Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 40 (2001) pp. 2058-2064  |Next Article|  |Table of Contents|
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Single Photon Detection with a Quantum Dot Transistor

Andrew J. Shields^1,, Martin P. O'Sullivan^1,2, Ian Farrer², David A. Ritchie², Mark L. Leadbeater¹, Nalin K. Patel¹, Richard A. Hogg¹, Carl E. Norman¹, Neil J. Curson² and Michael Pepper^1,2

(Received September 14, 2000; accepted for publication December 4, 2000)

We propose and demonstrate a type of GaAs/AlGaAs modulation-doped field effect transistor (FET) which is sensitive to single photons. The FET contains a layer of InAs quantum dots formed using an in-situ, self-organising method, adjacent to the channel and separated from it by a thin AlGaAs barrier. Capture of a single photo-excited carrier by a quantum dot leads to a sizeable change in the source-drain current through the transistor, allowing the detection of a single photon. We show this is because the mobility of the electron channel is extremely sensitive to the charge trapped in the dots. This discovery may allow a new type of single photon detector to be developed which does not rely upon avalanche processes.

URL: http://jjap.jsap.jp/link?JJAP/40/2058/
DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.40.2058
KEYWORDS:quantum dot, single photon detector, photo-detector, field effect transistor, semiconductor

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