Carrier dynamics in monolayer $\mathrm{Mo}{\mathrm{S}}_2$ have been investigated using broadband femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (FTAS). A tunable pump pulse was used while a broadband probe pulse revealed ground and excited state carrier dynamics. Interestingly, for pump wavelengths both resonant and nonresonant with the A and B excitons, we observe a broad ground state bleach around 2.9 eV, with decay components similar to A and B. Associating this bleach with the band nesting region between $K$ and Γ in the band structure indicates significant k-space delocalization and overlap among excitonic wave functions identified as A, B, C, and D. Comparison of time dynamics for all features in resonance and nonresonance excitation is consistent with this finding.

Tunable exciton relaxation rates are observed in individual vertically coupled semiconductor quantum dots (CQDs). An applied electric field is used to tune the energy difference between the spatially direct (SD) and indirect (SI) excitons in InAs CQDs. The intensity and lifetime of the SI exciton is found to vary as a result of wave-function distribution, carrier tunneling, and phonon-mediated relaxation effects. This includes a modulation of the phonon relaxation rate between the SI and SD excitons, a consequence of momentum space restrictions resulting from the structure factor of the CQD.

Scalable fabrication of two-dimensional materials-based devices with consistent characteristics remains a significant impediment in the field. Here, we report on as-grown monolayer MoS₂ metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors produced using a CVD process which results in self-contacted two-dimensional material-based devices. The photodetectors show high responsivity (∼1 A/W) even at a low drain-source voltage (V_DS) of 1.5 V and a maximum responsivity of up to 15 A/W when V_DS = 4 V with an applied gate voltage of 8 V. The response time of the devices is found to be on the order of 1 μs, an order of magnitude faster than previous reports. These devices demonstrate the potential of this simple, scalable, and reproducible method for creating as-grown two-dimensional materials-based devices with broad implications for basic research and industrial applications.

We report the effects of tunnel coupling on the Quantum-Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) for excitons in InAs/GaAs coupled quantum dots (CQDs). As the barrier separating the dots is reduced, the zero-field dipole moment and the polarizability are both found to increase. This systematic variation as a function of barrier thickness is due to factors including the formation of molecular wavefunctions, the electron/hole effective masses, and the CQD structural properties. The dipole moment for the interdot exciton is found to be up to 100 times larger than that of the intradot exciton resulting in a predominantly linear shift with field. The ability to control the QCSE of the exciton in a single CQD could be useful for a new class of single photon optical switches and tunable emitters.

Electronic and optical properties of InAs/GaAs nanostructures grown by the droplet epitaxy method are studied. Carrier states were determined by k · p theory including effects of strain and In gradient concentration for a model geometry. Wavefunctions are highly localized in the dots. Coulomb and exchange interactions are studied and we found the system is in the strong confinement regime. Microphotoluminescence spectra and lifetimes were calculated and compared with measurements performed on a set of quantum rings in a single sample. Some features of spectra are in good agreement.