Enhanced photoluminescence of InGaAs quantum dots induced by nanoprobe indentation

We have found in the nanoprobe-photoluminescnece (PL) measurement that the PL from InGaAs quantum dots was enhanced remarkably by small elastic indentation of the nanoprobe onto the sample surface. In order to clarify the mechanism of the PL enhancement, the nanoprobe-induced strain distribution and the energy-band profiles in the bulk GaAs have been calculated on the bases of linear continuum elastic theory and six-band strain Hamiltonian. It was found that the nm-scale strain modulation by the nanoprobe indentation results in the confinement potential for light holes 50–View the MathML source beneath the nanoprobe, revealing that the hole accumulation into the minimum causes the PL enhancement.