Chapter 1 - Engineering the Electronic Structure and the Optical Properties of Semiconductor Quantum Dots

The optical and electronic properties of zero-dimensional (OD) semiconductor heterostructures were intense investigation in the last few years. The interest for such nanostructures is mainly due to their application to opto-electronic devices and quantum computers. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are also of particular interest for the study of basic quantum mechanical effects. Carriers in quantum dots are confined in three dimensions since their de Broglie wavelength is comparable to the dot size. This leads to energy quantization and to the formation of electronic shells which resemble those of natural atoms. For this reason, {QDs} are often referred to as "artificial atoms." The atomic-like properties of such systems can be fully exploited only through the complete control of the geometry (shape, size) and composition of the dots. The simultaneous knowledge of these parameters is necessary to engineer the wave functions and to exploit the dot properties in functional devices. This is a tremendous task, as it requires the refinement of growth methods and nanoscale structural, optical, and electrical characterizations at the forefront of the present technologies.