On-chip colloidal quantum dot devices for near-infrared optoelectronics

胶体量子点（CQDs）是溶液处理的半导体，其能级可以通过改变胶体量子点的大小来改变。CQD掺杂材料和强耦合CQD薄膜被用于各种光电子器件，包括发光二极管（led）、激光器、光电探测器和太阳能电池。虽然CQD光电子技术具有光明的未来，但高性能的CQD光电子器件需要在器件中具有优异电子性能（例如电子迁移率）的CQD薄膜，并针对每种应用优化器件架构。因此，开发用于光电子学的CQD器件的研究问题是复杂而具有挑战性的，需要大量的创新和独创性来改进CQD薄膜和设计CQD集成器件。******近红外（NIR）光的产生和检测有许多应用，如光通信、医学成像、夜视相机、高光谱传感、自动驾驶汽车的激光雷达。此外，还需要将光子器件单片集成到CMOS电子电路（硅片）上。为了解决这些重要的应用，主要的研究目标是：1)开发高电子/空穴迁移率的CQD薄膜和可以在硅片上生产这种薄膜的CQD油墨；2)通过将CQDs集成到硅片上，演示快速近红外光电探测器和近红外图像传感器；3)利用蓝色led实现光抽运近红外连续波CQD激光器。该计划包括研究和培训学生CQD合成和薄膜加工，器件建模，CQD光电探测器和激光器的制造和表征，以及CQD在硅芯片上的集成。它将使CQDs成为集成硅光子电路中光源和光电探测器的未来材料。******提出的研究计划目标是光电子学和微/纳米制造领域的知识进步。对研究领域的新颖性和预期意义包括：它将解决开发具有优异电子性能的CQD薄膜的主要挑战；它将使用CQD片上技术提供新的CQD器件架构；最后，它将使高性能CQD器件用于近红外光电子学。在过去的十年中，加拿大光电子产业受益于全球光电子市场的强劲增长，因为该国在光电子研发方面处于领先地位。现在，由于安全应用和数据中心光学系统的需求增加，以及农业、采矿和自动驾驶汽车的高光谱成像新市场，预计对红外图像传感器和激光器的需求将不断增长。拟议的工作将有助于加拿大确保其在低成本和高性能近红外光电器件的光子研发方面的领导地位。

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are solution-processed semiconductors that their energy levels can be altered by changing CQD sizes. CQD doped materials and strongly coupled CQD films are reported for various optoelectronic devices, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, photodetectors and solar cells. While CQD optoelectronics have a bright future, high-performance CQD optoelectronic devices requires CQD films with superior electronic properties (e.g. electron mobility) in the devices and an optimized device architecture for each application. Thus, the research problems of developing CQD devices for optoelectronics are complex and challenging, requiring a great deal of innovation and originality to improve CQD films and engineer CQD-integrated devices.******Near-infrared (NIR) light generation and detection have many applications, such as optical communications, medical imaging, night vision cameras, hyperspectral sensing, LiDAR for self-driving cars. There is also a demand to monolithically integrate photonic devices onto CMOS electronic circuits (Si chips). To tackle these important applications, the main research objectives are to 1) develop high electron/hole mobility CQD films and CQD inks that can produce such films on Si chips; 2) demonstrate fast NIR photodetectors and NIR image sensors by integrating CQDs onto Si chips; 3) achieve optically pumped NIR continuous-wave CQD lasers using blue LEDs. The proposed program covers research and training students on CQD synthesis and film processing, device modeling, fabrication and characterization of CQD photodetectors and lasers, and integration of CQDs on Si chips. It will enable CQDs as future materials for light sources and photodeteoctors in integrated silicon photonic circuits. ******The proposed research program targets knowledge advance in the field of optoelectronics and micro-/nanofabrication. The novelty and expected significance to the research field include: it would address the major challenge of developing CQD films with superior electronic properties; it would provide new CQD device architectures using CQD-on-chip technologies; finally, it would enable high-performance CQD devices for NIR optoelectronics. Over the past decade, Canadian photonics industry has benefited from strong global growth in optoelectronics market for the country's leading role in photonics R&D. Now, growing demand for infrared image sensors and lasers is predicted by increased needs in the security application and optical systems for data centers, as well as new markets from hyperspectral imaging for agriculture, mining and self-driving cars. The proposed works will help Canada to assure its leadership in photonic R&D on low-cost and high-performance NIR optoelectronic devices.