In this CAREER award, funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Boehme of the University of Utah will systematically explore the theoretical and experimental foundations of pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance (pEDMR) spectroscopy. PEDMR is many orders of magnitude more sensitive than traditional magnetic resonance spectroscopy and is thus well suited for the investigation of the role of spin in microscopic electronic processes in very small and low dimensional semiconductor samples and devices.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy has profoundly impacted physics, chemistry and materials research, as well as medical diagnostics during the past decades. Nevertheless, the traditional detection of magnetic resonance through induction is insensitive when compared to other (e.g. optical) spectroscopies ? a limitation that has impeded applications to electronically improved semiconductor materials. This limitation will be overcome using a direct electrical detection scheme via electric current. The aim of this project is to allow the observation of microscopic processes which are responsible for efficiency limitations in devices like solar cells, light emitting diodes or processes that could be utilized for alternative information processing technologies.
Professor Boehme will integrate the development of student recruitment tools with his research through high school student internships and undergraduate research projects, with the goal of increasing minority participation in STEM disciplines.
