Fabio Della Sala

EFFECTS OF MACROSCOPIC POLARIZATION IN III-V NITRIDE MULTIPLE QUANTUM WELLS

Huge built-in electric fields have been predicted to exist in wurtzite III-V nitrides thin films and multilayers. Such fields originate from heterointerface discontinuities of the macroscopic bulk polarization of the nitrides. Here we discuss the background theory, the role of spontaneous polarization in this context, and the practical implications of built-in polarization fields in nitride nanostructures. To support our arguments, we present detailed self-consistent tight-binding simulations of typical nitride quantum well structures in which polarization effects are dominant.

Efficient localized Hartree–Fock methods as effective exact-exchange Kohn–Sham methods for molecules

The form of the Kohn–Sham (KS) exchange potential, which arises from the approximation that the Hartree–Fock (HF) and the exchange-only KS determinant are equal, is derived. Two related procedures to determine the KS exchange potential follow from this approximation: a self-consistent localized HF procedure and a transformation localized HF procedure yielding the local KS exchange potential from HF orbitals. Both procedures can be considered as almost exact exchange KS methods which require only occupied orbitals and are invariant with respect to unitary transformations of the orbitals, i.e., depend only on the first order density matrix. The resulting local KS exchange potentials are free of Coulomb self-interactions and exhibit the correct long-range 1/r-behavior. The Krieger, Li, and Iafrate (KLI) procedure to determine the KS exchange potential can be considered as an approximation to the introduced localized HF procedures. Highly efficient methods to carry out the presented localized HF as well as KL...

Free-carrier screening of polarization fields in wurtzite GaN/InGaN laser structures

The free-carrier screening of macroscopic polarization fields in wurtzite GaN/InGaN quantum well lasers is investigated via a self-consistent tight-binding approach. We show that the high carrier concentrations found experimentally in nitride laser structures effectively screen the built-in spontaneous and piezoelectricpolarization fields, thus inducing a “field-free” band profile. Our results explain some heretofore puzzling experimental data on nitride lasers, such as the unusually high lasing excitation thresholds and emission blue shifts for increasing excitation levels.

Metallic-like Stoichiometric Copper Sulfide Nanocrystals: Phase- and Shape-Selective Synthesis, Near-Infrared Surface Plasmon Resonance Properties, and Their Modeling

In the realm of semiconductor nanomaterials, a crystal lattice heavily doped with cation/anion vacancies or ionized atomic impurities is considered to be a general prerequisite to accommodating excess free carriers that can support localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Here, we demonstrate a surfactant-assisted nonaqueous route to anisotropic copper sulfide nanocrystals, selectively trapped in the covellite phase, which can exhibit intense, size-tunable LSPR at near-infrared wavelengths despite their stoichiometric, undoped structure. Experimental extinction spectra are satisfactorily reproduced by theoretical calculations performed by the discrete dipole approximation method within the framework of the Drude-Sommerfeld model. The LSPR response of the nanocrystals and its geometry dependence are interpreted as arising from the inherent metallic-like character of covellite, allowed by a significant density of lattice-constitutional valence-band free holes. As a consequence of the unique electronic properties of the nanocrystals and of their monodispersity, coherent excitation of symmetric radial breathing modes is observed for the first time in transient absorption experiments at LSPR wavelengths.

Determination of Band Offsets in Heterostructured Colloidal Nanorods Using Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

The ability to tailor the properties of semiconductor nanocrystals through creating core/shell heterostructures is the cornerstone for their diverse application in nanotechnology. The band-offsets between the heterostructure components are determining parameters for their optoelectronic properties, dictating for example the degree of charge-carrier separation and localization. So far, however, no method was reported for direct measurement of these factors in colloidal nanocrystals and only indirect information could be derived from optical measurements. Here we demonstrate that scanning tunneling spectroscopy along with theoretical modeling can be used to determine band-offsets in such nanostructures. Applying this approach to CdSe/CdS quantum-dot/nanorod core/shell nanocrystals portrays its type I band structure where both the hole and electron ground state are localized in the CdSe core, in contrast to previous reports which predicted electron delocalization. The generality of the approach is further demonstrated in ZnSe/CdS nanocrystals where their type II band alignment, leading to electron-hole separation, is manifested.

