Multiexciton dynamics in infrared-emitting colloidal nanostructures probed by a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector.

Carrier multiplication (CM) is the process in which absorption of a single photon produces multiple electron-hole pairs. Here, we evaluate the effect of particle shape on CM efficiency by conducting a comparative study of spherical nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) and elongated nanorods (NRs) of PbSe using a time-resolved technique that is based on photon counting in the infrared using a superconducting nanowire single-photon photodetector (SNSPD). Due to its high sensitivity and low noise levels, this technique allows for accurate determination of CM yields, even with the small excitation intensities required for quantitative measurements, and the fairly low emission quantum yields of elongated NR samples.