quantum dot

noun

: a semiconductor nanocrystal exhibiting quantum mechanical effects that allow it to mimic the properties of an atom

The quantum dot is a semiconducting (or metallic) region so tiny that it is essentially confined in all three dimensions; like an atom, it contains a finite number of charges and has discrete energy levels.

—Barbara Goss Levi

Examples of quantum dot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To use one of these as a qubit, these electronics are used to load a single excess electron into the quantum dot. —ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Double quantum dot to the rescue Researchers at EPFL and other institutes in Europe teamed up to build a tiny detector that combines a semiconductor structure with a superconducting microwave cavity to form a resonant circuit capable of trapping microwave photons and measuring them. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026

It's helped along by quantum dots, which help colors look bright and real, even with the brightness cranked up. —Brad Bourque, Wired News, 7 Feb. 2026

By tuning the gate voltages of each quantum dot, the researchers reproduced the jump in conductivity. —IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quantum dot

• aeronaut
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