Abstract

Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit large and fast optical nonlinearities, and efficient photo- and electroluminescence that make them promising materials for applications in optoelectronics and ultrafast optical switching. The nonlinear optical and luminescent properties of NCs are significantly affected by carrier dynamics. Carrier trapping and a nonradiative Auger process are believed to play a major role in the early stages of carrier relaxation, resulting in ultrafast picosecond and subpicosecond dynamics measured in femtosecond pump-probe, photoluminescence (PL) up-conversion, and photoecho experiments.

© 1997 Optical Society of America