AIIIBV Molecular Beam Epitaxial structures and devices for photonics, nanoelectronics, spintronics and quantum computing.

带来个人电脑、高速互联网、数码相机和平板显示器的技术革命的根源可以直接追溯到人造材料非常薄的薄膜工程的进步。最高性能的电子器件，如用于智能手机或卫星的晶体管，以及支持沿光纤网络超高速信息传输的光子器件，如半导体激光器，都是基于使用外延工艺沉积的高度完美的半导体材料结晶多层膜。对于这样的纳米工程，分子束外延(MBE)可以说是最强大的工具。由于该过程是在超高真空(UHV)中进行的，因此外来分子的污染被降至最低。这一点至关重要，因为即使在纳米结构的关键部分，即使是一个单一的污染原子也会显著改变其性质。特高压环境还通过使用复杂的表面科学仪器和其他现场监测工具对外延过程进行实时监测和控制，从而实现无与伦比的精度。然而，这项技术还远远没有成熟；监测、理解和控制这项技术所涉及的过程仍然是世界各地密集研究的主题。该计划将进一步加深我们目前对分子束外延生长过程的理解，并改善对砷化物和锑基异质结、铝和铟单晶超导层以及相关半导体-超导异质结中分子束外延生长过程的控制。这项研究将集中于下一代器件在外延生长方面最关键的元素，即表面过程和形态控制、界面形成和应变控制，以及所谓的变质缓冲器情况下的位错过滤。依赖于这种优化的生长过程，使用异质结构制造的光子和电子器件的性能将建立密切的反馈。该计划预计将在原子级别的人造材料控制方面取得新的突破，这对于在设备功能越来越依赖量子现象的技术领域的进一步进步至关重要。例子包括先进的光子学和信息通信技术、量子信息处理、可再生能源收集和超低功率电子产品。由此产生的知识产权、技术诀窍和高素质人才的稳定流动将利用加拿大高科技行业在全球市场上的强大地位。

The roots of the technological revolution which brought about personal computers, fast internet, digital cameras and flat panel displaysto mention just the commodity sectorcan be traced directly to the advances in engineering of very thin films of artificial materials. The highest performance electronic devices, such as transistors used in smartphones or satellites, and photonic devices such as semiconductor lasers supporting the ultra-high speed information transfer along the optical fiber networks are all based on highly perfect crystalline multilayers of semiconductor materials which are deposited using epitaxial processes. For such nanoengineering, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is arguably the most powerful tool. Because the process is conducted in ultra-high vacuum (UHV), contamination by foreign molecules is minimized. This is vital, since even a single contaminant atom in a strategic part of the nanostructure can alter its properties considerably. A UHV environment also enables unparalleled precision through real-time monitoring and control of the epitaxial process with sophisticated surface science instruments and other in-situ monitoring tools. Nevertheless, the technique is far from maturity; monitoring, understanding and controlling the processes involved in this technique continues to be a subject of intense research around the world. The proposed program will further our current understanding and improve the control of the MBE growth processes in arsenides- and antimondies-based heterostructures, aluminum and indium single-crystal superconducting layers, as well as related semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures. The research will focus on the most critical elements for the next generation devices with respect to aspects of epitaxial growth, i.e. surface processes and morphological control, interface formation, and strain control, as well as dislocation filtration for the case of so-called metamorphic buffers. Close feedback will be established with the performance of photonic and electronic devices fabricated using heterostructures relying on such optimized growth procedures. The program is expected to lead to new breakthroughs in the control of artificial materials at the atomic scale, which is critically important to further progress in areas of technology where device functionality increasingly relies on quantum phenomena. Examples include advanced photonics & ICT, quantum information processing, renewable energy harvesting and ultra-low power electronics. The resulting intellectual property, know-how and the steady stream of highly qualified personnel will leverage the strong position of the Canadian high-tech industry in the global markets.