Near-infrared nano-spectroscopy and emission energy control of semiconductor quantum dots using a phase-change material

We have proposed a method to achieve near-field imaging spectroscopy of single semiconductor quantum dots with high sensitivity by using an optical mask layer of a phase-change material. Sequential formation and elimination of an amorphous aperture allows imaging spectroscopy with high spatial resolution and high collection efficiency. We present numerical simulation and experimental result that show the effectiveness of this technique. Inspired by this optical mask effect, a new approach which can precisely control the emission energy of semiconductor quantum dots has been proposed. This method uses the volume expansion of a phase change material upon amorphization, which allows reversible emission energy tuning of quantum dots. A photoluminescence spectroscopy of single quantum dots and simulation were conducted to demonstrate and further explore the feasibility of this method.