Electrical transport phenomena in systems of semiconductor quantum dots

While a fairly good understanding of optical and transport properties that are associated with single quantum dots has emerged in recent years the understanding of the relation between these properties and the observed macroscopic optical and electrical properties of solid ensembles of such dots is still at a very rudimentary level. This is in particular so in regard to the transport properties where the interplay between inter-dot conduction and the connectivity of the dots network determines the macroscopic observations. Reviewing the basic concepts and issues associated with these two essential ingredients, and considering some recent experimental observations on quantum dot ensembles of CdSe and Si, an effort is made here to derive a whole-but-simple physical basis for the understanding of the transport and the optoelectronic properties of solid state ensemble of semiconductor quantum dots.