9521729 Das Semiconductor quantum dots have novel optical and electronic properties that can lead to high speed photonic and electronic devices with superior performances. For room temperature applications, it is necessary to restrict the dimensions of such quantum dots to below 200 A so that the energy separation due to quantization is greater than the thermal broadening. Conventional nanofabrication techniques of using electron beam lithography and reactive ion techniques, where the semiconductor material is synthesized in the size and the shape of the nanostructure, are more appropriate for such devices. Current nanogrowth techniques suffer from the problem of large device size distribution and lack of device periodicity. This project proposes to develop a novel low cost nanogrowth technology for the fabrication of periodic arrays of semiconductor quantum dots on silicon with good device size uniformity. The technique utilizes material growth on a preformed template formed by electrochemical etching of aluminum on silicon. The template contains a periodic array of pores in which the semiconductor material is synthesized. The technique is inexpensive, reliable, suitable for the fabrication of a variety of semiconductors, VSL compatible and has the potential for integration of quantum dot services with silicon integrated circuits. The proposed technology is also suitable for large scale commercial production of semiconductor quantum dot arrays. ***
