Energy levels and optical properties of GaN spherical quantum dots

• Energy levels of zinc-blende GaN spherical quantum dots.
• Optical spectrum of zinc-blende GaN spherical quantum dots.
• The quantum confinement effect on band structure and optical properties of nanosized GaN.

Using the pseudopotential approach, we have undertaken a detailed study of the energy levels and optical properties of zinc-blende GaN spherical quantum dots as a function of their radius taken in the range 1–10 nm. Features such as energy levels, energy band gaps, electron and heavy hole effective masses, refractive index, dielectric constants and transverse effective charge have been investigated. The quantum confinement is found to be of major effect on all the studied quantities for quantum dot radius below 5 nm. Beyond 5 nm, all properties of interest tend towards retrieving the bulk properties.