Strong Heat Localization in Nanomaterials for Vacuum Nanoelectronics

这项拟议的研究计划旨在阐明“热陷”效应的物理原理--这是在我的实验室发现的--并将其作为一项基础技术，在可再生能源转换和电子产品中有多种有前途的应用。这种现象的显著特征是热在某些纳米结构的导体中保持非常强烈的局域化，使得创造强大的新的热离子和热电(T/T)器件的新范例成为可能。*热陷阱潜在地解决了T/T转换的根本挑战：最大限度地减少热流，同时允许电子自由流动。克服这一挑战将提高T/T设备的性能并降低成本，使其能够扩展到小众应用之外，并在大规模发电中发挥核心作用。*这一开创性工作迅速将我的研究小组推向热电子学复兴领域的前沿。它已经导致了18次在著名的国际学术和工业场所的应邀演讲，以及与马克斯·普朗克研究所、斯坦福大学和国家研究委员会的合作，更多的合作正在计划中。最近，我应邀作为NASA热电子学研讨会的15名参与者之一，为该领域的未来奠定了基础，并主持了其中一次会议，并被选为第29届国际真空纳米电子学会议的主席。*拟议的研究计划包括一项系统的调查，以揭示热陷效应涉及的物理机制。为了能够在五大类应用中利用这种效应，需要了解这一点：*1)热电/热电转换器，以经济高效地收集余热和阳光；*2)紧凑且极其便宜的电子显微镜，使公众能够广泛获得极高分辨率的成像；*3)用于超高速电子设备的微型真空管；*4)用于成像和传感的宽带辐射探测器；*5)利用废热进行信息处理的未来声子电路。*我们正在通过单独的、有针对性的资金来源并与行业合作伙伴合作，开发其中的几种应用。拟议的探索资助计划旨在回答所有这些应用程序所依赖的基本问题，并为它们的成功和快速发展奠定基础。该计划将为加拿大带来与先进技术和清洁能源相关的重大社会经济和环境效益。该计划还将提供一个理想的环境，以吸引、培训、激励和留住越来越多寻求了解和利用纳米材料革命性特性的年轻科学家和工程师网络。

The proposed research program aims to elucidate the physics of the “Heat Trap” effect – which was discovered in my laboratory – and establish it as a foundational technology for multiple promising applications in renewable energy conversion and electronics. The remarkable feature of this phenomenon is that heat remains very strongly localized in certain nanostructured conductors, enabling new paradigms for creating powerful new thermionic and thermoelectric (T/T) devices.******Heat Trap potentially solves the fundamental challenge of T/T conversion: minimizing heat flow while allowing electrons to flow freely. Overcoming this challenge will enhance the performance and reduce the cost of T/T devices, enabling them to expand beyond niche applications and play a central role in large-scale electricity generation.******This groundbreaking work has rapidly propelled my research group to the forefront of the renascent field of thermionics. It has led to 18 invited talks at prestigious international academic and industrial venues as well as collaborations with the Max Planck Institute, Stanford University and the National Research Council, with more being planned. I was recently invited as one of around 15 participants in NASA's Thermionics workshop to set the stage for the future of the field, and led one of the sessions, and was selected as Chair of the 29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference.******The proposed research program consists of a systematic investigation to unravel the physical mechanisms involved in the Heat Trap effect. This understanding is required in order to be able to exploit this effect for applications, which fit into five broad categories:******1) Thermionic/thermoelectric converters for cost-effective harvesting of waste heat and sunlight;***2) Compact and extremely inexpensive electron microscopes to make very-high-resolution imaging broadly accessible to the general public;***3) Micro vacuum tubes for ultra-high-speed electronics;***4) Broadband radiation detectors for imaging and sensing;***5) Future phononic circuits that exploit waste heat for information processing.******We are pursuing several of these applications with separate, targeted sources of funding and in collaboration with industrial partners. The proposed Discovery Grant program aims to answer fundamental questions that all of these applications depend on, and create a foundation to enable their successful and rapid progress. The program will lead to significant socio-economic and environmental benefits for Canada, associated with advanced technologies and clean energy. The program will also provide an ideal environment to attract, train, inspire, and retain a growing network of young scientists and engineers seeking to understand and exploit the revolutionary properties of nanomaterials.*****