Spatially Resolved Optoelectronics of Strongly Correlated Nanostructures and Mott Transistors

技术描述：该研究项目旨在加深我们对强关联纳米结构的光电性质的理解，并开发包含二氧化钒纳米管的Mott晶体管。该项目旨在建立二氧化钒纳米棒中绝缘相和金属相中能带排列和载流子动力学的清晰物理图像。扫描光电流显微镜(SPCM)的应用提供了空间分辨光电流图，从中可以提取局部电场分布和电荷载流子扩散长度。利用高效的电化学门控，PI还开发了Mott晶体管，这种晶体管利用亚100飞秒的相变进行信息处理。SPCM是识别栅感金属层和研究相关界面结的独特工具。非技术描述：强关联材料不仅是研究凝聚态物理的迷人试验台，而且在智能窗、超快光学快门和Mott晶体管方面具有很高的应用潜力，Mott晶体管是一种运行速度非常快、能耗非常低的新型晶体管。对二氧化钒纳米棒的空间分辨光电研究可以为更好地理解金属-绝缘体转变和超快Mott晶体管的发展提供关键信息。该项目涉及一项外联努力，包括定期举办纳米技术研讨会，重点放在加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托和戴维斯低收入地区的K-12公立学校。PI将强相关纳米结构的研究主题纳入了一门新的跨学科课程。

Technical Description: This research project aims to enhance our understanding of the optoelectronic properties of strongly correlated nanostructures and to develop Mott transistors incorporating vanadium dioxide nanobeams. The project is to establish a clear physical picture of energy band alignment and carrier dynamics in the insulating and metallic phases in vanadium dioxide nanobeams. The application of scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) offers spatially resolved photocurrent mapping, from which local electric field distribution and charge carrier diffusion length can be extracted. Using efficient electrochemical gating, the PI also develops Mott transistors, which take advantage of the sub-100-femtosecond phase transition for information processing. SPCM is a unique tool for identifying the gate-induced metallic layer and studying the associated interfacial junction.Non-Technical Description: Strongly correlated materials are not only fascinating test beds for studying condensed matter physics but also have high application potential for smart windows, ultrafast optical shutters, and Mott transistors, a new type of transistors with very fast operation speeds and very low energy consumption. The spatially resolved optoelectronic investigation of vanadium dioxide nanobeams can provide key information for better understanding of the metal-insulator transitions and the development of ultrafast Mott transistors. The project involves an outreach endeavor including regular seminars on nanotechnology with a focus on K-12 public schools in low-income areas of Sacramento and Davis, California. The PI incorporates the research topics on strongly correlated nanostructures into a new interdisciplinary course.