Fluoreszenzspektroskopische Untersuchung von quantenmechanischen Interferenzeffekten am Xenon-Atom und an zweiatomigen Molekülen nach monochromatischer Anregung mit Synchrotronstrahlung

Mit der Methode der photoneninduzierten Fluoreszenzspektroskopie (PIFS) wurden spektro- und polarimetrische Fluoreszenzspektren des Xenon-Atoms und der NO- und CO-Moleküle untersucht. Im Bereich der Atomphysik konnten für das Xenon-Atom eindeutige Fluoreszenzkaskadeneffekte vom sichtbaren (VIS) in den vakuumultravioleten (VUV) Spektralbereich beobachtet werden. Das untersuchte Energieintervall zeichnete sich durch 15 gefundene Resonanzen entlang der Anregungsenergieachse der Synchrotronphotonen aus, die auf doppeltangeregte nln′l′-Resonanzen zurückgeführt werden konnten. Im Bereich der Molekülphysik wurden Messdaten der NO A 1Π → X 1Σ+- und CO A 2Π → X 2Σ+-Fluoreszenz nach der Anregung der 1s−1 → 2π-Resonanz untersucht. Durch polarimetrische Untersuchungen konnten in beiden Fällen die Winkelanisotropieparameter β(ω) der Fluoreszenz ermittelt werden und mit ab initio Berechnungen mit unterschiedlichen theoretischen Näherungen vergleichen werden. Der Einfluss quantenmechanischer Interferenzeffekte (LVI und ESI) auf die Winkelanisotropieparameter wurde aufgezeigt. Im Falle des NO- und des CO-Moleküls konnte eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung zwischen der Theorie und dem Experiment nachgewiesen werden. Durch Pioniermessungen an Diamantoiden konnte erstmalig dispergierte Lumineszenz der kleinsten Vertreter der Nanodiamanten nachgewiesen werden. Diese Messungen legen eine Grundlage für eine systematische Erforschung der Nanokristalle zugrunde.

Domänenwandwiderstandseffekt in künstlich erstellten Domänenwänden nach Ionenbeschuss von magnetischen Zweischichtsystemen

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden magnetische Zweischichtsysteme mit Exchange-Bias-Effekt und künstlichen lateralen Domänenstrukturen auf den Domänenwandwiderstand (DWR) untersucht. Die Erzeugung dieser Domänenmuster erfolgte über Ion Bombardment induced Magnetic Patterning (IBMP), d.h. 10 keV Helium-Ionenbeschuss durch Schattenmasken auf der Probenoberfläche. Mithilfe eines externen Magnetfelds können anschließend die Domänenwände gezielt ein- und ausgeschaltet werden. Zur Untersuchung des DWR-Effekts müssen einige physikalische Voraussetzungen erfüllt sein, wodurch die Herstellung und Charakterisierung entsprechender magnetischer Domänenstrukturen eine der Hauptaufgaben war. Die folgenden Themen werden in dieser Arbeit im Einzelnen behandelt: • Anwendung verschiedener Lithographie-Verfahren zur Erzeugung von Schattenmasken: Für die Verkleinerung der magnetischen Strukturen bis in den Sub-µm-Bereich waren neue Verfahren notwendig. Hierfür wurden die Interferenz- und die NanoImprint-Lithographie eingesetzt. Außerdem wurden Metallnetzchen als Schattenmasken für den Ionenbeschuss genutzt. • Charakterisierung der künstlichen Domänenmuster: Identifikation des Domänenwandtyps anhand von MFM-Messungen unter Zuhilfenahme mikromagnetischer Simulationen und Validierung der Ergebnisse mithilfe von PEEM-Messungen. Untersuchung der Domänenmuster auf die Domänenbreite und Domänenwandbreite in Abhängigkeit der verwendeten Strukturgrößen, Geometrien und Materialien. Magnetische Strukturierung von Exchange-Bias-Proben mit einem nicht-metallischen Antiferromagneten. • Domänenwandwiderstand: Untersuchung des DWR-Effekts in metallischen Exchange-Bias-Proben bei Raumtemperatur sowohl über viele als auch über einzelne Domänenwände sowie temperaturabhängig unterhalb der Raumtemperatur. Untersuchung des DWR-Effekts in oxidischen Zweilagenschichtsystemen bei Raumtemperatur über viele sowie über einzelne Domänenwände. Die Untersuchungen erfolgten mit Vibrationsmagnetometrie (VSM) und magnetooptischem Kerr-Effekt (MOKE), Rasterkraft-/Magnetokraft- und Rasterelektronenmikroskopie (AFM, MFM, REM), Photoemissions-Elektronenmikroskopie (PEEM) und Magnetotransportmessungen.

