Collaborative Research: DMREF: Transforming Photonics and Electronics with Digital Alloy Materials

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Non-technical Description: Materials have been defining human life from the stone age to the current information age. In particular, research in the fields of semiconductor science and electromagnetism underpins the explosive growth of computing, communications, and imaging that affect almost every aspect of modern human life. In this project, the interdisciplinary team of scientists working in the fields of physics, materials science, electromagnetism, scientific computing, and engineering will develop a new material platform that can potentially enable new sources, detectors, and processors of mid-infrared light. The team will utilize the ability to grow crystalline materials one atomic layer at a time to controllably combine dissimilar atoms together, with a goal of simultaneously engineering both electronic and optical properties of the resulting “digital alloys” to dramatically enhance the interaction between slow-but-compact electrons and fast-but-extended photons. The project will promote the development of next-generation leaders of the technical workforce, both through direct training of students and creation of “bite-sized” videos explaining the inner workings of materials science research. A collaboration between the team and AFRL researchers will explore applications of the developed materials in practical devices. Technical Description: The interdisciplinary team of researchers from four institutions working in the fields of materials science, physics, electromagnetism, scientific computing, and engineering will develop a new materials platform for strongly enhancing light-matter interaction in the important mid-infrared frequency range. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a class of materials whose electronic and optical response can be designed in a cohesive manner; in particular, simultaneously stretching out electronic wavefunctions and confining optical fields will address the fundamental length-scale mismatch between nano-electronics and diffraction-limited light. In the course of the project, the team will aim to develop new approach to design strongly nonlinear optical and optoelectronic materials. The theory side of the project will combine the expertise from analytical solid-state-physics, computational electromagnetism, and first-principles materials science. The experimental part of the research will utilize epitaxial growth of digital alloys, spectroscopy, and a variety of optical and electronic characterization techniques. The research will provide unmatched opportunities for the interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as a host of other outreach and educational activities aiming to improve the science pipeline.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.