Capture, relaxation, and recombination in two-dimensional quantum-dot superlattices

Abstract

We present a systematic study of the exciton capture, relaxation, and recombination processes in two-dimensional quantum-dot superlattices (2D QDSL's) based on time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Due to the formation of minibands in 2D QDSL's, the capture of excitons from the miniband into some large islands is found to be a quantum capture process. The capture time increases significantly with increasing excitation density. In addition, the excitons relax rapidly within the miniband. However, the relaxation becomes slower at high excitation densities. Furthermore, the fast recombination in the miniband indicates the drastic elongation of the exciton coherence length and the significant delocalization of the wave functions. Finally, the observation of radiative recombination over a wide energy region implies the relaxation of momentum conservation or the small exciton effective mass in 2D QDSL's. All phenomena suggest that the exciton dynamics in 2D QDSL's is governed by the exciton coherence length in the miniband.