A Theoretical Study of Light Absorption in Self Assembled Quantum Dots

Self assembled quantum dots have shown a great promise as a leading candidate for infrared detection at room temperature. In this paper, a theoretical model of the absorption coefficient of quantum dot devices is presented. Both of bound to bound absorption and bound to continuum absorption are taken into consideration in this model. This model is based on the effective mass theory and the Non Equilibrium Greens Function (NEGF) formalism. NEGF formalism is used to calculate the bound to continuum absorption coefficient. The results of the model have been compared with a published experimental work and a good agreement is obtained. Based on the presented model, the bound to bound absorption coefficient component is compared to the bound to continuum absorption coefficient component. In addition, the effects of the dot dimensions and electron filling on the bound to continuum absorption coefficient are also investigated. In general, increasing the dot filling increases the absorption and decreasing the dots dimensions will increase the absorption and move the absorption peak towards longer wavelengths.