Optical characterization of In-flushed InAs/GaAs quantum dots emitting a broadband spectrum with multiple peaks at ~1 μm

We investigated optical properties of In-flushed InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. By using the In-flush technique for setting the height of self-assembled InAs QDs, we have tuned the emission wavelength of InAs QDs to the ~1 μm regime, which can be utilized as a non-invasive and deeply penetrative probe for biological and medical imaging systems. The controlled emission exhibited a broadband spectrum comprising multiple peaks with an interval of approximately 30 meV. We examined the origin of the multiple peaks using spectral and time-resolved photoluminescence, and concluded that it is attributed to monolayer step fluctuations in the height of the In-flushed QDs. This feature can be advantageous for realizing a broadband light source centered at the ~1 μm regime, which is especially suitable for the non-invasive cross-sectional biological and medical imaging system known as optical coherence tomography.