Photonics, Electronic and Plasmonic Microstructured Optical Materials

1. Semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots for photonics/electronics

In nanostructured semiconductors, quantum effects arise due to the geometric confinement of electron and hole wavefunctions. As a result, they represent almost ideal “particle-in-a-box” quantum mechanical systems for the creation of artifical atoms. Their optical and electronic properties are not only completely different from the bulk form of the material, but often have far superior performance characteristics. Using simple colliodal chemistry, semiconductor nanocrystals can be precisely fabricated with dimensions less than 10nm and are therefore physically smaller than the bulk exciton diameter. These size tunable quantum dots can then be incorporated into a host matrix for lithographic processing. This multidisciplinary project aims to exploit established colloidal chemistry routes for the synthesis of near monodisperse semiconductor nanocrystals in the design and fabrication of devices that range in application from telecoms lasers and resonant tunneling diodes to microcavity structures operating in the strong coupling regime for fundamental QM studies.

2. Novel deposition and fabrication techniques for metamaterials

By artificially engineering the composition of photonic materials on the mesoscopic scale it is possible to produce “Metamaterials”: periodically repeating, composite structures that are specifically designed to circumvent inconvenient bulk optical properties. However, the fabrication of such structures remains a serious experimental challenge, as their exceptional properties can only be fully realised via the periodic inclusion of functional materials. This full 3D deposition and patterning requirement is extremely difficult to satisfy using conventional techniques such CVD and photolithography. This project will explore novel routes to the realization of such structures.

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