A study is made of the Forster energy transfer from an excited semiconducto
r quantum dot to an organic material surrounding the dot. A quantum-mechani
cal microscopic description of a Wannier-Mott exciton in a quantum dot is e
mployed together with a macroscopic description of the organic medium. The
calculations show that for II-VI semiconductors such transfer can occur in
a time of the order of tens of picoseconds, which is much shorter than the
lifetime of an excitation in a quantum dot in the absence of transfer. Ther
efore, just as for quantum wells, the energy transfer mechanism considered
can be a quite efficient means for pumping organic sources of radiation. (C
) 1999 American Institute of Physics.