Absorption properties of one- and two-dimensional semiconductor nanocrystals in the presence of an electric field

Abstract

We have considered the broadening of optical absorption spectra of ensembles of randomly oriented nanorods and nanoplatelets that is caused by the action of a static electric field. It has been found that the linewidth in the spectra of the considered nanocrystals depends nonlinearly on the field strength and attains saturation in fields on the order of 100 kV/cm. We show that, due to a weak confinement, the electrooptical response of nanoplatelets is stronger than that of nanorods, which leads to a number of distinctive features in the field-induced broadening of the spectra of nanoplatelets and gives grounds to state that nanoplatelets are the most promising objects for use in electrooptical devices.