Carrier thermal escape and retrapping in self-assembled quantum dots

The effects of carrier thermal escape and retrapping on the temperature dep endence of the photoluminescence of InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots a re investigated. A systematic experimental study of the temperature evoluti on of the photoluminescence spectra in two different sets of samples is rep orted. The photoluminescence behavior is well reproduced in terms of a stea dy state model for the carrier dynamics which takes into account the quantu m-dot size distribution, random population effects, and carrier capture, re laxation, and retrapping. The relative contributions of these processes to the photoluminescence thermal quenching is discussed.