Cathodoluminescence Study of a Quantum Dot in a Nanowire for Single-Photon Emission
Abstract
Cathodoluminescence in a scanning electron microscope was applied to a semiconductor quantum dot in a nanowire that is able to emit single photons. We show that cathodoluminescence can be used not only for imaging and spectroscopy but also to measure the correlation function and characterize the purity of the single-photon emitter. The electron beam can be manipulated to minimize the collection of parasitic luminescence. At cryogenic temperatures, we observed that the thermal budget, as measured via the phonon sidebands, is close to that of nonresonant microphotoluminescence. This makes cathodoluminescence an efficient tool in the quest for novel single-photon sources.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Near-Field Optical Microscopy
Integrated Circuits and Semiconductor Failure Analysis
Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices
Publication details
- Journal / source
- ACS Photonics
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 2844–2852
- Publication date
- 7 May 2026
- Language
- EN