This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in the development of semiconductor nanostructures and nanophotonic devices. It covers epitaxial growth processes for GaAs- and GaN-based quantum dots and quantum wells, describes the fundamental optical, electronic, and vibronic properties of nanomaterials, and addresses the design and realization of various nanophotonic devices. These include energy-efficient and high-speed vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and ultra-small metal-cavity nano-lasers for applications in multi-terabus systems; silicon photonic I/O engines based on the hybrid integration of VCSELs for highly efficient chip-to-chip communication; electrically driven quantum key systems based on q-bit and entangled photon emitters and their implementation in real information networks; and AlGaN-based deep UV laser diodes for applications in medical diagnostics, gas sensing, spectroscopy, and 3D printing. The experimental results are accompanied by reviews of theoretical models that describe nanophotonic devices and their base materials. The book details how optical transitions in the active materials, such as semiconductor quantum dots and quantum wells, can be described using a quantum approach to the dynamics of solid-state electrons under quantum confinement and their interaction with phonons, as well as their external pumping by electrical currents. With its broad and detailed scope, this book is indeed a cutting-edge resource for researchers, engineers and graduate-level students in the area of semiconductor materials, optoelectronic devices and photonic systems.

Nanometre sized structures made of semiconductors, insulators, and metals and grown by modern growth technologies or by chemical synthesis exhibit novel electronic and optical phenomena due to the confinement of electrons and photons. Strong interactions between electrons and photons in narrow regions lead to inhibited spontaneous emission, thresholdless laser operation, and Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton-polaritons in microcavities. Generation of sub-wavelength radiation by surface plasmon-polaritons at metal-semiconductor interfaces, creation of photonic band gaps in dielectrics, and realization of nanometer sized semiconductor or insulator structures with negative permittivity and permeability, known as metamaterials, are further examples in the area of Nanophotonics. The studies help develop spasers and plasmonic nanolasers of subwavelength dimensions, paving the way to use plasmonics in future data centres and high-speed computers working at THz bandwidth with less than a few fJ/bit dissipation. The present book is aimed at graduate students and researchers providing them with an introductory textbook on Semiconductor Nanophotonics. It gives an introduction to electron-photon interactions in Quantum Wells, Wires, and Dots and then discusses the processes in microcavities, photonic band gap materials, metamaterials, and related applications. The phenomena and device applications under strong light-matter interactions are discussed, mostly by using classical and semi-classical theories. Numerous examples and problems accompany each chapter.

The advent of microelectromechanic system (MEMS) technologies and nanotechnologies has resulted in a multitude of structures and devices with ultra compact dimensions and with vastly enhanced or even completely novel properties. In the field of photonics it resulted in the appearance of new paradigms, including photonic crystals that exhibit photonic bandgap and represent an optical analog of semiconductors and metamaterials that have subwavelength features and may have almost arbitrary values of effective refractive index, including those below zero. In addition to that, a whole new field of plasmonics appeared, dedicated to the manipulation with evanescent, surface-bound electromagnetic waves and offering an opportunity to merge nanoelectronics with all-optical circuitry. In the field of infrared technologies MEMS and nanotechnologies ensured the appearance of a new generation of silicon-based thermal detectors with properties vastly surpassing the conventional thermal devices. However, another family of infrared detectors, photonic devices based on narrow-bandgap semiconductors, has traditionally been superior to thermal detectors. Literature about their micro and nanophotonic enhancement has been scarce and scattered through journals. This book offers the first systematic approach to numerous different MEMS and nanotechnology-based methods available for the improvement of photonic infrared detectors and points out to a path towards uncooled operation with the performance of cryogenically cooled devices. It is shown that a vast area for enhancement does exists and that photonic devices can readily keep their leading position in infrared detection. The various methods and approaches described in the book are also directly applicable to different other types of photodetectors like solar cells, often with little or no modification.

This thesis investigates passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers by numerical methods. The understanding and optimization of such devices is crucial to the advancement of technologies such as optical data communication and dual comb spectroscopy. The focus of the thesis is therefore on the development of efficient numerical models, which are able both to perform larger parameter studies and to provide quantitative predictions. Along with that, visualization and evaluation techniques for the rich spatio-temporal laser dynamics are developed; these facilitate the physical interpretation of the observed features. The investigations in this thesis revolve around two specific semiconductor devices, namely a monolithically integrated three-section tapered quantum-dot laser and a V-shaped external cavity laser. In both cases, the simulations closely tie in with experimental results, which have been obtained in collaboration with the TU Darmstadt and the ETH Zurich. Based on the successful numerical reproduction of the experimental findings, the emission dynamics of both lasers can be understood in terms of the cavity geometry and the active medium dynamics. The latter, in particular, highlights the value of the developed simulation tools, since the fast charge-carrier dynamics are generally not experimentally accessible during mode-locking operation. Lastly, the numerical models are used to perform laser design explorations and thus to derive recommendations for further optimizations.

