| NSF Org: |
DMR Division Of Materials Research |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 24, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 24, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1149605 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Tania M. Paskova
DMR Division Of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $400,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $400,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1125 W MAPLE ST STE 316 FAYETTEVILLE AR US 72701-3124 (479)575-3845 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3217 Bell Engineering AR US 72701-1201 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
EPSCoR Co-Funding, EPMD-ElectrnPhoton&MagnDevices, ELECTRONIC/PHOTONIC MATERIALS |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
Abstract
Technical: This CAREER proposal will launch a major research direction in the emerging field area of III-V bismide devices. III-V compound semiconductors containing the heaviest naturally occurring group V element, Bismuth, is a relatively unexplored material system that is expected to offer many unique optical and electrical properties desirable for numerous innovative device applications. This research emphasizes the development of high performance Mid-IR (3-4 micron) type-I quantum well (QW) lasers using the (In)GaAsSbBi materials grown on GaSb substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). An analysis shows that (In)GaAsSbBi based QW lasers can easily obtain 3-4 micron emission and they have a great potential to achieve high performance. A systematic research plan for this project will be studied with three tasks: i) MBE growth of III-V-Bi and material characterization, ii) Development of infrared lasers and Mid-IR detectors/emitters, and iii) Development of Mid-IR lasers; which are complemented by a "Networking" task that will effectively promote the development of the PI's academic career. This research project will address performance issues in GaSb based type-I QW lasers through the development of novel (In)GaAsSbBi active materials that offer i) extended lasing wavelengths, ii) improved hole confinement, iii) the suppression of the dominant Auger loss mechanism, v) the avoidance of the growth miscibility gap in InGaAsSb based compounds, and vi) a "quasi-Al free" device design for highly reliable high power applications. The material work aims at superior device performance through the development of techniques to alloy Bi, which surface segregates, with III-V semiconductors, and to use Bi as a surfactant to improve the quality of barrier/cladding layers. The reserach will build on the PI's experiences in the areas of optoelectronic materials and device design, growth, fabrication, and characterization.
Non Technical:The successful development of devices based on the (In)GaAsSbBi material system will fill the 3-4 micron gap in high performance semiconductor lasers and enable many important Mid-IR applications, such as sensing, communication, surgery, optical integration, and homeland security. This project will provide comprehensive training for graduate students in all aspects of advanced optoelectronic devices and as well heavy involvement of undergraduate students. This research activity will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning through strong collaborations with the "Bismuth Materials World Network" to develop cybertools for research and education. The outreach activities include the recruitment of STEM underrepresented students through existing university programs and outreach activities that include participation in the "Green" team to conduct high school teacher and two year college faculty training and instruction lab construction in HBCU in the areas of optics and solar cells.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Overview: The ORIGINAL goal of this CAREER proposal is to launch a major research direction for the PI in the area of III-V bismide devices. In particular this research emphasizes the development of high performance Mid-IR (3-4 µm) type-I quantum well (QW) lasers using the (In)GaAsSbBi materials grown on GaSb substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Due to a major facility failure in year two, the project was redirected to a new research direction to develop single crystal SiGeSn materials and use the materials for optoelectronic devices such as lasers and detectors. This redirection is based on the similarity of two materials for the material properties and fundamental science of growth.
Intellectual Merit: For III-V-Bi research, the conducted work aimed to tackle the performance issues in GaSb based type-I QW lasers through the development of novel (In)GaAsSbBi active materials. The PI has performed high quality GaAsBi bulk and quantum well growth which could serve a solid foundation for future device development. The PI has also done extensive optical material property and growth mechanism study for GaAsBi materials, which greatly enriched the community understanding for this material. For SiGeSn work, the research created a paradigm shift by transforming the new active direct band gap material into the all-group-IV inter-band lasers, thereby addressing the challenge of achieving high-performance Si based lasers.
Broader Impacts: The successful development of devices based on both material systems showed the promising of filling the 3-4 µm gap in high performance semiconductor lasers and therefore enable many important Mid-IR applications, such as sensing, communication, surgery, optical integration, and homeland security. The demonstration of the GeSn devices such as lasers and detectors have generated critical momentum to advance GeSn material and device research and led to the emergence of a new field: Si-based longwave intergrated optoelectronics. This project provided comprehensive training for graduate students (graduated 3 Ph.D.) in all aspects of advanced optoelectronic devices and as well heavy involvement of undergraduate students. The research activity advanced discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning through i) strong collaborations with the “Bismuth Materials World Network” and SiGeSn community, ii) the organization of workshops and seminars that will reach a large group of students, iii) the large number publications (20 journal papers) reached broader audiences, iv) the success collaboration with HBCU for new research infrastructure development and the recruitment of STEM underrepresented students.
Last Modified: 07/28/2018
Modified by: Shui-Qing Yu
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