NSF-DFG Cooperative Activity in Materials Research: Behavior of Organized Quantum Dot and/or Wire Arrays

技术解释这项工作的统一主题是改进和应用生长和制造技术来合成纳米级合成单元(点、线、环等)的有序阵列。这将允许探索和创建具有新的光学和传输特性的新结构。虽然自组装提供了量子点结构，但人们将探索引导点形成走所需路径的方法。例如，人们可以创建具有异常大的甚至负折射率的介质，非线性光学光子晶体可以随着施加电场或增加光学强度而显著改变其反射率。通过设计控制，这种材料将开启应用的新纪元，从将铁电存储器密度提高1万倍，到可与电子电路相媲美的光学电路。两个研究小组提供互补的专门知识和设施。两个团队都在纳米结构的生长和研究方面拥有丰富的经验。美国团队由阿肯色大学和俄克拉何马大学(AU/OK)的研究人员组成，他们是NSF材料研究科学与工程中心(MRSEC)的合作伙伴。该团队在分子束外延(MBE)生长、扫描隧道显微镜(STM)表征以及纳米结构的光学行为和相互作用的研究方面尤为出色。德国团队由柏林洪堡大学的研究人员组成，在使用气态源分子束外延生长方面拥有多年经验，特别是在异质结构和纳米结构的输运行为研究方面。两个团队共同拥有经验、人才和基础设施，以揭示对有序纳米结构阵列的增长以及光学和传输行为至关重要的潜在物理现象。该奖项将为将从国际研究环境中受益的研究生提供支持。非技术解释过去十年，我们在亚微米级半导体结构制造能力方面取得了巨大进步。这在很大程度上是由提高芯片性能和存储密度的愿望推动的。亚微米线宽现在在商业半导体器件中是司空见惯的，但随着结构尺寸的减小，传统的光刻技术正遇到根本的限制。为了实现更小的特征尺寸，必须探索更多的创新技术，如自组装或纳米雕刻。为了开展这项调查，组建了两个人才互补的不同研究小组。美国团队由阿肯色大学和俄克拉何马大学(AU/OK)的研究人员组成，他们是NSF材料研究科学与工程中心(MRSEC)的合作伙伴。德国团队由柏林洪堡大学的研究人员组成。两个团队共同拥有经验、人才和基础设施，以揭示对有序纳米结构阵列的增长以及光学和传输行为至关重要的潜在物理现象。该奖项将支持将从国际研究环境中受益匪浅的研究生。

TECHNICAL EXPLANATIONThe unifying theme of this work is to refine and apply growth and fabrication techniques to synthesize ordered arrays of nanoscale synthetic units (dots, wires, rings, etc.) which will allow exploration and creation of new structures with novel optical and transport properties. While self-assembly provides quantum dot structures, approaches will be explored to guide dot formation to take a desired path. For example, one can create media with abnormally large or even negative indices of refraction, nonlinear optical photonic crystals that can dramatically change their reflectivity with an applied electric field or increasing optical intensity. Such material by design control would open a new era in applications ranging from improving ferroelectric memory densities by a factor of 10,000 to optical circuits that rival their electronic counterparts. Two research teams contribute complementary expertise and facilities. Both teams have extensive experience in the growth and study of nanostructures. The American team consists of researchers at the University of Arkansas and the University of Oklahoma (AU/OK) who are partners in a NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). This team is especially talented in the growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), characterization by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and in particular, the study of the optical behavior of nanostructures and interactions between them. The German team consists of researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin and has many years of experience in growth using gas-source molecular-beam epitaxy and in particular, the study of the transport behavior of heterostructures and nanostructures. Together, both teams have the experience, talent, and infrastructure to uncover the underlying physics important to the growth and optical and transport behavior of organized nanostructure arrays. The award will support graduate students who will benefit greatly from the international research environment.NONTECHNICAL EXPLANATIONThe last decade has seen great advances in our ability to create semiconductor structures on the submicron scale. This has been driven in a large part by the desire for increased chip performance and memory density. Submicron linewidths are now routine in commercial semiconductor devices, but as structure size is reduced, traditional lithographic techniques are encountering fundamental limitations. To achieve smaller feature sizes more innovative techniques such as self-assembly or nanosculpting must be explored. To carry out this investigation two different research teams with complementing talents have been assembled. The American team consists of researchers at the University of Arkansas and the University of Oklahoma (AU/OK) who are partners in a NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The German team consists of researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin. Together, both teams have the experience, talent, and infrastructure to uncover the underlying physics important to the growth and optical and transport behavior of organized nanostructure arrays. The award will support graduate students who will benefit greatly from the international research environment.