Fundamentals and Applications of Nanophotonics includes a comprehensive discussion of the field of nanophotonics, including key enabling technologies that have the potential to drive economic growth and impact numerous application domains such as ICT, the environment, healthcare, military, transport, manufacturing, and energy. This book gives readers the theoretical underpinnings needed to understand the latest advances in the field. After an introduction to the area, chapters two and three cover the essential topics of electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and computation as they relate to nanophotonics. Subsequent chapters explore materials for nanophotonics, including nanoparticles, photonic crystals, nanosilicon, nanocarbon, III-V, and II-VI semiconductors. In addition, fabrication and characterization techniques are addressed, along with the importance of plasmonics, and the applications of nanophotonics in devices such as lasers, LEDs, and photodetectors. - Covers electrodynamics, quantum mechanics and computation as these relate to nanophotonics - Reviews materials, fabrication and characterization techniques for nanophotonics - Describes applications of the technology such as lasers, LEDs and photodetectors

This book brings together more closely researchers working in the two fields of quantum optics and nano-optics and provides a general overview of the main topics of interest in applied and fundamental research. The contributions cover, for example, single-photon emitters and emitters of entangled photon pairs based on epitaxially grown semiconductor quantum dots, nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond as single-photon emitters, coupled quantum bits based on trapped ions, integrated waveguide superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, quantum nano-plasmonics, nanosensing, quantum aspects of biophotonics and quantum metamaterials. The articles span the bridge from pedagogical introductions on the fundamental principles to the current state-of-the-art, and are authored by pioneers and leaders in the field. Numerical simulations are presented as a powerful tool to gain insight into the physical behavior of nanophotonic systems and provide a critical complement to experimental investigations and design of devices.

Semiconductor quantum optics is on the verge of moving from the lab to real world applications. When stepping from basic research to new technologies, device engineers will need new simulation tools for the design and optimization of quantum light sources, which combine classical device physics with cavity quantum electrodynamics. This thesis aims to provide a holistic description of single-photon emitting diodes by bridging the gap between microscopic and macroscopic modeling approaches. The central result is a novel hybrid quantum-classical model system that self-consistently couples semi-classical carrier transport theory with open quantum many-body systems. This allows for a comprehensive description of quantum light emitting diodes on multiple scales: It enables the calculation of the quantum optical figures of merit together with the simulation of the spatially resolved current flow in complex, multi-dimensional semiconductor device geometries out of one box. The hybrid system is shown to be consistent with fundamental laws of (non-)equilibrium thermodynamics and is demonstrated by numerical simulations of realistic devices.

This thesis breaks new ground in the physics of photonic circuits for quantum optical applications. The photonic circuits are based either on ridge waveguides or photonic crystals, with embedded quantum dots providing the single qubit, quantum optical emitters. The highlight of the thesis is the first demonstration of a spin-photon interface using an all-waveguide geometry, a vital component of a quantum optical circuit, based on deterministic single photon emission from a single quantum dot. The work makes a further important contribution to the field by demonstrating the effects and limitations that inevitable disorder places on photon propagation in photonic crystal waveguides, a further key component of quantum optical circuits. Overall the thesis offers a number of highly novel contributions to the field; those on chip circuits may prove to be the only means of scaling up the highly promising quantum-dot-based quantum information technology.

Presents recent developments in theoretical and experimental research of nanophotonics Discusses properties and features of nanophotonic devices, e.g. scanning near-field optical microscopy, nanofi ber/nanowire based photonic devices Illustrates the most promising nanophotonic devices and instruments and their application Suits well for researchers and graduates in nanophotonics field Contents Scanning near-field optical microscopy Nanofibers/nanowires and their applications in photonic components and devices Micro/nano-optoelectronic devices based on photonic crystal

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted tremendous interest since the study of graphene in the early 21st century. With their thickness in the angstrom-to-nanometer range, 2D materials, including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, phosphorene, silicene, and other inorganic and organic materials, can be an ideal platform to study fundamental many-body interactions because of reduced screening and can also be further engineered for nanophotonic applications. This book compiles research outcomes of leading groups in the field of 2D materials for nanophotonic physics and devices. It describes research advances of 2D materials for various nanophotonic applications, including ultrafast lasers, atomically thin optical lenses, and gratings to inelastically manipulate light propagation, their integrations with photonic nanostructures, and light–matter interactions. The book focuses on actual applications, while digging into the physics underneath. It targets advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level students of nanotechnology and researchers in nanotechnology, physics, and chemistry, especially those with an interest in 2D materials.