Electrically addressing a single self-assembled quantum dot

We report on the use of an aperture in an aluminum oxide layer to restrict current injection into a single self-assembled InAs quantum dot from an ensemble of such dots within a large mesa. The insulating aperture is formed through the wet oxidation of a layer of AlAs. Under photoluminescence we observe that only one quantum dot in the ensemble exhibits a Stark shift, and that the same single dot is visible under electroluminescence. Autocorrelation measurements performed on the electroluminescence confirm that we are observing emission from a single quantum dot. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.