Semiconductor nanostructures are ideal systems to tailor the physical properties via quantum effects, utilizing special growth techniques, self-assembling, wet chemical processes or lithographic tools in combination with tuneable external electric and magnetic fields. Such systems are called "Quantum Materials".The electronic, photonic, and phononic properties of these systems are governed by size quantization and discrete energy levels. The charging is controlled by the Coulomb blockade. The spin can be manipulated by the geometrical structure, external gates and by integrating hybrid ferromagnetic emitters.This book reviews sophisticated preparation methods for quantum materials based on III-V and II-VI semiconductors and a wide variety of experimental techniques for the investigation of these interesting systems. It highlights selected experiments and theoretical concepts and gives such a state-of-the-art overview about the wide field of physics and chemistry that can be studied in these systems.

Detlef Heitmann is a Full Professor at the Institute of Applied Physics of the University of Hamburg and Head of the Semiconductor Group. After research on Cerenkov radiation, surface plasmons and Integrated Optics he entered the field of low-dimensional semiconductor systems. His interest was devoted in particular to the fabrication of quantum structures and its investigation with far infrared, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In recent years his group also used the tools of the semiconductor technology to prepare ferromagnetic nanostructures and study the spin dynamics in these systems, and to fabricate and investigate optical metamaterials. From 1997 to 2009 he was Speaker of the DFG Collaborative Research Center SFB 508 "Quantum Materials".