NER/SNB: Nanophononics: A New Approach to Electron Transport Enhancement in Nanoscale Devices

本研究的目的是证明在特殊设计的声学失配纳米结构中限制电子限制声子散射速率抑制和相应的电子迁移率增强的可能性。新的纳米声子方法是基于声子耗尽/积累效应的半导体纳米线嵌入在一个屏障材料，其特征在于一个较小的声阻抗Z（这是一个产品的材料质量密度和声速）。该研究的重点是严格计算的电子迁移率和电导率的半导体沟道嵌入到“声学软”包覆层;选择最佳的纳米线和势垒材料参数的最大迁移率增强;和实验验证的概念演示使用原型结构。该研究将对电子行业产生重大影响，影响传统的互补金属氧化物半导体（CMOS）技术和超越CMOS的电子器件设计。这项研究将增加纳米结构和纳米器件中电子输运的核心知识，并将有助于发展声子工程的概念。设想的声子工程（纳米声子学）方法来增强电子器件的操作可能具有与电子带隙工程相当的影响，这给电子和光电工业带来了革命。在该项目下开发的方法将被转移到半导体行业。此外，这项跨学科的研究将有助于建立一个强大的纳米技术教育计划在加州大学河滨分校，少数民族服务机构，与所有10个加州校园的大学最大的少数民族学生人口。

The objective of this research is to demonstrate a possibility of the confined electron - confined phonon scattering rate suppression and corresponding enhancement of the electron mobility in the specially designed acoustically mismatched nanostructures. The novel nanophononic approach is based on the phonon depletion/accumulation effect in the semiconductor nanowires embedded within a barrier material characterized by a smaller acoustic impedance Z (which is a product of the material mass density and the sound velocity). The research is focused on the rigorous calculation of the electron mobility and electrical conductivity in the semiconductor channel embedded into the "acoustically softer" cladding layer; selection of the optimum nanowire and barrier material parameters for the maximum mobility enhancement; and experimental proof-of-the-concept demonstration using the prototype structures. The research will have a strong impact on the electronic industry affecting both the conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and beyond-CMOS electronic device designs. The research will add to the core knowledge of the electron transport in nanostructures and nanodevices, and will help to develop the concept of phonon engineering. The envisioned phonon engineering (nanophononics) approach to the enhancement of the electronic device operation may have an impact comparable to that of the electron band-gap engineering, which brought a revolution to the electronic and optoelectronic industries. The methods developed under this project will be transferred to semiconductor industry. In addition, this interdisciplinary research will help in building a strong nanotechnology educational program in UC-Riverside, the minority serving institution, with the largest minority student population of all 10 University of California campuses.