Control of efficiency of photon energy up-conversion in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

Abstract

Efficient photoluminescence (PL) up-conversion in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots prepared by an organometallic approach is reported. It is demonstrated that the efficiency of photon energy up-conversion and the magnitude of the spectral shift can be controlled by (i) the thickness of the ZnS layers, (ii) the temperature dependence of the excited-state absorption coefficient, and (iii) the dependence on the excitation intensity. From the analysis of the experimental data, it is proposed that intrinsic gap states are involved as intermediate states in the PL up-conversion, rather than nonlinear two-photon absorption or Auger processes.