Six-color time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer for ultrasensitive multiplexed biosensing.

Simultaneous monitoring of multiple molecular interactions and multiplexed detection of several diagnostic biomarkers at very low concentrations have become important issues in advanced biological and chemical sensing. Here we present an optically multiplexed six-color Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for simultaneous monitoring of five different individual binding events. We combined simultaneous FRET from one Tb complex to five different organic dyes measured in a filter-based time-resolved detection format with a sophisticated spectral crosstalk correction, which results in very efficient background suppression.

Terbium to quantum dot FRET bioconjugates for clinical diagnostics: influence of human plasma on optical and assembly properties.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from luminescent terbium complexes (LTC) as donors to semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) as acceptors allows extraordinary large FRET efficiencies due to the long Förster distances afforded. Moreover, time-gated detection permits an efficient suppression of autofluorescent background leading to sub-picomolar detection limits even within multiplexed detection formats. These characteristics make FRET-systems with LTC and QDs excellent candidates for clinical diagnostics.

Ramsey fringes in an electric-field-tunable quantum dot system.

We report on Ramsey fringes measured in a single InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot two-level system. We are able to control the transition energy of the system by Stark effect tuning. In combination with double pulse excitation this allows for a voltage controlled preparation of the phase and the occupancy of the two-level system.

Hierarchical self-assembly of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots.

A novel structure containing self-assembled, unstrained GaAs quantum dots is obtained by combining solid-source molecular beam epitaxy and atomic-layer precise in situ etching. Photo-luminescence (PL) spectroscopy reveals light emission with very narrow inhomogeneous broadening and clearly resolved excited states at high excitation intensity. The dot morphology is determined by scanning probe microscopy and, combined with single band and eight-band k.

Coherent properties of a two-level system based on a quantum-dot photodiode.

Present-day information technology is based mainly on incoherent processes in conventional semiconductor devices. To realize concepts for future quantum information technologies, which are based on coherent phenomena, a new type of 'hardware' is required. Semiconductor quantum dots are promising candidates for the basic device units for quantum information processing.