Optical Characterization of Organic Gain Materials for UV-emitting Hybrid Complex Coupled VCSELs

In this thesis, optical gain measurement setup based on variable stripe length method is designed, implemented and improved. The setup is characterized using inorganic and organic samples. The optical gain of spiro-quaterphenyl is calculated and compared with measurements from the setup. Films with various thicknesses of spiro-quaterphenyl, methoxy-spiro-quaterphenyl and phenoxy-spiro-quaterphenyl are deposited by a vacuum vapor deposition technique forming asymmetric slab waveguides. The optical properties, laser emission threshold, optical gain and loss coefficient for these films are measured. Additionally, the photodegradation during pumping process is investigated.

Optimization of Processing Technology for Commercial Drying of Bananas (Matooke)

Summary - Cooking banana is one of the most important crops in Uganda; it is a staple food and source of household income in rural areas. The most common cooking banana is locally called matooke, a Musa sp triploid acuminate genome group (AAA-EAHB). It is perishable and traded in fresh form leading to very high postharvest losses (22-45%). This is attributed to: non-uniform level of harvest maturity, poor handling, bulk transportation and lack of value addition/processing technologies, which are currently the main challenges for trade and export, and diversified utilization of matooke. Drying is one of the oldest technologies employed in processing of agricultural produce. A lot of research has been carried out on drying of fruits and vegetables, but little information is available on matooke. Drying of matooke and milling it to flour extends its shelf-life is an important means to overcome the above challenges. Raw matooke flour is a generic flour developed to improve shelf stability of the fruit and to find alternative uses. It is rich in starch (80 - 85%db) and subsequently has a high potential as a calorie resource base. It possesses good properties for both food and non-food industrial use. Some effort has been done to commercialize the processing of matooke but there is still limited information on its processing into flour. It was imperative to carry out an in-depth study to bridge the following gaps: lack of accurate information on the maturity window within which matooke for processing into flour can be harvested leading to non-uniform quality of matooke flour; there is no information on moisture sorption isotherm for matooke from which the minimum equilibrium moisture content in relation to temperature and relative humidity is obtainable, below which the dry matooke would be microbiologically shelf-stable; and lack of information on drying behavior of matooke and standardized processing parameters for matooke in relation to physicochemical properties of the flour. The main objective of the study was to establish the optimum harvest maturity window and optimize the processing parameters for obtaining standardized microbiologically shelf-stable matooke flour with good starch quality attributes. This research was designed to: i) establish the optimum maturity harvest window within which matooke can be harvested to produce a consistent quality of matooke flour, ii) establish the sorption isotherms for matooke, iii) establish the effect of process parameters on drying characteristics of matooke, iv) optimize the drying process parameters for matooke, v) validate the models of maturity and optimum process parameters and vi) standardize process parameters for commercial processing of matooke. Samples were obtained from a banana plantation at Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID), Technology Business Incubation Center (TBI) at Nyaruzunga – Bushenyi in Western Uganda. A completely randomized design (CRD) was employed in selecting the banana stools from which samples for the experiments were picked. The cultivar Mbwazirume which is soft cooking and commonly grown in Bushenyi was selected for the study. The static gravitation method recommended by COST 90 Project (Wolf et al., 1985), was used for determination of moisture sorption isotherms. A research dryer developed for this research. All experiments were carried out in laboratories at TBI. The physiological maturity of matooke cv. mbwazirume at Bushenyi is 21 weeks. The optimum harvest maturity window for commercial processing of matooke flour (Raw Tooke Flour - RTF) at Bushenyi is between 15-21 weeks. The finger weight model is recommended for farmers to estimate harvest maturity for matooke and the combined model of finger weight and pulp peel ratio is recommended for commercial processors. Matooke isotherms exhibited type II curve behavior which is characteristic of foodstuffs. The GAB model best described all the adsorption and desorption moisture isotherms. For commercial processing of matooke, in order to obtain a microbiologically shelf-stable dry product. It is recommended to dry it to moisture content below or equal to 10% (wb). The hysteresis phenomenon was exhibited by the moisture sorption isotherms for matooke. The isoteric heat of sorption for both adsorptions and desorption isotherms increased with decreased moisture content. The total isosteric heat of sorption for matooke: adsorption isotherm ranged from 4,586 – 2,386 kJ/kg and desorption isotherm from 18,194– 2,391 kJ/kg for equilibrium moisture content from 0.3 – 0.01 (db) respectively. The minimum energy required for drying matooke from 80 – 10% (wb) is 8,124 kJ/kg of water removed. Implying that the minimum energy required for drying of 1 kg of fresh matooke from 80 - 10% (wb) is 5,793 kJ. The drying of matooke takes place in three steps: the warm-up and the two falling rate periods. The drying rate constant for all processing parameters ranged from 5,793 kJ and effective diffusivity ranged from 1.5E-10 - 8.27E-10 m2/s. The activation energy (Ea) for matooke was 16.3kJ/mol (1,605 kJ/kg). Comparing the activation energy (Ea) with the net isosteric heat of sorption for desorption isotherm (qst) (1,297.62) at 0.1 (kg water/kg dry matter), indicated that Ea was higher than qst suggesting that moisture molecules travel in liquid form in matooke slices. The total color difference (ΔE*) between the fresh and dry samples, was lowest for effect of thickness of 7 mm, followed by air velocity of 6 m/s, and then drying air temperature at 70˚C. The drying system controlled by set surface product temperature, reduced the drying time by 50% compared to that of a drying system controlled by set air drying temperature. The processing parameters did not have a significant effect on physicochemical and quality attributes, suggesting that any drying air temperature can be used in the initial stages of drying as long as the product temperature does not exceed gelatinization temperature of matooke (72˚C). The optimum processing parameters for single-layer drying of matooke are: thickness = 3 mm, air temperatures 70˚C, dew point temperature 18˚C and air velocity 6 m/s overflow mode. From practical point of view it is recommended that for commercial processing of matooke, to employ multi-layer drying of loading capacity equal or less than 7 kg/m², thickness 3 mm, air temperatures 70˚C, dew point temperature 18˚C and air velocity 6 m/s overflow mode.

