Nano-optics of quantum dots embedded in pyramidal optical nanostructures

Summary form only given. Nanoscale structures can be tailored to provide enhanced, nanoscale near-field optics. For example, high-quality GaAs quantum dots can be fabricated by self-formed growth near the apex of AlGaAs tetrahedral pyramids. Photoluminescence studies have shown a thousand-fold enhancement of the far-field emission of an embedded quantum dot. This large enhancement arises because the near-fields of the dot are strongly modified by the nano-optics of the pyramid. To understand and exploit this enhancement, it is important to assess the influence of parameters such as the orientation of the quantum dot transition moment, the location of the quantum dot inside the pyramid, or the presence of a metallic layer at the base of the pyramid on the nano-optics of the coupled quantum dot-pyramid system.