Presentation Title: Quantum Semiconductor Science and Technology; From simple diode to Quantum Computing
Prof. Manijeh Razeghi presented this talk in the webinar on Materials Science, Engineering and Technology organized by Vebleo
Affiliation: Walter P. Murphy Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Director, Center for Quantum Devices Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Biography
Prof. Manijeh Razeghi received the Doctorate d’état ES Sciences Physiques from the Université de Paris, France, in 1980. After heading the Exploratory Materials Lab at Thomson-CSF (France), Prof. Manijeh Razeghi joined Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, as a Walter P. Murphy Professor and Director of the Center for Quantum Devices in Fall 1991, where she created the undergraduate and graduate program in solid-state engineering.
Prof. Manijeh Razeghi is one of the leading scientists in the field of semiconductor science and technology of quantum materials and devices. Prof. Manijeh Razeghi has authored or co-authored more than 1,000 papers, 19 books, more than 32 book chapters, and has given more than 1,000 invited and plenary talks.
Prof. Manijeh Razeghi is a Fellow of MRS, IOP, IEEE, APS, SPIE, OSA, Fellow and Life Member of Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and IEEE, Fellow of the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), Life Fellow of MRS, and a member of the Electrochemical Society, ACS, and AAAS.
Prof. Manijeh Razeghi received the IBM Europe Science and Technology Prize in 1987, the Achievement Award from the SWE in 1995, the R.F. Bunshah Award in 2004, IBM Faculty Award 2013, the Jan Czochralski Gold Medal in 2016, the Benjamin Franklin award in Electrical Engineering in 2018, and numerous best paper awards.
Research Interests
Since its founding in 1992, the Center for Quantum Devices at Northwestern University has evolved from only a mere vision into a concrete world-class research laboratory, with the mission to pursue academic excellence and high-level research in compound Quantum semiconductor science and nanotechnology.
Advancing the frontiers in this cutting-edge scientific field is an exciting and challenging adventure, for which the Center has assembled a strong team of graduate and undergraduate students, research scientists and professors with diverse backgrounds, working within the Center’s unique state-of-the-art research facility.
The creativity and ingenuity of this strong team has proved successful in solving the many scientific issues encountered on a daily basis, achieving a number of breakthroughs and staying ahead of competition. At the same time, as an integral part of a high-level educational institution, the Center has been educating and training future leaders for both academia and industry.
The scientific research has involved developing an understanding of the physics of new semiconductor crystals for novel applications and realizing advanced semiconductor Quantum devices such as lasers, photodetectors, transistors, waveguides and switches. This entails a multidisciplinary combination of solid state physics, quantum mechanics, electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering and materials science, as well as a strong collaborative effort between Academia, Industry, and National Laboratories.
A strong testimony of the success of this endeavor has been the consistent support of several industrial corporations and government agencies from the Department of Defense to push forward the science and nanotechnology of compound semiconductor optoelectronic and quantum devices at the Center.
Abstract
The 21th century has seen a variety of major discoveries in quantum science and technology, especially in the area of compound semiconductors, quantum devices, and nanotechnology. Quantum scale optoelectronics is a key area within quantum-technology, where modern design and fabrication tools allow us to realize compact devices with better efficiency and functionality than ever before.
Our optoelectronic systems, like Natural systems, are inherently nanoscale at their heart, yet whereas nature has to use ions and Classical physics, we can use electrons and Quantum physics. Electrons in semiconductors can be 5 orders of magnitude lighter and 8 orders of magnitude faster than ions, and, because of this, we can when we need to, detect electrons and photons on time scales of 1 nanosecond and less.
This talk will focus on recent advances in the atomic engineering of III-V semiconductor optoelectronic materials for a variety of applications important to everyday activities. These applications span many areas, including industrial quality control, public health and safety, and telecommunications. While our eyes only access a narrow part of the electromagnetic spectrum, some important applications require us to emit and/or detect at frequencies of light outside the visible. In some cases we need to see a single photon clearly, and in other cases we need high power lasers that emit over 1021 photons per second.
In my talk, I will discuss problems and solutions relative to demonstrating devices spanning from ultraviolet (UV) to THz frequencies. UV devices (emitters and detectors) will be discussed first, followed by infrared lasers and cameras. In all cases, early attempts to develop these devices were limited by fundamental physical limitations such as material purity and size. Many of these limitations were overcome by moving towards lower dimensional “quantum well” and even smaller “quantum dot” architectures. It will be shown how intricate and subtle modern atomic engineering can be, and how, with quantum engineering, we can mimic nature toward neuromorphic and quantum computing.
After having covered modern optoelectronics, I will also talk about some of the technological tools and tricks that go into making the best possible devices and obtaining world record performances. This includes paying meticulous attention to material growth, material characterization, device fabrication, and system demonstration.
Finally, as none of this would have been possible without some brilliant students and a lot of hard work, I will also show how, over the course of 30+ years, the Center for Quantum Devices has grown to become a world class research facility at Northwestern University.
This talk was delivered in the webinar organized by Vebleo