Finite-Elemente-Mehrgitter von Molekülen

Im Rahmen der Dichtefunktionaltheorie wurden Orbitalfunktionale wie z.B. B3LYP entwickelt. Diese lassen sich mit der „optimized effective potential“ – Methode selbstkonsistent auswerten. Während sie früher nur im 1D-Fall genau berechnet werden konnte, entwickelten Kümmel und Perdew eine Methode, bei der das OEP-Problem unter Verwendung einer Differentialgleichung selbstkonsistent gelöst werden kann. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Finite-Elemente-Mehrgitter-Verfahren verwendet, um die entstehenden Gleichungen zu lösen und damit Energien, Dichten und Ionisationsenergien für Atome und zweiatomige Moleküle zu berechnen. Als Orbitalfunktional wird dabei der „exakte Austausch“ verwendet; das Programm ist aber leicht auf jedes beliebige Funktional erweiterbar. Für das Be-Atom ließ sich mit 8.Ordnung –FEM die Gesamtenergien etwa um 2 Größenordnungen genauer berechnen als der Finite-Differenzen-Code von Makmal et al. Für die Eigenwerte und die Eigenschaften der Atome N und Ne wurde die Genauigkeit anderer numerischer Methoden erreicht. Die Rechenzeit wuchs erwartungsgemäß linear mit der Punktzahl. Trotz recht langsamer scf-Konvergenz wurden für das Molekül LiH Genauigkeiten wie bei FD und bei HF um 2-3 Größenordnungen bessere als mit Basismethoden erzielt. Damit zeigt sich, dass auf diese Weise benchmark-Rechnungen durchgeführt werden können. Diese dürften wegen der schnellen Konvergenz über der Punktzahl und dem geringen Zeitaufwand auch auf schwerere Systeme ausweitbar sein.

Optimal control theory for a unitary operation under dissipative evolution

We show that optimizing a quantum gate for an open quantum system requires the time evolution of only three states irrespective of the dimension of Hilbert space. This represents a significant reduction in computational resources compared to the complete basis of Liouville space that is commonly believed necessary for this task. The reduction is based on two observations: the target is not a general dynamical map but a unitary operation; and the time evolution of two properly chosen states is sufficient to distinguish any two unitaries. We illustrate gate optimization employing a reduced set of states for a controlled phasegate with trapped atoms as qubit carriers and a iSWAP gate with superconducting qubits.

