PbTe and SnTe quantum dot precipitates in a CdTe matrix fabricated by ion implantation

We present rock-salt IV-VI semiconductor quantum dots fabricated by implantation of Pb+, Te+, or Sn+ ions into epitaxial zinc-blende CdTe layers. PbTe and SnTe nanoprecipitates of high structural quality are formed after implantation by thermal annealing due to the immiscibility of dot and matrix materials. For samples implanted only with Pb+, intense continuous-wave photoluminescence peaked at 1.6 μm at 300 K is found. In contrast, for PbTe quantum dots fabricated by coimplantation of Pb+ and Te+, the 300 K emission peak is observed at 2.9 μm, indicating luminescence from much larger dots.