NIRT: Photonic Crystal Laser Technology Based on Nanostructured Active Material

该提案是响应“纳米尺度科学与工程”（NSF 00-119）的征求而提交的。该项目的目标是开发激光和光电子器件技术，实现光子和电子约束，以产生0维状态，基于纳米光刻和干蚀刻技术的进步，制造含有自组织量子点的纳米晶体。将半导体激光器的体积减小到最小尺寸，同时保持高Q，同时降低电子约束势，可能会导致器件操作的革命性进步。这包括在阈值以下和阈值下的高速运行，以及在阈值以下的自发状态下的高效率。在小的有源体积和足够高的Q的极限下，系统可以进入产生量子纠缠态所必需的量子可逆状态。利用III-V纳米结构活性材料和纳米结构光子晶体，光子和电子-空穴对的这些量子极限都是可能的。这些研究将采用分子束外延生长的GaAs/AlGaAs/InGaAs应变层异质结构材料，该材料将被制作成光子晶体激光器和微腔。III-V异质结构将在德克萨斯大学/奥斯汀微电子研究中心生长，光子晶体的制造将在加州理工学院和德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校进行。基于在CIT进行的研究，III-V纳米结构将针对高速运行进行优化，纳米光刻的可制造工艺将在UT-Austin开发。攻读博士学位的研究生研究助理是这项研究的主要组成部分。该研究的预期影响是开发适用于波分复用的低功率、高速光电互连新技术和适用于光互连的低功率收发器，以及适用于量子信息交换的新器件。该项目涉及材料科学中具有高技术相关性的主题领域的基础材料科学和工程研究问题。该计划的一个重要特点是通过培养学生在一个基础和技术上重要的领域的研究和教育的整合。该项目将通过独特的教育经历，通过合作的前沿研究环境，培养学生强大的技术、沟通和组织/管理技能。该项目由DMR/EM、ECS/ pet和EEC部门共同支持

This proposal was submitted in response to the solicitation "Nanoscale Science and Engineering" (NSF 00-119). The goal of this project is to develop laser and optoelectronic device technologies that achieve photon and electron confinement to generate 0-dimensional states, based on advances in nanolithography and dry etching to fabricate nanocrystals containing self-organized quantum dots. A decrease of a semiconductor laser's volume to its minimum size, while maintaining high Q, along with a decrease in the electronic confinement potential, may result in revolutionary advances in device operation. These include high-speed operation below and at threshold, and high efficiency in the spontaneous regime below threshold. In the ultimate limits of small active volume and sufficiently high Q the system can enter the quantum reversible regime necessary to create quantum-entangled states. Both these quantum limits of the photons and electron-hole pairs are possible using III-V nanostructured active material and nanostructured photonic crystals. The materials to be employed in these studies will be GaAs/AlGaAs/InGaAs strained layer heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy, which will be fabricated into photonic crystal lasers and microcavities. The III-V heterostructures will be grown at the University of Texas/Austin Microelectronics Research Center, and photonic crystal fabrication will take place at the California Institute of Technology(CIT) and at UT-Austin. The III-V nanostructures will be optimized for high-speed operation based on studies to be carried out at CIT. Manufacturable processes for the nanolithography will be developed at UT-Austin. Graduate research assistants working towards Ph.D. degrees represent a major component of this research. The expected impact of the research is the development of a new technology for low power, high speed optoelectronic interconnects suitable for wavelength division multiplexing and low power transceivers for optical interconnects, and new devices useful for exchange of quantum information. %%% The project addresses basic materials science and engineering research issues in a topical area of materials science with high technological relevance. An important feature of the program is the integration of research and education through the training of students in a fundamentally and technologically significant area. The project will develop strong technical, communication, and organizational/management skills in students through unique educational experiences made possible by a collaborative forefront research environment. The project is co-supported by the DMR/EM, ECS/PFET, and EEC Divisions.***