Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract This overarching introductory chapter provides a brief topical overview
of semiconductor photonics with a focus on nanomaterials and quantum structures,
as well as a general motivation for the works pursued within the author’s Habilitation project in this field which are discussed throughout the course of this book. In
this context, also the structure of this work is summarised. Following that, scientific
advances regarding functional nanomaterials with an emphasis on optoelectronics
and quantum technological applications are highlighted. A number of selected examples from experimental and theoretical works in this field shed light on novel material
systems, material engineering and physics, as well as optoelectronic devices.
1.1 A Topical Overview
Quantum structures and functional nanomaterials have had a unique impact on
modern technologies which evolved in recent decades owing to the remarkable
achievements in semiconductor physics, nanotechnology and materials sciences.
Particularly, they enabled considerable advances in the domains of photonics [1–3],
nanoelectronics [4–6], and quantum technologies [7–10]. The availability of sophisticated and high-quality optical structures has given rise to numerous studies of light–
matter interactions [11–16]. Similarly, the abilities in terms of deterministic epitaxial
growth [17–19] and post-processing capabilities [20] have enabled the design and
realisation of a plethora of coherent-light emitting chip-scale devices [21–35] and
novel quantum-optical concepts [36–45] with eyes towards faster, energy-efficient
and reliable hardware for secure telecommunications and powerful computations.
Beyond Moore’s law, both new technologies and material systems are required
to provide the constant increase in device sophistication, operation effectiveness and
data processing capabilities. These ambitious aims drive various scientific fields,
one of which can be regarded the research domain of functional nanomaterials—
itself a vast field intersecting with other fields in physics, materials sciences and
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. Rahimi-Iman, Semiconductor Photonics of Nanomaterials and Quantum Structures,
Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences 196,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69352-7_1
1
Introduction
Abstract This overarching introductory chapter provides a brief topical overview
of semiconductor photonics with a focus on nanomaterials and quantum structures,
as well as a general motivation for the works pursued within the author’s Habilitation project in this field which are discussed throughout the course of this book. In
this context, also the structure of this work is summarised. Following that, scientific
advances regarding functional nanomaterials with an emphasis on optoelectronics
and quantum technological applications are highlighted. A number of selected examples from experimental and theoretical works in this field shed light on novel material
systems, material engineering and physics, as well as optoelectronic devices.
1.1 A Topical Overview
Quantum structures and functional nanomaterials have had a unique impact on
modern technologies which evolved in recent decades owing to the remarkable
achievements in semiconductor physics, nanotechnology and materials sciences.
Particularly, they enabled considerable advances in the domains of photonics [1–3],
nanoelectronics [4–6], and quantum technologies [7–10]. The availability of sophisticated and high-quality optical structures has given rise to numerous studies of light–
matter interactions [11–16]. Similarly, the abilities in terms of deterministic epitaxial
growth [17–19] and post-processing capabilities [20] have enabled the design and
realisation of a plethora of coherent-light emitting chip-scale devices [21–35] and
novel quantum-optical concepts [36–45] with eyes towards faster, energy-efficient
and reliable hardware for secure telecommunications and powerful computations.
Beyond Moore’s law, both new technologies and material systems are required
to provide the constant increase in device sophistication, operation effectiveness and
data processing capabilities. These ambitious aims drive various scientific fields,
one of which can be regarded the research domain of functional nanomaterials—
itself a vast field intersecting with other fields in physics, materials sciences and
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. Rahimi-Iman, Semiconductor Photonics of Nanomaterials and Quantum Structures,
Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences 196,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69352-7_1
1