Mercury chalcogenide quantum dots have been widely considered a potential material for making next-generation infrared detectors. In order to make devices with excellent performance, these CQDs must have good optical and electronic properties. With improvement in synthetic control, my research demonstrated the ability to enable a uniform size/shape-controlled quantum dot. Studies of these CQD’s optical and electronic properties gave us a better understanding of the underlying physics of this system, making improvements in infrared photodetectors and LEDs.