CAREER: Creating Confined-but-Coupled Nanostructures to Balance Quantum Confinement and Quantum Coupling

该奖项由材料研究部的电子与光子材料计划（EPM）和固态与材料化学计划（SSMC）共同资助。技术：该职业奖的研究部分是研究具有多维控制连接的半导体纳米结构，以平衡量子限制和量子耦合。该研究项目的概念框架是基于原子晶体和纳米晶体组件作为人工固体之间的类比。该研究建立在人工原子（纳米晶体）能级的独立控制、人工键（分子连接体）之间的量子耦合以及人工晶体（超晶格）的对称性方面的最新进展之上。该项目旨在显著提高对耦合纳米晶体组件中可调谐扩展电子态的认识和理解。研究了纳米晶间分离的压力调谐、纳米结构间永久人工键的形成以及半导体纳米结构的加工-结构-性能关系。本研究的总体目标是：(1)绘制封闭但连接的半导体纳米结构的电子相图，并对系统的无序和耦合进行精确的实验控制；(2)通过设计将对相关特性的理解应用于具有电子和光学特性的人造固体的创建中；(3)通过开发和测试原型光伏测试结构，将基本理解转化为技术现实。非技术：该项目涉及材料科学主题领域的基础研究问题，具有高技术相关性。本项目所研究的纳米结构半导体材料在下一代能源技术中具有潜在的应用前景。CAREER项目的教育活动旨在：(1)整合从高中到本科课程和项目，再到研究生院的研究前沿和学生教育的成果；(2)激发学生对迫在眉睫的能源问题的热情和参与，鼓励他们作为下一代科学家和工程师的未来贡献。

This CAREER award is jointly funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials Program (EPM) and the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program (SSMC), both in the Division of Materials Research.Technical: The research component of this CAREER award is to study semiconductor nanostructures with controlled connections in multiple dimensions that balance quantum confinement and quantum coupling. The conceptual framework underlying the research project is based on analogies between atomic crystals and nanocrystal assemblies as artificial solids. The research builds on recent advances in independent controls of the energy level of the artificial atom (nanocrystal), the quantum coupling across the artificial bond (molecular linker), and the symmetry of the artificial crystal (superlattice). The project aims to significantly advance knowledge and understanding of tunable extended electronic states in coupled nanocrystal assemblies. It studies pressure tuning of inter-nanocrystal separation, formation of permanent artificial bonds between nanostructures, and processing-structure-property relationships of semiconductor nanostructures. The overall objectives of the research are to: (1) map the electronic phase diagram of confined-but-connected semiconductor nanostructures with precise experimental control over the disorder and coupling of the system; (2) apply the understanding of correlated properties in the creation of artificial solids with electronic and optical properties by design, and (3) transform the fundamental understanding into a technological reality by developing and testing prototype photovoltaic test structures.Non-technical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science with high technological relevance. The nanostructured semiconductor materials studied in this project have potential applications in next-generation energy technologies. The educational activities of this CAREER project are designed to: (1) integrate results from the research frontier and education of students ranging from high school, to undergraduate courses and projects, and to graduate school, and (2) capture the enthusiasm and engagement of students in impending energy issues, encouraging their future contributions as the next generation of scientist and engineers.