Atomic scale electronics using isoelectronic centers

使用等电子中心的原子级电子学

• 批准号: 328262-2012
• 负责人: Francoeur, Sébastien
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: École Polytechnique de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=572143
• 关键词: Atomic; scale; electronics; using; isoelectronic

Quantum dots (QDs) have revolutionized the amount of control we have over the energy and behavior of charged carriers in semiconductor materials. However, as a result of the large number of atoms composing them (from 1000 to 100,000), it is nearly impossible to fabricate two identical QDs or even a single one with exactly the desired characteristics. Unfortunately, this critical issue has been impeding the realization of some of the most exciting proposals involving QDs, from more efficient lasers to powerful quantum computers. As an alternative to QDs composed of tens of thousands of atoms, we propose using Isoelectronic Centers (ICs) composed of one, two, or any small number of isoelectronic traps to implement novel electronic functionalities at an atomic scale in semiconductor materials. The originality of this program stems from the fact that ICs combine in one system many important advantages that were only available in either crystalline defects like one-atom impurities or QDs: ICs can be made from a large selection of impurities and host materials, their emission energy and other characteristics are broadly tunable, they exhibit low inhomogeneous broadening and they have perfectly defined symmetries. In this research program, we propose to 1) develop a firm understanding of the physics governing the behavior of this little-studied nanostructure and 2) exploit its unique characteristics for a number of applications such as, for example, the generation of entangled photons and the realization of a single spin memory with enhanced coherence time. Research on ICs has the potential to open up opportunities in many areas where conventional quantum dots and other nanostructures were previously envisioned. Even more significantly, ICs can form the necessary building blocks for the development of atomic-sized electronics, a topic destined to become a prominent and very active research field in a near future. Finally, the knowledge and experience acquired by graduate students are of strategic importance for companies with activities involving spectroscopy, semiconductor materials, optical devices and other precision instrumentations.

量子点 (QD) 彻底改变了我们对半导体材料中带电载流子的能量和行为的控制程度。然而，由于组成量子点的原子数量较多（从 1000 到 100,000 个），几乎不可能制造两个相同的量子点，甚至不可能制造一个具有完全所需特性的量子点。不幸的是，这个关键问题一直阻碍着一些涉及量子点的最令人兴奋的建议的实现，从更高效的激光器到强大的量子计算机。 作为由数万个原子组成的量子点的替代方案，我们建议使用由一个、两个或任意少量等电子陷阱组成的等电子中心（IC）在半导体材料中在原子尺度上实现新颖的电子功能。该计划的独创性源于这样一个事实，即 IC 在一个系统中结合了许多重要优势，而这些优势只有在单原子杂质或 QD 等晶体缺陷中才具有：IC 可以由多种杂质和主体材料制成，它们的发射能量和其他特性在很大程度上是可调的，它们表现出低不均匀展宽，并且具有完美定义的对称性。在这个研究项目中，我们建议 1) 对控制这种很少研究的纳米结构行为的物理原理有一个深入的了解，2) 在许多应用中利用其独特的特性，例如纠缠光子的生成和实现具有增强相干时间的单自旋存储器。 集成电路研究有可能在许多以前设想使用传统量子点和其他纳米结构的领域中开辟机遇。更重要的是，IC 可以成为开发原子级电子产品的必要构建模块，这一主题注定会在不久的将来成为一个突出且非常活跃的研究领域。 最后，研究生获得的知识和经验对于从事光谱、半导体材料、光学设备和其他精密仪器业务的公司具有战略重要性。