CAREER: Integrated Research and Education on Hot Carrier Effects in Plasmonics

这一职业奖由电子、通信和网络系统(ECCS)部门的电子、光子学和磁性设备计划(EPMD)和材料研究(DMR)部门的电子和光子材料计划(EPM)共同资助。非技术：几乎所有的现代技术，从手机、照相机到医学传感器，都涉及光与电子电路的相互作用，以执行特定的功能。当光被这种设备吸收时，它可以产生能量超过执行所需功能所需的电子，即所谓的热电子，通常会将这种能量以热的形式耗散，导致功率损失和设备效率低下。该项目的第一个目标是促进对这些热电子的理解，这将使设备具有前所未有的功能和性能，可以应用于具有全球重要性的问题，如太阳能发电、无线通信等。该项目的第二个目标是通过创建一套在线学习工具，将研究整合到教育中，以广泛传播替代能源的想法和技术。与这些在线资源相结合，该计划将通过公共宣传和对研究生、本科生和高中生的指导，向包括普通社区在内的广泛受众提供教育支持。技术：欧姆损耗是高效率等离子体器件的主要障碍之一，因为激发载流子在金属内的能量耗散。一种类似的效应，即所谓的热化，也限制了太阳能设备的光伏效率。因此，了解和缓解下一代光电子器件中的这些不同的损耗机制是很重要的。通过这个项目，PI将研究能够在散热发生之前产生和提取这些载流子的制造结构的光电特性。这些研究将包括光吸收、载流子产生和收集，以及材料和表面界面工程，以改变势垒高度，导致对等离子体纳米结构中热电子过程如何工作的新理解。这一知识将被应用于一类基于热载流子的新型等离子体激元装置，这种装置能够同时控制光学和电学性质。

Abstract This CAREER award is jointly funded by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices Program (EPMD) in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and by the Electronic and Photonic Materials Program (EPM) in the Division of Materials Research (DMR).NonTechnical: Nearly all modern technology, from cell phones and cameras to medical sensors, involves the interaction of light with electronic circuitry in order to perform specific functions. When light is absorbed in such a device, it can create electrons with more energy than needed to execute the desired function, so-called hot-electrons, which generally dissipate this energy as heat, resulting in power loss and device inefficiency. The first goal of this project is to advance the understanding of these hot-electrons, which will enable devices with unprecedented functionality and performance that can be applied to problems of global importance, e.g. solar energy generation, wireless communication, etc. The second goal of this project is to integrate the research into education by creating a suite of online learning tools for widespread dissemination of ideas and techniques in alternative energy. In conjunction with these online resources, this program will provide educational support to a wide range of audiences including the general community through public outreach and the mentoring of graduate, undergraduate and high school students.Technical: Ohmic loss is one of the major hindrances to high efficiency plasmonic devices due to energy dissipation of excited charge carriers within the metal. A similar effect, known as thermalization, also limits photovoltaic efficiency in solar energy devices. It is thus important to understand and mitigate these various loss mechanisms in next-generation optoelectronic devices. Through this program the PI will investigate the optoelectronic properties of fabricated structures capable of generating and extracting these carriers before heat dissipation occurs. These studies will encompass light absorption, carrier generation and collection, as well as material and surface interface engineering to modify energy barrier heights, leading to a new understanding of how hot electronic processes work in plasmonic nanostructures. This knowledge will be applied to a novel class of plasmonic devices based on hot carriers, which enable simultaneous control of optical and electronic properties.