M. Kuno et al., Nonexponential "blinking" kinetics of single CdSe quantum dots: A universal power law behavior, J CHEM PHYS, 112(7), 2000, pp. 3117-3120
Single molecule confocal microscopy is used to study fluorescence intermitt
ency of individual ZnS overcoated CdSe quantum dots (QDs) excited at 488 nm
. The confocal apparatus permits the distribution of "on'' and "off'' times
(i.e., periods of sustained fluorescence emission and darkness) to be meas
ured over an unprecedentedly large dynamic range (10(9)) of probability den
sities, with nonexponential behavior in tau(off) over a 10(5) range in time
scales. In dramatic contrast, these same tau(off) distributions in all QDs
are described with remarkable simplicity over this 10(9)-fold dynamic rang
e by a simple inverse power law, i.e., P(tau(off)) proportional to 1/tau(of
f)(1 + alpha). Such inverse power law behavior is a clear signature of dist
ributed kinetics, such as predicted for (i) an exponential distribution of
trap depths or (ii) a distribution of tunneling distances between QD core/i
nterface states. This has important statistical implications for all previo
us studies of fluorescence intermittency in semiconductor QDs and may have
broader implications for other systems such as single polymer molecules. (C
) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)01007-2].