Multiexciton Engineering in Seeded Core/Shell Nanorods: Transfer from Type-I to Quasi-type-II Regimes

Multiple excitations in core/shell CdSe/CdS-seeded nanorods of different core diameters are studied by quasi-cw multiexciton spectroscopy and envelope function theoretical calculations. For core diameters below 2.8 nm, a transfer from binding to repulsive behavior is detected for the biexciton, accompanied by significant reduction of the triexciton oscillator strength. These characteristics indicate a transition of the electronic excited states from type-I localization in the core to a quasi-type-II delocalization along the entire rod as the core diameter decreases, in agreement with theoretical calculations.

Electrostatic spin crossover effect in polar magnetic molecules

The magnetic configuration of a nanostructure can be altered by an external magnetic field, by spin-transfer torque or by its magnetoelastic response. Here, we explore an alternative route, namely the possibility of switching the sign of the exchange coupling between two magnetic centres by means of an electric potential. This general effect, which we name electrostatic spin crossover, occurs in insulating molecules with super-exchange magnetic interaction and inversion symmetry breaking. As an example we present the case of a family of di-cobaltocene-based molecules. The critical fields for switching, calculated from first principles, are of the order of 1 V nm(-1) and can be achieved in two-terminal devices. More crucially, such critical fields can be engineered with an appropriate choice of substituents to add to the basic di-cobaltocene unit. This suggests that an easy chemical strategy for achieving the synthesis of suitable molecules is possible.

Numerically stable optimized effective potential method with balanced Gaussian basis sets

A solution to the long-standing problem of developing numerically stable optimized effective potential (OEP) methods based on Gaussian basis sets is presented by introducing an approach consisting of an exact exchange OEP method with an accompanying construction and balancing scheme for the involved auxiliary and orbital Gaussian basis sets that is numerically stable and that properly represents an exact exchange Kohn-Sham method. The method is a purely analytical method that does not require any numerical grid, scales like Hartree-Fock or B3LYP procedures, is straightforward to implement, and is easily generalized to take into account orbital-dependent density functionals other than the exact exchange considered in this work. Thus, the presented OEP approach opens the way to the development and application of novel orbital-dependent exchange-correlation functionals. It is shown that adequately taking into account the continuum part of the Kohn-Sham orbital spectrum is crucial for numerically stable Gaussian basis set OEP methods. Moreover, it is mandatory to employ orbital basis sets that are converged with respect to the used auxiliary basis representing the exchange potential. OEP calculations in the past often did not meet the latter requirement and therefore may have led to erroneously low total energies.

The asymptotic region of the Kohn–Sham exchange potential in molecules

The Kohn–Sham exchange potential is shown to approach on nodal surfaces of the energetically highest occupied orbital different asymptotic limits than in other regions. This leads to strong anisotropies and barrier–well structures in the near-asymptotic region. Effective exact-exchange potentials, like the one obtained in the recently introduced localized Hartree–Fock method, exhibit the correct asymptotic limits and the accompanying structures in the near-asymptotic region. An efficient, accurate method for the calculation of the Slater potential and of effective exact-exchange potentials in the asymptotic region is presented. The method is based on an asymptotic continuation of Kohn–Sham (KS) orbitals and is numerically stable up to arbitrary large distances from the molecule. It can easily be implemented in existing quantum chemistry codes employing Gaussian basis sets. The asymptotic region of effective exact-exchange potentials is shown to be different from the various asymptotically corrected exchan...

Blue light emitting diodes based on fluorescent CdSe∕ZnS nanocrystals

The authors report on the blue electroluminescence from CdSe∕ZnS core/shell nanocrystals prepared from ultrasmall, magic size CdSe clusters that have a diameter of less than 2nm. The light emitting device consists of an active layer of nanocrystals blended with 4,4′,N,N′- diphenylcarbazole and an evaporated electron transporting/hole blocking layer made of 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline. A blue, stable electroluminescence at 485nm from the hybrid device was observed, in good agreement with the photoluminescence spectra of a solid film of the same nanocrystals used for the device.