Epitaxial Quantum Dots (QDs) are nanometric-sized semiconductor structures obtained by growing
specific materials on top of a crystalline substrate with a precise control at the atomic level. These
nanostructures confine electrons and holes in all three spatial dimensions, leading to discrete energy
levels, much like atoms, which make them of significant interest in various fields including quantum
computing, optoelectronics, and photonics. This course provides an insight on the self-assembly of
QDs by Droplet Epitaxy and Local Droplet Etching, exploring the kinetic and thermodynamic factors
that control dot formation and how they can be engineered to control QD size with sub-nanometric
precision. The second focus of this course is to investigate the quantistic properties of QDs, model
their optical transitions using numerical simulations and learn how these properties can be
engineered by controlling QDs growth parameters. Finally, this course will discuss the real-world
applications of such QDs, with a particular emphasis on quantum technologies.