Advanced materials for organic and hybrid polariton structures and devices

光的吸收和发射是光电子学和生物过程的基础。这个过程通常发生在离散的跳跃中，其中激发态电子在返回基态时释放光子，或者光子被吸收以产生激发态电子。然而，我们不断增长的操纵光和物质的能力现在允许了一种不同的可能性，光子和激子“混合”在一起，形成一种称为腔极化子的状态。而不是简单的学术兴趣，腔极化是一个迷人的基础物理学的试验台，可以在超低阈值激光，片上通信元件和新型量子力学模拟器设备的潜在应用。极化子可以在一个光学结构中产生，其中半导体被放置在两个高反射镜之间。这种结构将光子捕获到一系列离散的光学模式中。在所谓的“强耦合状态”中，被困在腔内的光子可以与腔内半导体的激发态耦合并形成腔极化子。在这个项目中，学生将开发包含一系列半导体薄膜的强耦合光学腔，并评估它们在光激发后的相对激光阈值。广泛的材料将被探索，包括有机半导体染料和二维钙钛矿，目标是制造极低阈值的极化激光器。该学生将负责相关结构的生长和制造（包括通过热蒸发，电子束蒸发和旋转涂层沉积无机和有机材料）。该学生还将进行新的二维钙钛矿材料的合成，并将探索提高其发光效率的方法。该学生还将在使用一系列基于激光的光谱对所有结构进行光学表征方面发挥非常积极的作用。我们的目标是开发一个新的光子平台，作为新的低阈值（低能量）激光设备的基础。与南安普顿的同事一起，我们将探索使用这些设备作为物理介质，可用于执行光驱动计算。这样的系统提供了以一种“经典”计算机无法实现的方式，以高速解决非常大的计算问题的潜力。这项工作的影响将是实现用于高速计算和信息处理的新型光子器件。这也与提高效率的发光显示技术的发展有关，或者-更推测-一种改变化学反应中的分子途径的手段。这可能对开发一种新型的“光驱动”催化介质具有重要意义。该项目涉及EPSRC信息和通信技术（光电器件和电路、光子材料、量子光学和信息）。该项目将与南安普顿大学和圣安德鲁斯大学的同事一起进行，作为epsrc资助的“混合极化”项目资助的一部分。

The absorption and emission of light is fundamental to both optoelectronics and biological processes. This process usually takes place in discreet jumps, in which an excited state electron emits a photon as it returns to its ground state, or a photon is absorbed to create an excited state electron. Our growing ability to manipulate light and matter however now allows a different possibility, in which the photon and exciton are 'mixed' together, forming a type of state called a cavity-polariton. Rather than being of simple academic interest, cavity polaritons are a fascinating test-bed for fundamental physics and can have potential applications in ultra-low threshold lasers, on-chip communications elements and new types of quantum-mechanical simulator devices.Polaritons can be created in an optical structure in which a semiconductor is placed between two highly reflective mirrors. This structure traps photons into a series of discreet optical modes. Within the so-called 'strong-coupling regime' the photons trapped in the cavity can couple with the excited states of a semiconductor within the cavity and form the cavity-polaritons. In this project, the student will develop strong-coupled optical cavities that contain a range of semiconductor thin films and assess their relative lasing threshold following optical excitation. A wide range of materials will be explored, including organic semiconductor dyes and 2-dimensional perovskites, with the objective being the fabrication of polariton lasers that operate at very low thresholds. The student will be tasked with growth and fabrication of the relevant structures (including deposition of inorganic and organic materials by thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation and spin-coating). The student will also undertake synthesis of new 2D perovskite materials and will explore means to enhance their light-emission efficiency. The student will also take a very active role in performing optical characterization of all structures fabricated using a range of laser-based spectroscopies. Our objective is to develop a new photonic platform that will be used as the basis of new low-threshold (low energy) laser devices. Together with colleagues in Southampton, we will explore the use of such devices as physical media that can be used to perform optically-driven calculations. Such systems offer the potential to be able to solve very large computational problems at high speed in a way that could not be achieved by a 'classical' computer. The Impact of such work will be in the realization of new photonic devices that are used in high-speed computation and information processing. There is also relevance for the development of emitting display technologies having enhanced efficiency, or - more speculatively - a means to change molecular pathways in chemical reactions. This may have importance in the development of a new type of 'light-driven' catalysis media.The project maps onto EPSRC Information and communication technologies ('Optoelectronic devices and circuits, Photonic materials, Quantum optics and information).The project will be performed together with colleagues at the Universities of Southampton and St. Andrews as part of the EPSRC-funded 'Hybrid Polaritonics' Programme Grant.