quantum dot

quantum dot

[‚kwänt·əm ′dät]

(electronics)

A quantized electronic structure in which electrons are confined with respect to motion in all three dimensions.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

quantum dot

(physics)

(Or "single-electron transistor") A location capable of containing a single electrical charge; i.e., a single electron of Coulomb charge. Physically, quantum dots are nanometer-size semiconductor structures in which the presence or absence of a quantum electron can be used to store information.

See also: quantum cell, quantum cell wire, quantum-dot cellular automata.

http://www-mtl.mit.edu/MTL/bulletin/v6n2/Kumar.html.

["Quantum Dot Heterostructures", D. Bimberg, et al, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Dec 1998].

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

quantum dot

A minuscule crystal of semiconductor material composed of various compounds of chemicals such as cadmium, zinc, tellurium, selenium and sulfur. Less than 500 nanometers in size, these "nanoparticles" react to light, as well as electricity, and emit their own light across the visible range of wavelengths from 470 to 730 nm.

The applications for quantum dots include medical sensors and lighting systems that are "painted" onto materials. Thin film deposits of quantum dots on solar cell substrates can increase their voltage output by fluorescing the light before it is captured. See QuantumFilm, quantum dot backlight, ULED and QLED.

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