CAREER: Quantum Transport in Ultrafast Nanoscale Devices

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The objective of this research program is the development and computational implementation of a novel formalism in the electronic transport theory, which will enable an adequate description of the transient regime in nanometer-size semiconductor devices. For devices operating at THz speed, the transient response is governed by the build-up and destruction of many-particle correlations between the carriers in the contacts and those in the active region. This makes the device a theoretically challenging dynamically open many-particle system. Intellectual merit:The approach taken in this research program is to extend a formalism traditionally used in quantum information theory for very small open systems, make a bridge to the powerful formalism of nonequilibrium Greens functions, and then use the modified Greens functions as a new, fully quantum-mechanical kernel for the time-resolved simulation on the nanoscale. In addition, this research program will open a window into exploiting the fast multi-electron phenomena for device applications. The technique will also likely have an impact on other areas of science and technology in which there is interest in open systems (e.g., quantum information) and initial correlations (e.g., plasma physics).Broader impact of this career development plan will be educational, scientific, and technological. Virtual Nanoelectronics Lab (VNL), a web-based educational tool containing applets, course materials, instructional videos, and custom-made software will be developed and used as part of the graduate level courses in solid state electronics and transport at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Research opportunities for high-school teachers and undergraduates from underrepresented groups will be provided.