Direct observation of variations of optical properties in single quantum dots by using time-resolved near-field scanning optical microscope

We study the variations of optical properties of self-assembled In0.5Ga0.5As single quantum dots (QDs) in the spatial and time domains by combining a near-field scanning optical microscope with an ultrafast pulsed laser. Through the examinations of several tens of QDs, we find that the variations of photoluminescence (PL) intensity strongly depend on the condition of the initial carrier creation. The differences in quantum efficiency and those in the carrier flow rate into QDs cause the large distribution of PL intensity when the carriers are excited in the barrier layers. From the results of time-resolved PL decay measurements, we find that there are two types of QDs exhibiting quite different PL decay profiles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.