Spin-flip transitions in self-assembled quantum dots

Detailed realistic calculations of the spin-flip time (T-1) for an electron in a self-assembled quantum dot (SAQD) due to emission of an acoustic phonon, using only bulk properties with no fitting parameters, are presented. Ellipsoidal lens shaped InxGa1-xAs quantum dots, with electronic states calculated using 8-band strain dependent k . p theory, arc considered. The phonons are treated as bulk acoustic phonons coupled to the electron by both deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions. The dependence of T-1 on the geometry of SAQD, on the applied external magnetic field and on the lattice temperature is highlighted. The theoretical results arc close to the experimental measurements on the spin-flip times for a single electron in QD.