Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2026

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging
Published on: October 9, 2012
Narrow-Line-Width Room-Temperature Single-Photon Emission from Multinary Copper-Based Quantum Dots
Lei Hou1, Jian Huang1, Haoran Chen2
1School of Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516, Jungong Road, Shanghai200093, China.
Abstract:
Colloidal quantum dots are promising scalable quantum light sources, yet leading systems typically rely on toxic heavy metals and often exhibit spectral instability and photoluminescence intermittency. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature single-photon emission from individual Ga-doped multinary CuInS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots, a cadmium-free alternative with low toxicity and tunable emission. Hanbury Brown-Twiss measurements show pronounced photon antibunching with a minimum g2(0) of 0.06, corresponding to a single-photon purity of 94%. The emitters also exhibit a remarkably narrow emission line width of 35 meV and strongly suppressed blinking, remaining predominantly in a bright state under low excitation. Combining single-particle spectroscopy with phasor-based lifetime analysis directly resolves emissive-state dynamics without multiexponential fitting, revealing competing radiative and nonradiative pathways involving charged excitons and Auger-assisted recombination. These results establish multinary CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots as environmentally benign colloidal quantum emitters for scalable room-temperature quantum photonic technologies.

