Abstract

Speaking of quantum dots, the first thing that comes to mind is probably their most distinctive and characteristic property-that their colors can be continuously and finely tuned over a wide range.¹ Such a property of quantum dots is one of the simplest visualization of quantum mechanics. The result is a nearly limitless number of distinct materials with finely tunable different band gaps covering a broad spectral range, all sharing very similar natures and properties. For more than two decades since its experimental realization, this basic property of quantum dots has inspired applications across various disciplines, such as fluorescent markers in biology², down-shifting of light in displays and lighting, CQD light emissive devices and photodetectors,³ and CQD based solar cells⁴. However, none of these applications has used more than a handful of different types of dots at a time. In this speech, I will talk about how such a unique property is being exploited by the invention of the quantum dot spectrometer, and how we envision a ubiquitous sensing toolbox emerging out from a nano dot.

© 2016 Japan Society of Applied Physics, Optical Society of America