Functional Nitride Nanocrystals for Quantum-Enhanced Technologies

该项目将通过开发新一代掺杂氮化物纳米材料来改变当前先进纳米材料的研究领域，其中它们的量子特性可以控制。这些材料将允许在室温下获得量子特性，从而长期支持量子技术（QTs）的发展。它们也有许多直接的应用（产生量子增强技术），包括ICT设备和生物标志物。在世纪，硅基电子技术的发展彻底改变了世界，成为现代生活背后最普遍的技术。在21世纪世纪，下一个革命性的进步预计将来自量子晶体管的发展。最著名的量子性质是电子的对偶粒子波性质。这种性质在当前技术（例如晶体管）中实际上是有问题的，这些技术依赖于电子表现为粒子，从而允许使用势垒来控制它们。随着这些技术尺寸的减小，这些屏障开始失效，因为电子的波动性质开始发挥作用。在量子阱中，粒子的波动性质将形成功能构建的基本基础，而不是需要克服的问题。额外的量子效应，如“自旋”和使用量子机制，允许粒子之间的相互作用（交换场）提供了进一步的关键属性和现象，这些技术将利用。为了实现这一点，必须开发能够增强和控制这些特性的材料。这可以通过将材料的尺寸减小到与其中电子的波长相当的长度尺度来实现。在实践中，这需要使用纳米材料。迄今为止，最成功的材料是半导体纳米晶体（NC），其性质可以通过简单的尺寸和形状变化来控制。此外，早期的工作表明，通过将磁性掺杂剂引入这些NC，可以观察到丰富的量子行为，包括利用光操纵自旋和磁性的能力。这是唯一一种在室温下表现出这种行为的材料系统，这是任何未来QTs的重要要求。该项目将通过这些和新NC材料的先进开发，直接解决EPSRC新QTs的功能材料和量子物理纳米级设计的物理科学大挑战。使用掺杂，我们将控制NC的光学，电子和磁性特性，并根据我们将进行的详细表征和建模来确定增强它们的策略。此外，我们将通过对氮化物基材料的独家研究，解决工业和生物应用领域的NC吸收问题。这些系统，这还没有被研究的任何细节，提供了一种替代更常见的研究系统，其中包含重金属，如镉和铅。目前的理解，在现有的掺杂NC系统中表现出的量子行为是不完整的，预测和控制性能的能力仍然有限。因此，在我们的工作中，我们将开展一项先进的表征计划，从NC系统中磁相互作用的基础研究，使用高灵敏度的nanoSQUID设备，到设备内NC的合并和研究。对器件中的NC的研究将提供指导和证明进一步开发工作所需的原理证明，这些工作将构成未来量子增强技术的基础。将这个领先的跨学科研究人员和工业合作伙伴团队聚集在一起，以解决当今物理科学家面临的关键挑战，这一连贯和重点突出的计划提供了一个独特的机会，不仅推进该领域，但地方英国在领导方面的质量测试。

This project will transform the current research field of advanced nanoscale materials through developing a new generation of doped nitride nanomaterials in which their quantum properties can be controlled. These materials will allow access to quantum properties at room-temperature enabling and supporting the development of quantum technologies (QTs) in the long term. They also have a number of immediate applications (generating quantum-enhanced technologies) including in ICT devices and as biomarkers.In the 20th century the development of silicon-based electronics revolutionised the world, becoming the most pervasive technology behind modern-day life. In the 21st century the next revolutionary advance is predicted to come from the development of QTs. The most well-known quantum property is the dual particle-wavelike nature of electrons. This property is actually problematic in current technologies (e.g. transistors) which rely on electrons behaving as particles thus allowing them to be controlled using barriers. As these technologies are reduced in size these barriers start to fail as the wavelike properties of electrons come into play.In QTs the wavelike nature of particles will form the essential basis on which functionality is built, rather than being a problem to be overcome. Additional quantum effects such as 'spin' and the use of quantum mechanisms that allow the interaction between particles (exchange fields) provide further key properties and phenomena which these technologies will exploit. To realise this, materials must be developed which allow these properties to be enhanced and controlled. This can be achieved by reducing the size of a material down to a length scale comparable to the wavelength of the electron within it. In practice this requires the use of nanomaterials. The most successful materials developed to date are semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) whose properties may be controlled through simple changes to size and shape.Furthermore early work has shown that by introducing magnetic dopants into these NCs, rich quantum behaviour can be observed including the ability to manipulate spin and magnetic properties using light. These are the only material systems to have shown such behaviour at room temperature, a significant requirement of any future QTs.The project will directly address the EPSRC Physical Science Grand Challenges of Nanoscale Design of Functional Materials and Quantum Physics for New QTs through advanced development of these and new NC materials. Using doping we will control the NC optical, electronic and magnetic properties and determine strategies for enhancing them based on the detailed characterisation and modelling we will undertake. Furthermore, we will address the issue of uptake of NCs by industry and those working in biological applications through exclusive study of nitride based materials. These systems, which have yet to be studied in any detail, offer an alternative to more the commonly studied systems which contain heavy metals such as Cd and Pb.Current understanding of the quantum behaviour exhibited in existing doped NC systems is incomplete, and the ability to predict and control properties remains limited. In our work we will therefore undertake a program of advanced characterisation ranging from fundamental studies of magnetic interactions in NC systems, using highly sensitive nanoSQUID devices, through to the incorporation and study of NCs within devices. Research into NCs within devices will provide the proof-of-principle required to guide and justify further developmental work that will form the basis of the future quantum-enhanced technologies.Bringing together this leading team of interdisciplinary researchers and industrial partners to address the key challenges that face physical scientists today, this coherent and focused programme offers a unique opportunity to not only advance the field but place the UK in the lead with regard to QTs.