CAREER:Electro-Optical Logic Gates Based on Perovskite Phototransistors

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NontechnicalThe PI will investigate opto-electronic circuits based on a new class of materials, metal halide perovskites. These materials are semiconductors like silicon, but they can be solution processed at low temperatures. Their electronic and optical properties can also be chemically tuned. The combination of low cost processing and wide variety has led to intense studies of these materials for devices such as solar cells and light emitting diodes. However, they have been scarcely considered to-date for opto-electronic circuits. The opto-electronic properties of perovskites will be studied, and they will be used to make proof-of-principle devices such as phototransistors. These devices will be incorporated into next-generation electronic circuits for applications such as differential amplifiers and optical sensors. They even have promise for neuromorphic circuits inspired by biological nervous systems. The PI will create and distribute videos related to this research via a YouTube channel as a part of this integrated research-education project. The PI will also develop stereoscopic videos compatible with virtual-reality (VR) headsets based on either 3D-rendered environments such as the inside a molecule or filmed in the laboratory. Web-based and desktop interactive 3D teaching applications compatible with VR headsets for education and research are also planned.TechnicalDespite being intensely studied for applications in solar cells and light emitting diodes, metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have to-date scarcely considered for information-processing applications, such as transistors and logic gates. Their high carrier mobility and strong, tunable, absorption properties make them ideal candidates for opto-electronic logic gates. While 2-terminal photodiodes have been employed as optical sensors in many applications, the authors here will restrict detection and amplification to a single device: a three-terminal phototransistor. Despite being poorly understood, phototransistors can potentially detect and process optical signals in a single circuit element, possess a responsivity tunable through the voltage applied to the third (gate) terminal, and can be employed in differential amplifiers. Within this project, the team will undertake a broad set of research activates concerning the optimization and study of MHPs for application in thin-film electronics; in particular, for implementation in phototransistor-based optical NOT gates. Reproducible and predictable MHP-based phototransistors will enable a range of novel devices such as differential amplifiers, mechanically flexible devices, optical polarization sensors, and neuromorphic light sensors. As part of this integrated research-education project, the PI will disseminate videos on topics related to this program of research via a YouTube channel. The PI will also develop and disseminate stereoscopic videos compatible with virtual-reality (VR) headsets based on either 3D-rendered environments (e.g. inside molecules), or filmed inside laboratories / classrooms. Additionally, web-based and desktop interactive 3D teaching applications compatible with VR headsets for education and research will be developed.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.