Circularly polarized emission from colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots confined in microcavities formed by chiral mirrors

Abstract

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) confined in a microcavity device emit resonance-enhanced, circularly polarized (CP) light, when the device consists of a pair of chiral sculptured-thin-film mirrors separated by layers of emissive nanocrystals and spacers that form a λ∕2-resonant cavity. The resonant emission from the NQDs within the microcavity is strongly directed normally to the mirror surfaces. It is speculated that the enhanced coupling between the NQD excitons and the confined electromagnetic field resulted in the observed CP emission from the embedded NQDs with significant improvements in the light output's directionality and color purity.