LEAP-HI: Manufacturing of Silicon-based Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Quantum Building Blocks

LEAP-HI：硅基杂化有机-无机量子构件的制造

• 批准号: 2053567
• 负责人: Lorenzo Mangolini
• 金额: $ 200万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2053567&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LEAP; HI; Manufacturing; Silicon; based

Quantum computing promises to address our growing need for faster and more energy efficient information processing technologies. Today quantum computers rely on materials and structures that need to be both extremely pure and operated at cryogenic temperatures, a limitation referred to as “the tyranny of low temperature”. These constraints put into question the scalability of quantum computers and, in turn, their potential to manage the sheer magnitude of information generated by modern-day society. This Leading Engineering for America's Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP-HI) project will investigate alternative materials and structures that have the potential to store and optically access quantum information at room temperature. The structures are based on small semiconductor (inorganic) nanoparticles integrated with carefully designed organic molecules. The main outcomes of this project will be (a) a set of design guidelines for these hybrid organic-inorganic structures that optimize the optical and electronic coupling between the two components, and (b) the development of strategies for their manufacturing that, while being novel, are also inherently scalable to large production volumes. Achieving these goals will allow establishing the hybrid organic-inorganic structures as the fundamental building block of the next generation of quantum computers. A broad array of activities including outreach to community colleges, internship into the principal investigator’s laboratories and outreach to the public in collaboration with local museums will be integrated into the research plan. These activities will target students at all levels (from grade school to community colleges), with particular attention towards students from underrepresented groups and the goal of encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees in STEM.This project is centered on silicon quantum dots as the inorganic component of the researched structure. This choice is motivated by their advantageous properties in terms of abundance and sustainability, and by the fact that their processing science is still in its infancy, making this field ripe for critical contributions. The project aims at achieving an unprecedented control over the optoelectronic coupling between silicon quantum dots and surrounding organic semiconducting matrices. This will be realized by grafting transmitter organic molecules onto the surface of the silicon particles, therefore tuning the interfacial chemistry and the bi-directional energy transfer between the two system components. Novel gas-phase processing schemes will be developed to produce silicon quantum dots and immediately graft their surfaces with multi-functional organic groups, providing a rapid and scalable approach to the production of the hybrid structures. Ultrafast spectroscopy will be used to elucidate the role played by interfacial chemistry on the functionality of the hybrid organic-inorganic structures. Atomistic modelling will provide theoretical foundation and guidance to this investigation. The investigators are uniquely qualified to undertake this project, as they bring together expertise in the synthesis of silicon quantum dots, the design of organic-inorganic interfaces, the photo-physical characterization of hybrid systems and the ab-initio modelling of interfacial effects.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.

量子计算有望满足我们对更快、更节能的信息处理技术日益增长的需求。如今，量子计算机依赖于极其纯净且在低温下运行的材料和结构，这种限制被称为“低温暴政”。这些限制使人对量子计算机的可扩展性产生疑问，进而质疑它们管理现代社会产生的海量信息的潜力。将要研究具有在室温下存储和光学获取量子信息的潜力的替代材料和结构。该结构基于与精心设计的有机分子集成的小型半导体（无机）纳米粒子。一套针对这些混合有机-无机结构的设计指南，可优化两个组件之间的光学和电子耦合，以及（b）制定其制造策略，该策略虽然新颖，但本质上也可扩展以实现大批量生产。这些目标将允许建立作为下一代量子计算机的基本构建模块的混合有机-无机结构将被纳入一系列广泛的活动，包括社区大学的推广、首席研究员实验室的实习以及与当地博物馆合作的公众推广。这些活动将针对各个级别的学生（从小学到社区大学），特别关注来自弱势群体的学生，并鼓励他们攻读 STEM 高级学位。该项目以硅量子点为中心。作为无机物这种选择的动机是它们在丰富性和可持续性方面的优势特性，以及它们的加工科学仍处于起步阶段，使得该领域的关键贡献已经成熟。控制硅量子点和周围有机半导体基质之间的光电耦合这将通过将传输有机分子接枝到硅颗粒表面来实现，从而调整界面化学和两个系统之间的双向能量转移。将开发新型气相处理方案来生产硅量子点，并立即在其表面接枝多功能有机基团，从而提供一种快速且可扩展的混合结构生产方法，用于阐明这一点。界面化学对杂化有机-无机结构的功能所发挥的作用将为这项研究提供理论基础和指导，因为研究人员汇集了硅量子合成方面的专业知识。点、有机-无机界面的设计、混合系统的光物理表征以及界面效应的从头开始建模。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

项目成果

Efficient photon upconversion enabled by strong coupling between silicon quantum dots and anthracene

硅量子点和蒽之间的强耦合实现了高效的光子上转换

• DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01225-x
• 发表时间: 2023-08
• 期刊: Nature Chemistry
• 影响因子: 21.8
• 作者: Wang, Kefu;Cline, R. Peyton;Schwan, Joseph;Strain, Jacob M.;Roberts, Sean T.;Mangolini, Lorenzo;Eaves, Joel D.;Tang, Ming Lee
• 通讯作者: Tang, Ming Lee

Gas-phase grafting for the multifunctional surface modification of silicon quantum dots

硅量子点多功能表面改性的气相接枝

• DOI: 10.1039/d2nr04902c
• 发表时间: 2022-12
• 期刊: Nanoscale
• 影响因子: 6.7
• 作者: Schwan, Joseph;Wang, Kefu;Tang, Ming Lee;Mangolini, Lorenzo
• 通讯作者: Mangolini, Lorenzo

Efficient Photon Upconversion Enabled by Strong Coupling Between Organic Molecules and Quantum Dots

有机分子与量子点之间的强耦合实现高效光子上转换

• 发表时间: 2022-06
• 期刊: arXivorg
• 作者: Kefu Wang