Tuneable Excitonic Integrated Circuits

这个项目是对操纵和限制原子薄(2D)半导体中出现的被称为激子的准粒子及其异质结构的新方法的基础科学探索，目的是展示对这些类氢玻色子粒子的通量的控制，从而开辟一条研究可控势能分布中激子的途径。这些研究为开创量子电子学的片上玻色对应和新的宏观量子态奠定了基础。同时，激子动力学和流的芯片控制可能提供一种全新的方法，将基于光子的信号通信有效地连接到基于电子的信号处理技术。在这项提议中，我们将及时而雄心勃勃地寻找根本上新颖的物理概念，以使能够在环境条件下工作的可调谐激子集成电路的发展成为可能。二维半导体过渡金属二卤化物(TMDC)通常具有超过室温热能的激子结合能。此外，它们的光物理性质可以通过控制静电掺杂、介电环境和在所谓的van der Waals异质结构中组装的材料的堆积顺序来调节，从而观察到由2D异质结构中空间分离的电子-空穴对组成的长寿命层间激子、莫尔激子、与类似于原子凝聚的层间激子的凝聚相对应的高温宏观状态以及异质结构中层间激子的电场控制。虽然2D系统是探索新的激子基础科学的理想平台，但这个项目核心的雄心勃勃和及时的探索将必须克服四个主要挑战。能否在2D材料中设计一种激子有效压力来取代这些不受电场响应的带电中性准粒子？有没有一种新类型的激子具有非零的电偶极子和足够大的振子强度来实现2D异质结构的室温电可调谐？哪些2D材料更适合在环境条件下工作的可调谐激子集成电路？有没有办法控制激子的寿命？这项提议将率先回答和解决上述挑战，以实现在环境条件下运行的集成电路中激子控制的一步改变。这一及时而雄心勃勃的目标将通过在一些最有希望的材料系统中探索激子物理的新基础科学来实现，这些材料系统用于在芯片上控制激子通量，例如原子薄半导体。

This project is a fundamental science exploration of novel ways to manipulate and confine quasiparticles known as excitons emerging in atomically thin (2D) semiconductors and their heterostructures, with the aim to demonstrate the control over fluxes of these hydrogen-like bosonic particles and therefore open a pathway to the study of excitons in controllable potential profiles. This studies are cornerstone to pioneer the on-chip bosonic counterpart of quantum electronics and novel macroscopic quantum states. At the same time the on-chip control of excitons dynamics and flow may offer radically new approaches to interface efficient photon-based signal communication to electron-based signal processing technologies. In this proposal we will undertake the timely and ambitious search for radically novel physical concepts needed to enable the development of tuneable excitonic integrated circuits working in ambient conditions.2D semiconductors transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) typically have an exciton binding energy exceeding the room temperature thermal energy. In addition, their photo-physical properties can be tuned by controlling the electrostatic doping, the dielectric environment and stacking sequences of materials assembled in so-called van der Waals heterostructures leading to the observation of long lived interlayer excitons consisting of spatially separated electron-hole pairs in 2D heterostructures, Moiré excitons, a high-temperature macroscopic state corresponding to the condensation of interlayer excitons akin to a condensate of atoms and the electric field control of interlayer excitons in heterostructures. Whilst 2D systems are an ideally suited platform for exploring the novel fundamental science of excitons, the ambitious and timely quest at the core of this project will have to overcome four main challenges. Can an exciton effective pressure be engineered in 2D materials to displace these charge neutral quasiparticles which do not respond to an electric field? Is there any new type of exciton with a non-zero electric dipole and a sufficiently large oscillator strength to enable room temperature electrical tuneability in 2D heterostructures? Which 2D materials are better suited for tuneable excitonic integrated circuits working in ambient conditions? Are there ways to control the exciton lifetimes? This proposal will pioneer answers and solutions to the aforementioned challenges to accomplish a step change in the control of excitons in integrated circuits operating in ambient conditions. This timely and ambitious goal will be accomplished by exploring novel fundamental science of the physics of excitons in some of the most promising material systems for the on-chip control of exciton fluxes such as atomically thin semiconductors.