Many-body theory of laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization and angular momentum transfer in ferromagnetic transition metals

An electronic theory is developed, which describes the ultrafast demagnetization in itinerant ferromagnets following the absorption of a femtosecond laser pulse. The present work intends to elucidate the microscopic physics of this ultrafast phenomenon by identifying its fundamental mechanisms. In particular, it aims to reveal the nature of the involved spin excitations and angular-momentum transfer between spin and lattice, which are still subjects of intensive debate. In the first preliminary part of the thesis the initial stage of the laser-induced demagnetization process is considered. In this stage the electronic system is highly excited by spin-conserving elementary excitations involved in the laser-pulse absorption, while the spin or magnon degrees of freedom remain very weakly excited. The role of electron-hole excitations on the stability of the magnetic order of one- and two-dimensional 3d transition metals (TMs) is investigated by using ab initio density-functional theory. The results show that the local magnetic moments are remarkably stable even at very high levels of local energy density and, therefore, indicate that these moments preserve their identity throughout the entire demagnetization process. In the second main part of the thesis a many-body theory is proposed, which takes into account these local magnetic moments and the local character of the involved spin excitations such as spin fluctuations from the very beginning. In this approach the relevant valence 3d and 4p electrons are described in terms of a multiband model Hamiltonian which includes Coulomb interactions, interatomic hybridizations, spin-orbit interactions, as well as the coupling to the time-dependent laser field on the same footing. An exact numerical time evolution is performed for small ferromagnetic TM clusters. The dynamical simulations show that after ultra-short laser pulse absorption the magnetization of these clusters decreases on a time scale of hundred femtoseconds. In particular, the results reproduce the experimentally observed laser-induced demagnetization in ferromagnets and demonstrate that this effect can be explained in terms of the following purely electronic non-adiabatic mechanism: First, on a time scale of 10–100 fs after laser excitation the spin-orbit coupling yields local angular-momentum transfer between the spins and the electron orbits, while subsequently the orbital angular momentum is very rapidly quenched in the lattice on the time scale of one femtosecond due to interatomic electron hoppings. In combination, these two processes result in a demagnetization within hundred or a few hundred femtoseconds after laser-pulse absorption.

Metallische Nanopartikel auf Quarz

This work presents the developement of an chemically stable and easy to produce in situ sensor for fast and reliable detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in low nanomolar concentrations. Metallic nanoparticles on dielectric substrates werde used for the rst time with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in combination with shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS). The preparation of the metallic nanoparticle ensembles with Volmer-Webergrowth is described first. The nanoparticles are characterized with both, optical spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The morphological properties of the nanoparticle ensembles are de ned by the mean axial ratio (a/b) and the mean equivalent radius (R Äq), respectively. The prepared and characterized nanoparticles were then used for intensive Raman spectroscopy measurements. Two sophisticated diode laser systems were used in cooperation with the TU Berlin, to carry out these experiments. The first step was to establish the ideal combination of excitation wavelength of the diode laser and the maximum of the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticle ensembles. From these results it was deduced, that for an optimum Raman signal the plasmon resonance maximum of the nanoparticle ensemble has to be red-shifted a few nanometeres in respect to the excitation wavelength. Different PAHs werde detected in concentrations of only 2 and 0.5 nmol/, respectively. Furthermore, the obtained results show an excellent reproducability. In addition the time dependence of the Raman signal intensity was investigated. The results of these measurements show, that only 2 minutes after placing the substrates in the molecular solution, a detectable Raman signal was generated. The maximum Raman signal, i.e. the time in which the molecular adsorption process is finished, was determined to about 10 minutes. In summary it was shown, that the used metallic nanoparticle ensembles are highly usable as substrates for SERS in combination with SERDS to detect PAHs in low nanomolar concentrations.

