Status and outlook of infrared semiconductor quantum dots

Semiconductor quantum dots have unique optical and electrical properties. Especially the infrared quantum dots(QDs), of which the good optical stability and biocompatibility, make them attractive in fields of photoelectric devices, biological medicine and etc. We summarized the status and outlook of the infrared quantum dots of absorption or emission spectra in applications of laser, energy, photoelectric detection and biomedicine, summed up the preparation methods suitable for infrared quantum dots and compared their respective advantages in applications. There are rich material selections and application forms for the infrared semiconductor QDs. InAs QDs passive mode-locked laser can generate 7.3 GHz near-diffraction limit pulses at 1.3 μm wavelength. InAs/GaAs QDs dual-wavelengtlaser can be used as pump to generate 0.6 nW THz wave. PbS QDs doped fiber amplifier can realize 10.5 dB optical gain at 1.53 μm central wavelength with a bandwidth of 160 nm. CdSeTe QDs sensitized solar cells and Si heterojunction QDs solar cells can achieve a total conversion efficiency of 8% and 14.8%, respectively. Colloidal HgTe quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP) can achieve 3 μm~5 μm medium wave detection while Ge/Si QDIP can realize 3 μm~7 μm infrared detection. CdTe/ZnSe core-shell QDs can be used for the detection of DNA damage and mutation. The development of the applications mentioned above for the infrared semiconductor quantum dots can further promote the infrared optoelectronic systems to develop toward the direction of efficient, fast and large scale integration and can also greatly promote the popularization of in vivo imaging detection in clinical medicine.