NIRT: The Evolution and Self-Assembly of Quantum Dots

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This proposal was submitted in response to the solicitation "Nanoscale Science and Engineering" (NSF-00-119). The resulting grant is co-funded by the Divisions of Materials Research and Mathematical Sciences. Nanostructures such as quantum dots and quantum wires can be employed to yield devices with novel electronic properties. One particularly promising route to quantum dot formation is via the spontaneous self-assembly process that occurs during heteroepitaxy. To control the quantum dot formation and self-assembly process to the extent that these novel electronic devices become a reality, this team of researchers will investigate the mechanisms of dot formation, and develop predictive models of the dot formation and self-organization process.Achieving this goal requires an integrated interdisciplinary effort that can address the quantum dot formation and self-assembly process from the atomistic to the continuum or nanometer length scales. The work of this group will thus involve, for example, first-principle calculations of surface energies and surface diffusion coefficients, calculations of the evolution of quantum dot shape and composition during deposition, and the nonlinear dynamics of pattern formation or self-assembly of quantum dots. Each effort will feed into the other, as the information at the smaller length scales will be employed in the larger scale calculations, enabling us to bridge length scales that range from the fraction of a nanometer to thousands of nanometers. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop an understanding of the important materials issues governing formation and self-assembly of quantum dots, and to develop predictive models that enable the first-principles design of quantum dot nanostructures. The models can then be used to design and create specific quantum dot structures, providing for possible breakthroughs in the fabrication of new quantum dot electronic devices.%%%***