RUI: Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy of Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors

该个人研究者奖将支持超快光学和半导体物理方面的研究。随着电子器件的开关速率被推向更高的频率，在皮秒和飞秒时间尺度上理解半导体中的载流子输运现象变得越来越重要。利用超快太赫兹光谱学，可以用飞秒光脉冲或单周期电磁脉冲脉冲激发半导体，并及时记录由此产生的电荷运动。这个项目，在一个主要是本科生的机构，将使用这些技术在时间尺度上研究半导体和半导体异质结构中的电荷输运和热载子现象，这将与未来的设备相关。研究的一个重点将是在磁场中使用超快太赫兹光谱来研究半导体中的热载子现象。第二个项目将使用超快太赫兹光谱研究半导体量子阱中的相干子带间现象。参与该项目的本科研究人员将获得最先进技术的培训。这项资助将支持在一个以本科生为主的机构进行超快光学和半导体物理的研究。随着计算机和其他电子设备变得越来越快，在万亿分之一秒或更短的时间尺度上理解半导体和其他电子材料中的电流流动变得越来越重要。该项目将使用飞秒光脉冲来激发半导体中的电流爆发，并通过记录它们发射的电磁波来及时记录电流脉冲的演变。该项目的目标是研究半导体器件中的电子散射和相干现象。这将与电子技术的发展有关。参与该项目的本科研究人员将获得最先进技术的培训。

This individual investigator award will support research in ultrafast optics and semiconductor physics. As switching rates in electronic devices are pushed to ever higher frequencies, it becomes increasingly important to understand carrier transport phenomena in semiconductors on picosecond and femtosecond time-scales. Using ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy it is possible to impulsively excite a semiconductor with a femtosecond optical pulse or single-cycle electromagnetic pulse, and record the resulting motion of charge in time. This project, at a predominately undergraduate institution, will use these techniques to investigate charge transport and hot-carrier phenomena in semiconductors and semiconductor heterostructures on time-scales that will be relevant to future devices. One focus of research will be to investigate hot carrier phenomena in semiconductors using ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy in a magnetic field. The second project will use ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy to study coherent intersubband phenomena in semiconductor quantum wells. The undergraduate researchers involved with this project will obtain training in state of the art techniques.This grant will support research in ultrafast optics and semiconductor physics at a predominately undergraduate institution. As computers and other electronic devices become ever faster, it becomes increasingly important to understand the flow of electrical current in semiconductors and other electronic materials on time-scales of a trillionth of a second or less. This project will use femtosecond light pulses to excite bursts of current in semiconductors, and will record the evolution of the current pulses in time by recording the electromagnetic waves they emit. The project goal is to study the scattering of electrons and coherent phenomena in semiconductor devices. This will be relevant to the development of electronic technology. The undergraduate researchers involved with this project will obtain training in state of the art techniques.