Electroluminescence from quantum dots fabricated with nanosphere lithography

We demonstrate strong carrier confinement in, and electroluminescence (EL) from, quantum nanostructures fabricated from epitaxially grown quantum wells (QWs) using a top-down nanosphere lithography, dry-etch, mass-transport, and overgrowth fabrication process. Optically active nano-pillars with diameters as small as 90 nm are fabricated, and narrow linewidth (18 meV) electroluminescence from a fabricated diode structure is observed, with an emission blue-shift of over 37 meV from the original quantum well sample luminescence. The results presented offer the potential for low-cost, large-area patterning of quantum nanostructures for optoelectronic applications. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4751341]