Glass fibers drawn from a bulk borosilicate glass doped with CdTe were heat treated by a CO2 laser to form microspheres at the fiber tip. The size of the microspheres varied from 50 to 300 microns. Subsequent reheating of the optically clear microspheres by the CO2 laser resulted in color changes attributed to the formation of CdTe nanocrystals inside the microspheres. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have confirmed smooth surfaces of the microspheres, which indicate high quality factors associated with whispering gallery microsphere lasers may be possible. The particle concentration and size have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The strain in the particles will be characterized using synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The size, strain, chemistry, and optical properties of these CdTe quantum dots will be presented with a discussion of the applicability of these data to the fabrication of microsphere photonic structures.
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