Trapped-dopant model of doping in semiconductor nanocrystals

We propose a framework for describing the impurity doping of semiconductor colloidal nanocrystals. The model is applicable when diffusion of impurities through the nanocrystal is sufficiently small that it can be neglected. In this regime, the incorporation of impurities requires that they stably adsorb on the nanocrystal surface before being overgrown. This adsorption may be preempted by surfactants in the growth solution. We analyze numerically this competition for the case of Mn doping of CdSe nanocrystals. Our model is consistent with recent experiments and offers a route to the rational optimization of doped colloidal nanocrystals.