Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
17:14
Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging
Published on: October 9, 2012
Anti-bunching and luminescence blinking suppression from plasmon-interacted single CdSe/ZnS quantum dot
Xiao-Wei Wu1, Ming Gong, Chun-Hua Dong
1Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Optics Express
|April 15, 2010
Summary
Surface plasmons suppress blinking in cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide quantum dots. This method enables tunable, high-speed single photon sources for room-temperature applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Quantum Optics
Background:
- Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) like Cadmium Selenide/Zinc Sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) exhibit blinking, hindering their use in optoelectronics.
- Surface plasmonic effects offer a potential route to control quantum dot luminescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the suppression of blinking in single CdSe/ZnS quantum dots using surface plasmon resonance.
- To explore the potential of this method for creating efficient single-photon sources.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of single quantum dot devices on silica and gold substrates.
- Optical measurements including luminescence intensity and second-order correlation (g(2)(0)).
- Comparison of quantum dot behavior on plasmonic (gold) versus non-plasmonic (silica) surfaces.
Main Results:
- Surface plasmons significantly suppressed blinking in single CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.
- Second-order correlation measurements revealed an anti-bunching effect with a minimum g(2)(0) of 0.15.
- Exciton lifetime was reduced due to the surface plasmonic effect.
Conclusions:
- Surface plasmonics can effectively mitigate blinking in quantum dots.
- The observed anti-bunching and reduced lifetime indicate suitability for single-photon applications.
- This approach offers a pathway to tunable, high-speed single-photon sources operating at room temperature.
