor in 2017, and a full professor in 2020. His research interests include chemistry, physics, and applications of functional inorganic materials, including colloidal quantum dots, novel solid-state compounds, and materials for electrochemical energy storage. He has co-authored 250 publications and holds 11 patent applications. Kovalenko can be reached by email at mvkovalenko@ethz.ch.