GOALI: Engineered photonic structures with extreme energy density for single particle studies

微电子芯片的能力目前决定了许多现代技术的终极性能，包括手机、笔记本电脑和云计算。将光与电结合在一个芯片上被认为是提高计算速度和降低功率预算的一种很有前途的方法。该项目旨在研究一种新的片上硅结构，能够将光集中到具有极高能量密度的纳米体积中。这一创新可以允许低输入功率的光以高得多的有效功率在本地运行，以实现超低功率、超高速的片上信息处理。该项目将开展的基础工作包括开发新的片上硅结构，以便能够使用芯片上的单个二氧化钒纳米粒子来研究光的“关闭”和“打开”，以及测量芯片上的单个量子点的发射。这两种现象以前都没有在微电子兼容的芯片上表现出来，它们的实现可能会导致芯片上能力的显著扩展，以用于更高性能的现代技术。GlobalFoundries的世界级制造设施将在单个硅芯片上单片集成电子和光学元件，将用于该项目。范德比尔特大学学生组成的多元化团队将与GlobalFoundries的工业研究人员合作，在纳米技术、工程、物理和材料科学的交叉点进行尖端研究。教师和研究生将与田纳西州中部的初中生分享他们对STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)的热情。技术：扩展微电子芯片的能力可能是现代技术继续提高性能的关键。这项研究的目的是研究集成在硅光电子芯片上的单个粒子中的基本光-物质相互作用，以探索芯片上光调制和发射的可能极限。为了实现这一目标，具有极高能量密度的硅蝴蝶结光子晶体将被用来提供一个平台，通过该平台可以以直接的方式监测单个粒子的性质。在模拟的指导下，该项目将利用相对较低的输入功率来测量(1)单颗粒二氧化钒纳米颗粒的相变特性和(2)硅芯片上单个量子点的发射。拟议活动的智力意义包括：(A)确定单位体积二氧化钒的最终开关速度和阈值能量密度，以阐明这种相变材料在T比特每秒光学调制器中的应用前景；(B)研究通过嵌入极高能量密度的硅弓形光子晶体腔中的单个量子点实现光致发光强度和自发辐射速率增强的极限；以及(C)首次展示具有可定制的单位晶胞几何形状的光子晶体在单片多项目晶片平台上的集成。该项目将培训参与项目的学生在光学科学与工程、硅光子学、材料科学和先进计算技术方面，并将给予他们与工业研究人员一起工作的经验。项目成员将通过参与范德比尔特已有的成功项目，面向纳什维尔大都会和田纳西州周边乡村的初中生和高中生开展科技推广活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The capabilities of microelectronic chips currently dictate the ultimate performance of many modern technologies, including cell phones, laptops, and cloud computers. Incorporating light alongside electricity on a chip is recognized as a promising approach for increasing computation speed and reducing the power budget. This project aims to investigate a new on-chip silicon structure capable of concentrating light into nanoscale volumes with extremely high energy density. This innovation could allow light with low input power to locally operate with a much higher effective power for ultra-low power, ultra-high speed on-chip information processing. The fundamental work to be undertaken in this project includes exploiting the new on-chip silicon structure to enable the investigation of turning light "off" and "on" using a single vanadium dioxide nanoparticle on a chip, and measuring the emission from a single quantum dot on a chip. Neither of these phenomena has been previously demonstrated on a microelectronic-compatible chip and their realization could lead to significantly expanded on-chip capabilities to be leveraged for higher performance modern technologies. The world-class fabrication facilities at GlobalFoundries that monolithically integrates electrical and optical components on a single silicon chip will be utilized for this project. The diverse team of participating Vanderbilt students will do cutting-edge research at the intersection of nanotechnology, engineering, physics, and materials science in collaboration with industrial researchers at GlobalFoundries. Faculty and graduate students will share their enthusiasm for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with middle and high school students in middle Tennessee. Technical: Expanding the capabilities of microelectronic chips likely holds the key to continued performance improvement of modern technology. The objective of this research is to study fundamental light-matter interaction in single particles that are integrated onto a silicon photonics chip to probe the limits of what is possible for on-chip light modulation and emission. To achieve this objective, silicon bowtie photonic crystals with extreme energy density will be utilized to provide a platform by which properties of single particles can be monitored in a straightforward manner. Guided by simulations, this project will utilize relatively low input power to measure (1) the phase change properties of a single grain vanadium dioxide nanoparticle and (2) emission from a single quantum dot on a silicon chip. The intellectual significance of the proposed activities includes: (a) determination of the ultimate switching speed and threshold energy density per unit volume of vanadium dioxide to elucidate the prospects of this phase change material for terabit per second optical modulators; (b) investigation of the limits of photoluminescence intensity and spontaneous emission rate enhancement achievable from a single quantum dot embedded in the extremely high energy density silicon bowtie photonic crystal cavity; and (c) demonstration of the integration of photonic crystals with customizable unit cell geometries on a monolithic multi-project wafer platform for the first time. This project will train participating students in optical science and engineering, silicon photonics, materials science, and advanced computational techniques, and will give them experience working alongside industrial researchers. Project members will engage in science and technology outreach targeting middle and high school students in both Metro Nashville and surrounding rural Tennessee counties by participating in successful programs already well-established at Vanderbilt.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.