RUI: Electronic Properties of Semiconductors from Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy

*非技术摘要*随着计算机和其他电子设备变得越来越快，了解半导体和其他电子材料中的电流在时间尺度上的流动变得越来越重要。这笔拨款将支持本科生机构麦卡拉斯特学院的一个超快光学和半导体物理研究项目。飞秒光脉冲将被用来激发半导体中的电流突发，通过记录脉冲发出的“光”来研究电流脉冲的时间演化。其目标是在与电子技术发展相关的时间尺度上测量一系列半导体和半导体结构的电学性质。该项目还将为Macalester学院的本科生提供光子学和实验凝聚态物理方面的实践培训。*技术摘要*这笔赠款将支持Macalester学院在超快光学和半导体物理方面的研究。随着电子器件的开关频率越来越高，在皮秒和飞秒的时间尺度上理解半导体中的载流子输运现象变得越来越重要。利用超快太赫兹光谱学，可以用飞秒光脉冲或单周期电磁脉冲脉冲激励半导体，并及时记录产生的电荷运动。这些技术将被用来研究一系列半导体材料和异质结中的光激载流子的迁移率和导电性，这些时间尺度将与未来的器件相关。该项目还将为Macalester学院的本科生研究助理提供光子学和实验凝聚态物理方面的实践培训。

*****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT*****As computers and other electronic devices become ever faster, it becomes increasingly important to understand the flow of electrical current in semiconductors and other electronic materials on time-scales shorter than a trillionth of a second. This grant will support a research project in ultrafast optics and semiconductor physics at Macalaster College, an undergraduate institution. Femtosecond light pulses will be used to excite bursts of current in semiconductors, the evolution of the current pulses in time will be studied by recording the "light" the pulses emit. The goal is to measure the electrical properties of a range of semiconductors and semiconductor structures on time scales that will be relevant to the development of electronic technology. The project will also provide undergraduates at Macalester College with hands-on training in Photonics and experimental Condensed Matter Physics. ***** TECHNICAL ABSTRACT*****This grant will support research in ultrafast optics and semiconductor physics at Macalester College. As switching rates in electronic devices are pushed to ever higher frequencies, it becomes increasingly important to understand carrier transport phenomena in semiconductors on picosecond and femtosecond time-scales. Using ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy it is possible to impulsively excite a semiconductor with a femtosecond optical pulse or single-cycle electromagnetic pulse, and record the resulting motion of charge in time. These techniques will be used to investigate the mobility and conductivity of photoexcited carriers in a range of semiconductor materials and heterostructures on time-scales that will be relevant to future devices. The project will also provide undergraduate research assistants at Macalester College with hands-on training in Photonics and experimental Condensed Matter Physics.