Organische Magnetooptoelektronik

Im Rahmen der Organischen Optoelektronik wird der Weg vom Molekül zum Bauteil als Wertschöpfungskette verstanden, deren Kernziele wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisfortschritt und Produktanwendungen sind. Eine besonders vielversprechende Möglichkeit diese Entwicklung auch in Zukunft erfolgreich und innovativ fortführen zu können, eröffnet sich durch das Einbeziehen magnetosensitiver Prozesse. Spinzustände werden als zusätzliche Regelgröße verstanden, die es erlauben, optoelektronische Abläufe zu optimieren und neuartige Funktionen zu generieren. Dieses Konzept integriert die Vorteile sowie das Potential der Spintronik in die Organische Optoelektronik und hat sich zu einem zukunftsweisenden, neuartigen Forschungsfeld entwickelt. Es wird als Organische Magnetooptoelektronik bezeichnet und beschäftigt sich mit der Wirkung magnetischer Felder auf optisch und elektronisch anregbare Zustände in organischen Halbleitern. Mit den durchgeführten Forschungsaktivitäten ist es gelungen, Organische Feldeffekt-Transistoren (OFETs) als neuartige Plattform zur Untersuchung magnetooptoelektronischer Phänomene in niedermolekularen Halbleitern zu etablieren. Der gezielte Einsatz geeigneter Funktionsmaterialien ermöglicht die Herstellung magnetoresistiver 3-Kontakt-Bauteile, die das Wissenschaftsfeld des Organischen Magnetowiderstands entscheidend erweitern und dessen Anwendungsspektrum vergrößern. Dabei offenbaren OFETs auf Basis der Lochtransportmaterialien Pentacen und TIPS-Pentacen unter Belichtung magnetosensitives Verhalten, das erlaubt den Organischen Magnetowiderstand optisch ein- und auszuschalten. Auch ohne zusätzliche Belichtung können Magnetfeldeffekte erzielt werden, wenn spezielle Donor- und Akzeptor-Komponenten eingesetzt werden. Aus der ionisierenden Wechselwirkung zwischen Spiro-TTB (Elektronendonor) und HAT-CN (Elektronenakzeptor) resultiert eine so ausgeprägte Magnetosensitivität, dass bereits ultrakleine Magnetfelder den Ladungstransport signifikant beeinflussen. Zudem ist das magnetoresistive Verhalten empfindlich von den Spannungsbedingungen abhängig und das MR-Vorzeichen kann durch die Drainspannung umgepolt werden. Donor- und Akzeptor-Syteme mit nichtionisierender Wechselwirkung erweisen sich ebenfalls als geeignet für die Herstellung magnooptoelektronisch aktiver Bauteile. Sowohl in Spiro-DPPFPy als auch in Spiro-TAD/Spiro-PFPy OFETs zeigen sich im Dunkeln positiver und unter Belichtung negativer Magnetowiderstand. Diese gegensätzlichen MR-Komponenten lassen sich mit der Belichtungsintensität sowie der Magnetfeldstärke systematisch modulieren und es ist das magnetooptoelektronische Schalten des MR-Vorzeichens möglich. Unterschiedliche MR-Komponenten treten auch in ambipolaren Spiro-DPASP-tBu-Phenyl OFETs auf. Deren Drainstrom lässt sich in lochdominierte, elektronendominierte sowie ambipolare Bereiche gliedern, wobei bei unipolarem Ladungstransport positiver und bei ambipolarem negativer Magnetowiderstand vorherrscht. Mit der Betriebsspannung kann zwischen den jeweiligen Transportbereichen und damit dem MR-Vorzeichen geschaltet werden. All diese Facetten des Organischen Magnetowiderstands sind nicht nur Ausdruck des weitreichenden physikalischen Hintergrunds, sondern eröffnen eine vielversprechende Perspektive zur Realisierung multifunktionaler, magnetooptoelektronischer 3-Kontakt-Bauteile auf Basis organischer Halbleiter. Neben dem Nachweis neuartiger magnetoresistiver Phänomene in Organischen Feldeffekt-Transistoren beinhaltet dieses Forschungsprojekt das Ziel, zur Entschlüsselung der zugrundeliegenden Elementarprozesse beizutragen. Dabei ergibt sich folgendes Resümee für die Interpretation der erzielten Magnetfeldeffekte: Unter unipolaren Transportbedingungen wird der Magnetowiderstand durch spinsensitive Bipolaronenbildung versursacht. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit tragen Bipolaronen signifikant zum Drainstrom bei, wenn im Leitungskanal Gegenladungen vorhanden sind oder dieser aus chemischen Einheiten mit hoher Elektronenaffinitätsdifferenz aufgebaut ist. Weitere MR-Komponenten werden erschlossen, wenn im Transportvolumen simultan positive und negative Ladungsträger vorhanden sind. Deren Interaktion resultiert in Elektron-Loch Paaren, die über ein magnetosensitives Reaktionsverhalten verfügen. Sie werden entweder über Belichtung der OFET-Struktur erzeugt oder bilden sich während des ambipolaren Ladungstransports.

