This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The primary objectives of this CAREER project are to understand the interplay of nanostructure design and material properties, and use a combined experimental and modeling approach to define fundamental issues of semiconductor nanowire optical structures with the goal of demonstrating free-standing nanowire injection lasers. The project is comprised of the following interrelated subprograms: 1) Synthesis and modeling of nanowire laser structures. III-nitrides axial modulated nanowire structures, with multiple-quantum-dots (MQDs) as active medium and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) as an optical feedback configuration, will be synthesized. Three-dimensional modeling will be performed to predict the properties of nanowire gain medium and optical cavity as a function of wire size, morphology, DBR and MQWs design. 2) Development of an optimized nanowire laser structure via systematic optical characterization and modeling, and experimental demonstration of an optically pumped nanowire laser. Lasing threshold and its dependence on nanowire structure will be studied. 3) Investigation of nanowire electronic properties and development new scheme for carrier injection. 4) Development of a free-standing injection nanowire laser. The modulation of lasing threshold and emission wavelength will be studied.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:
The project is transformative research that addresses fundamental research issues in electronic/photonic materials science having technological relevance. The project is expected to advance the understanding of the interplay between nanostructure design and fundamental properties, and opens up substantial opportunities in optoelectronic devices, which could impact extensively the technology of electronics, photonics and energy conversion. The project is multidisciplinary, which not only provides comprehensive research training for students, but also promotes strong cross-department/institution and international collaboration. The project also enhances the integration of research and educational activities. The PI plans to develop new lectures, seminar and laboratory courses by incorporating nanoscience research. Outreach visits to industrial materials research labs and organizing public and industry participation in the education program is an important part of the planned activities. In addition, the PI plans to promote independent undergraduate research in UCSC to recruit and train future young scientists, in particular underrepresented students and students from non-Ph.D. granting institution and community college.
