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Main Authors: Alexander, Ezra, Kick, Matthias, McIsaac, Alexandra, Van Voorhis, Troy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.00703
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author Alexander, Ezra
Kick, Matthias
McIsaac, Alexandra
Van Voorhis, Troy
author_facet Alexander, Ezra
Kick, Matthias
McIsaac, Alexandra
Van Voorhis, Troy
contents The widespread application of III-V colloidal quantum dots (QDs) as non-toxic, highly tunable emitters is stymied by their high density of trap states. Here, we utilize density functional theory (DFT) to investigate trap state formation in a diverse set of realistically passivated core-only InP and GaP QDs. Through orbital localization techniques, we deconvolute the dense manifold of trap states to allow for detailed assignment of surface defects. We find that the three-coordinate species dominate trapping in III-V QDs and identify features in the geometry and charge environment of trap centers capable of deepening, or sometimes passivating, traps. Furthermore, we observe stark differences in surface reconstruction between InP and GaP, where the more labile InP reconstructs to passivate three-coordinate indium at the cost of distortion elsewhere. These results offer explanations for experimentally observed trapping behavior and suggest new avenues for controlling trap states in III-V QDs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_00703
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Understanding Trap States in InP and GaP Quantum Dots Through Density Functional Theory
Alexander, Ezra
Kick, Matthias
McIsaac, Alexandra
Van Voorhis, Troy
Materials Science
The widespread application of III-V colloidal quantum dots (QDs) as non-toxic, highly tunable emitters is stymied by their high density of trap states. Here, we utilize density functional theory (DFT) to investigate trap state formation in a diverse set of realistically passivated core-only InP and GaP QDs. Through orbital localization techniques, we deconvolute the dense manifold of trap states to allow for detailed assignment of surface defects. We find that the three-coordinate species dominate trapping in III-V QDs and identify features in the geometry and charge environment of trap centers capable of deepening, or sometimes passivating, traps. Furthermore, we observe stark differences in surface reconstruction between InP and GaP, where the more labile InP reconstructs to passivate three-coordinate indium at the cost of distortion elsewhere. These results offer explanations for experimentally observed trapping behavior and suggest new avenues for controlling trap states in III-V QDs.
title Understanding Trap States in InP and GaP Quantum Dots Through Density Functional Theory
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.00703