Methods of generating carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, intense, few-cycle laser pulses

Ultrafast laser pulses have become an integral part of the toolbox of countless laboratories doing physics, chemistry, and biological research. The work presented here is motivated by a section in the ever-growing, interdisciplinary research towards understanding the fundamental workings of light-matter interactions. Specifically, attosecond pulses can be useful tools to obtain the desired insight. However access to, and the utility of, such pulses is dependent on the generation of intense, few-cycle, carrier-envelope-phase stabilized laser pulses. The presented work can be thought of as a sort of roadmap towards the latter. From the oscillator which provides the broadband seed to amplification methods, the integral pieces necessary for the generation of attosecond pulses are discussed. A range of topics from the fundamentals to design challenges is presented, outfitting the way towards the practical implementation of an intense few-cycle carrier-envelope-phase stabilized laser source.

Controlling the transport of an ion: classical and quantum mechanical solutions

The accurate transport of an ion over macroscopic distances represents a challenging control problem due to the different length and time scales that enter and the experimental limitations on the controls that need to be accounted for. Here, we investigate the performance of different control techniques for ion transport in state-of-the-art segmented miniaturized ion traps. We employ numerical optimization of classical trajectories and quantum wavepacket propagation as well as analytical solutions derived from invariant based inverse engineering and geometric optimal control. The applicability of each of the control methods depends on the length and time scales of the transport. Our comprehensive set of tools allows us make a number of observations. We find that accurate shuttling can be performed with operation times below the trap oscillation period. The maximum speed is limited by the maximum acceleration that can be exerted on the ion. When using controls obtained from classical dynamics for wavepacket propagation, wavepacket squeezing is the only quantum effect that comes into play for a large range of trapping parameters. We show that this can be corrected by a compensating force derived from invariant based inverse engineering, without a significant increase in the operation time.

Electronic origin of bond softening and hardening in femtosecond-laser-excited magnesium

Many ultrafast structural phenomena in solids at high fluences are related to the hardening or softening of particular lattice vibrations at lower fluences. In this paper we relate femtosecond-laser-induced phonon frequency changes to changes in the electronic density of states, which need to be evaluated only in the electronic ground state, following phonon displacement patterns. We illustrate this relationship for a particular lattice vibration of magnesium, for which we—surprisingly—find that there is both softening and hardening as a function of the femtosecond-laser fluence. Using our theory, we explain these behaviours as arising from Van Hove singularities: We show that at low excitation densities Van Hove singularities near the Fermi level dominate the change of the phonon frequency while at higher excitations Van Hove singularities that are further away in energy also become important. We expect that our theory can as well shed light on the effects of laser excitation of other materials.

1.55 µm High-Speed QDs Lasers for Optical Telecommunication Applications

In this work investigation of the QDs formation and the fabrication of QD based semiconductor lasers for telecom applications are presented. InAs QDs grown on AlGaInAs lattice matched to InP substrates are used to fabricate lasers operating at 1.55 µm, which is the central wavelength for far distance data transmission. This wavelength is used due to its minimum attenuation in standard glass fibers. The incorporation of QDs in this material system is more complicated in comparison to InAs QDs in the GaAs system. Due to smaller lattice mismatch the formation of circular QDs, elongated QDs and quantum wires is possible. The influence of the different growth conditions, such as the growth temperature, beam equivalent pressure, amount of deposited material on the formation of the QDs is investigated. It was already demonstrated that the formation process of QDs can be changed by the arsenic species. The formation of more round shaped QDs was observed during the growth of QDs with As2, while for As4 dash-like QDs. In this work only As2 was used for the QD growth. Different growth parameters were investigated to optimize the optical properties, like photoluminescence linewidth, and to implement those QD ensembles into laser structures as active medium. By the implementation of those QDs into laser structures a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 30 meV was achieved. Another part of the research includes the investigation of the influence of the layer design of lasers on its lasing properties. QD lasers were demonstrated with a modal gain of more than 10 cm-1 per QD layer. Another achievement is the large signal modulation with a maximum data rate of 15 Gbit/s. The implementation of optimized QDs in the laser structure allows to increase the modal gain up to 12 cm-1 per QD layer. A reduction of the waveguide layer thickness leads to a shorter transport time of the carriers into the active region and as a result a data rate up to 22 Gbit/s was achieved, which is so far the highest digital modulation rate obtained with any 1.55 µm QD laser. The implementation of etch stop layers into the laser structure provide the possibility to fabricate feedback gratings with well defined geometries for the realization of DFB lasers. These DFB lasers were fabricated by using a combination of dry and wet etching. Single mode operation at 1.55 µm with a high side mode suppression ratio of 50 dB was achieved.