Here are my Works in Progress:
The Quantum Dot is an attempt at presenting a complex technical process of semiconductor growth to a non-technical audience. It is currently in the process of being written. The story above (which you can click on) are excerpts as I continue to explore how to present this to a lay audience.
An example in the picture above is an image of a quantum dot present on the surface of a flat wafer: presented is a cross-section of the quantum dot. The dot is made up of lots of tiny dots; these are the atomic columns visible at millions of time magnification in an electron microscope. These ‘atoms’ are what form the protrusion upon the wafer surface.
This particular dot looks as if it is defective – the arrows point at planes which are not in synchrony with the surrounding material i.e. the overall structure is not perfectly pristine in structure. It has undergone relaxation with the formation of defects within the dot. This is not ideal – but not surprising either.