DMREF: III-nitride Monolayers and Extreme Quantum Dots

非技术描述该项目将通过创建一种新的纳米量子材料(NQM)家族来服务于材料基因组计划，这些材料被限制在几个原子中。该研究将与桑迪亚国家实验室和空军研究实验室合作，通过使用最精确的量子理论来设计nQM的量子光电性质，建立一个具有独特量子功能的nQM平台。NQM将建立一个独特的可控相互作用的半导体量子比特平台，这是量子信息科学应用所需的，包括控制二维(2D)材料中的多体状态的可能性。该项目将开发具有最先进的生长和计量设施的有序极端量子点(XQD)阵列。这些研究突破有可能显著提高基于AlGaN的深紫外光LED的效率。这将创造急需的技术，在水和空气净化以及杀菌中取代传统的汞灯，从而消除汞排放并显著减少电力消耗。这项研究的高度跨学科性质和具有吸引力的潜在社会影响将被用来鼓励代表人数不足的少数群体和妇女在科学和工程领域从事职业。同时，这项研究将为本科生参与前沿研究提供机会。该项目将通过密歇根大学广受欢迎的“周六早晨物理”系列公开讲座，向更广泛的公众提供量子科学和技术方面的教育。技术说明集中理论-外延-表征-量子光电子学的合作研究将发展一种系统的量子理论，集成密度泛函理论、多体微扰理论和量子动态团簇展开等三种第一性原理方法，精确预测和确定III-氮化物量子纳米结构的电子、光学、激子和纠缠性质。无序和光谱扩散的存在，以及困扰传统量子点的有害效应，将通过i)确定性地在hBN上生长和定位XQD来解决，其原子光滑的表面消除了任何界面互扩散和无序，以及ii)产生具有良好排列的偶极和发射波长的界面激子，其发射波长主要由hBN/AlN的本征能带排列决定。XQD量子比特中确定的激子位置、大小和类型的组合为调整量子光发射以及量子比特-量子比特和XQD-2D激子相互作用提供了新的灵活性。这项研究将结合深紫外光时间分辨光致发光光谱和差示透射谱，展示可控的XQD-XQD耦合以及室温下直接和间接激子、双激子和液滴的可控形成。实现可控的量子比特与III-氮化物nQM的相互作用，将在一个具有已知和公认的工业级可伸缩性的通用半导体平台上建立纠缠的检测、来源和处理。此外，nQMS平台的潜力将通过向非凡的量子光电子器件迈出关键步骤来展示，包括深紫外光发射器和耦合XQD系统。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。

Nontechnical DescriptionThe project will serve the Materials Genome Initiative by creating a new family of nano-quantum materials (nQMs) that are confined down to a few atoms. In partnership with Sandia National Labs and Air Force Research Lab, the research will establish a nQM platform with unique quantum functionalities by using the most accurate quantum theory to design the quantum optoelectronic properties of nQMs. The nQMs will establish a unique controllably interacting semiconductor qubit platform needed for quantum information science application, including the possibility to control many-body states in two-dimensional (2D) materials. The project will develop ordered extreme quantum dots (XQD) arrays with state-of-the-art growth and metrology facilities. The research breakthroughs have the potential to dramatically enhance the efficiency AlGaN-based deep UV LEDs. This would create the much-needed technology for replacing conventional mercury lamps in water and air purification as well as sterilization, thereby eliminating mercury emissions and significantly reducing electricity consumption. The highly interdisciplinary nature and the appealing potential social impacts of the research will be leveraged to encourage underrepresented minorities and women in careers in science and engineering. At the same time, the research will provide opportunity to involve undergraduate students in frontier research. Through the popular “Saturday Morning Physics” public lecture series at the University of Michigan, the project will educate the broader public on quantum science and technology.Technical DescriptionThe focused theory-epitaxy-characterization-quantum optoelectronics collaborative research will develop a systematic quantum theory that integrates three first-principles methods, including Density-Functional Theory, Many-Body Perturbation Theory, and Quantum-Dynamic Cluster Expansion, to precisely predict and determine the electronic, optical, excitonic, and entanglement properties of III-nitride quantum nanostructures. The presence of disorder and spectral diffusion, deleterious effects that plague conventional quantum dots, will be addressed by i) deterministically growing and positioning XQDs on hBN whose atomically smooth surface eliminates any interface interdiffusion and disorder, and ii) creating interface excitons with well-aligned dipole and with emission wavelengths largely determined by the intrinsic band alignment of hBN/AlN. The combination of deterministic position, size, and type of excitons within XQD qubits provides a new level of flexibility to adjust quantum-light emission as well as qubit–qubit and XQD–2D exciton interactions by orders of magnitude. The research will combine deep-UV time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy and differential transmission spectroscopy to demonstrate controllable XQD–XQD coupling as well as the controlled formation of direct and indirect excitons, biexcitons, and dropletons at room temperature. The realization of controllably interacting qubits with III-nitride nQMs will establish the detection, source, and processing of entanglement on a common semiconductor platform that has a known and established industrial-level scalability. Furthermore, the potential of the nQMs platform will be demonstrated by taking key steps toward extraordinary quantum optoelectronic devices, including deep UV light emitters and coupled XQD systems.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.