Spectroscopy and Applications of Nitride Quantum Dots

InGaN is the material used in the manufacture of bright blue and white light emitting diodes and lasers, in the future these devices will replace normal incandescent bulbs in many applications, saving electricity and, in the case of DVD players, increasing storage capacity. They are made by chemically depositing very thin films of InGaN on to GaN. When a current flows in the InGaN layers electrons are confined within the layer and emit light. The authors of this proposal intend to confine the electrons not only in the InGaN layer but into very small regions of that layer by means of nanometer scale clumps of material known as quantum dots. By studying the way in which these dots form, the way in which the electrons are confined and the way in which they emit light they intend to improve the efficiency of emission from existing devices and thus realise the potential improvements to society listed above.