Temperature dependence of the fundamental excitonic resonance in lead-salt quantum dots

The temperature dependences of the fundamental excitonic resonance in PbS and PbSe quantum dots fabricated by various technologies are experimentally determined. Above ∼150 K, sub-linearities of the temperature shifts and halfwidths are observed. This behavior is analyzed within the existing standard models. Concordant modeling, however, becomes possible only within the frame of a three-level system that takes into account both bright and dark excitonic states as well as phonon-assisted carrier redistribution between these states. Our results show that luminescence characterization of lead-salt quantum dots necessarily requires both low temperatures and excitation densities in order to provide reliable ensemble parameters.