Department of Physics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Nat Mater. 2013 Jun;12(6):483-93. doi: 10.1038/nmat3585.
Self-assembled quantum dots have excellent photonic properties. For instance, a single quantum dot is a high-brightness, narrow-linewidth source of single photons. Furthermore, the environment of a single quantum dot can be tailored relatively easily using semiconductor heterostructure and post-growth processing techniques, enabling electrical control of the quantum dot charge and control over the photonic modes with which the quantum dot interacts. A single electron or hole trapped inside a quantum dot has spintronics applications. Although the spin dephasing is rather rapid, a single spin can be manipulated using optical techniques on subnanosecond timescales. Optical experiments are also providing new insights into old issues, such as the central spin problem. This Review provides a snapshot of this active field, with some indications for the future. It covers the basic materials and optical properties of single quantum dots, techniques for initializing, manipulating and reading out single spin qubits, and the mechanisms that limit the electron-spin and hole-spin coherence.
自组装量子点具有优异的光子特性。例如，单个量子点是一种高亮度、窄线宽的单光子光源。此外，通过半导体异质结构和后生长处理技术，单个量子点的环境可以相对容易地进行调整，从而实现对量子点电荷的电控制，并控制与量子点相互作用的光子模式。被困在量子点内的单个电子或空穴具有自旋电子学应用。尽管自旋退相相当快，但可以使用亚纳秒时间尺度的光学技术来操纵单个自旋。光学实验也为旧问题提供了新的见解，例如中心自旋问题。本综述提供了该活跃领域的一个快照，并为未来指明了一些方向。它涵盖了单个量子点的基本材料和光学性质、初始化、操纵和读出单个自旋量子位的技术，以及限制电子自旋和空穴自旋相干性的机制。
