Collaborative Research: Strain Based Devices for Switches and Memory Applications

翻译后摘要：非技术：在过去的十年中，已经看到了巨大的进步，在实现新的材料类具有独特的性能，如拓扑绝缘体和相变材料。该提案旨在利用这些新材料类别的特性来构建新一代基于应变的设备。器件的应变控制还处于起步阶段，理论预测很多，实验工作很少。此外，许多应变诱导相变的预测还有待检验。我们在制造应变和门控器件方面的成功将使我们能够将体能带结构和传输特性调整到金属和绝缘状态，从而为未来的应变电子器件奠定基础。在拓扑材料中，我们能够实现从绝缘到金属的可逆相变的条件将为这些系统的理论理解提供重要信息。实现，表征和测量应变可调系统将使我们能够理解和探索应变相关材料的应用特性，如光和电存储设备，固态显示器，光子存储器，等离子体基电路，光调制器和计算。参与该项目的本科生，研究生和博士后将接受当今研究前沿材料和仪器的培训。该项目的成功将增强妇女在物理学领域的研究经验。许多在PI实验室工作的本科生、研究生和博士后都来自代表性不足的群体。PI的综合推广和教育活动将使有才华的高中生接触到前沿研究。技术：拓扑绝缘体、拓扑晶体绝缘体和过渡金属二硫属化物的独特性质，以及它们通过应变和掺杂的潜在可调谐性，使它们在未来的应用中非常有吸引力。然而，我们利用这种新一代材料的非凡特性的能力在很大程度上取决于我们操纵其电子特性的能力。虽然已经提出了一系列潜在的设备，但到目前为止实现的很少。这个合作研究项目描述了PI计划研究不同的途径，使用应变来控制狄拉克表面状态和相变材料。为了实现这一目标，PI将联合收割机将其在这些材料类别中的大量专业知识与先进的测量技术相结合。该项目的成功取决于分子束外延薄膜生长，使用低温扫描隧道显微镜表征，自旋和电荷输运测量之间的紧密反馈回路。将生长3D拓扑绝缘体、拓扑晶体绝缘体和相变材料的薄膜，并使用一系列探针进行表征，包括扫描隧道显微镜、X射线散射和原子力显微镜。用于传输测量的应变装置将使用薄膜以及剥落的薄片。我们的目标是通过降低维度和应变来创建具有针对设备应用定制的特定属性的材料。

Abstract:Non-Technical:The last decade has seen tremendous advances in the realization of new materials classes with unique properties such as topological insulators and phase change materials. This proposal seeks to harness the properties of these new materials classes to build a new generation of strain-based devices. Strain control of devices is at the beginning stages with many theoretical predictions and little experimental work. Moreover, much of the predictions of strain induced phase transitions are yet to be tested. Our success in creating strain and gated devices will allow us to tune bulk band structure and transport properties into metallic and insulating regimes thereby creating the basis for future straintronic devices. The conditions under which we are able to realize reversible phase transitions from insulating to metallic in topological materials will provide important information for the theoretical understanding of these systems. Realizing, characterizing, and measuring strain tunable systems will allow us to understand and explore strain dependent materials properties for applications such as optical and electrical storage devices, solid-state displays, photonic memories, plasmonic-based circuits, optical modulators, and computing. Undergraduates, graduate students and post-docs involved in this project will be trained on materials and instruments at the forefront of today's research. The success of the project will enhance research experience for women in physics. Many of the undergraduates, graduate students and post-docs working in the PIs' labs are from under represented groups. The PI's integrated outreach and education activities will expose talented high school students to cutting edge research.Technical:The unique properties of topological insulators, topological crystalline insulators, and transition metal dichalcogenides, as well as their potential tunability by strain and doping make them very attractive for future applications. Our ability to harness the extraordinary properties of this new generation of materials however depends heavily on our ability to manipulate their electronic properties. While a whole host of potential devices have been proposed, very few have been realized so far. This collaborative research project describes the PIs plans to investigate different avenues to use strain to control Dirac surfaces states and phase change materials. To achieve this, the PIs will combine their considerable expertise in these materials classes with advanced measurement techniques. The success of the project hinges on a tight feedback loop between molecular beam epitaxy thin film growth, characterization using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, and spin and charge transport measurements. Thin films of 3D topological insulators, topological crystalline insulators and phase change materials will be grown characterized with a range of probes including scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy. Strain devices for transport measurements will be made using both thin films as well as exfoliated flakes. The goal is to create materials with specific properties tailored for device applications through reduced dimensionality and strain.