Arkansas Center for Nanodevices (ACEND)

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the basic science needed to realize new nanosize devices specifically related to optoelectronic and optical communications. It aims at forming the nucleus of the Arkansas Center for Nanoscale Devices (AceND). Research will focus on the design, epitaxial growth, fabrication, modeling, and testing of nanodevices for generating and detecting coherent waves over a wide range of spectral regions covering IR and mid-IR (1-6mm), far-IR (6-100mm ) and THz (100-1000mm). The development of coherent sources and detectors in these wavelength ranges will impact medicine, food inspection, pollution control, communications, and remote sensing. Quantum-dot detectors and lasers, optical parametric oscillators and amplifiers, mid-IR and THz emitters, and inter sub-band lasers are included among the examples of specific devices to be investigated. Currently, two categories of quantum are being investigated (i.e., self-assembled dots grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy in a vacuum chamber and colloidal dots synthesized by chemical methods either in solution or in certain host matrices). Although the two categories are related to each other by quantum confinement and other size-dependent physical properties, each category differs from the other based on its popular size range, fabrication technology, and promising applications. ACeND scientists will integrate active research on both categories of quantum dots to enhance the understanding of quantum effects in quantum dots, and thus the capability of implementing and optimizing nanodevices based on them.