Proposal Number: ECS-9705704 Principal Investigator: C. L. Tang Title: Broadly tunable femtosecond optical parametric sources In this research, the unique capabilities of the femtosecond optical parametric sources developed by the PI under a previous grant will be used to study carrier dynamics in semiconductors and quantum well structures. The carrier dynamics studies will focus on carrier capture and escape, and electron and hole dynamics in III-V compound semiconductors (AlxGayAsz and GaAs). Compound semiconductors and quantum wells are extremely important for microelectronics and laser applications. Direct study of the carrier dynamics has been impossible to date due to the need for both ultrafast and infrared spectral region probes to study the fast carrier dynamics involved. The PI's development of the needed sources will enable a first time direct study. Some further source development research, to extend the range of the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) source from 330 nanometers to 18 microns, is also planned under this grant. This research will create a broadly tunable source with a range extending from the near-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, which will be a powerful tool for many applications.
