The combination of quantum materials and metasurfaces promises intrinsically new functionalities, driven by the wide range of novel phenomena inherent to quantum materials and the ability to control them with metamaterials. Two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, have attracted much attention in this respect due to their ability to replicate nearly all of the properties of bulk quantum materials at the nanoscale and the relative ease in combining them with one another as well as incorporating them into new device architectures. Here, I will describe our recent studies combining 2D quantum materials and metasurfaces to achieve new and enhanced functionalities, including tunable THz transmission and Faraday rotation in graphene microribbon-based metasurfaces and control over exciton emission/dynamics in WSe2 monolayer/metasurface structures.
Low energy excitations can shed light on the interplay between different degrees of freedom in complex materials. Ultrashort terahertz (THz) pulses can be used to both drive and probe these excitations. This is particularly useful in quantum materials, since these materials exhibit novel magnetic and lattice excitations that can potentially be used to control their properties. Here, the use of ultrafast THz spectroscopy to understand the dynamic properties of Weyl semimetals, probe a graphene nanoribbon-based metasurface, and study conductivity dynamics in superconducting heterostructures will be discussed.
Weyl semimetals have been the focus of intense experimental and theoretical investigation, due to their broad appeal in fundamental science and applied technology alike. More recently, several studies have centered on the nonlinear optical properties of these materials, where it is believed that characteristic features of Weyl physics can be observed. To date, these studies have been limited to static or quasi-static measurements, but new and important insights can come about through extending these nonlinear optical spectroscopies into the time domain. To do so, we use terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy and time-resolved second harmonic generation (TR-SHG) spectroscopy to provide a contact free measure of ultrafast photocurrent dynamics in the transition metal monopnictide family of type-I Weyl semimetals. On the basis of our data, we are able to clearly distinguish between helicity-dependent photocurrents generated within the ab-plane and polarization-independent photocurrents flowing along the non-centrosymmetric c-axis. Such findings are consistent with earlier static photocurrent experiments, and demonstrate on the basis of both the physical constraints imposed by symmetry and the temporal dynamics intrinsic to current generation and decay that optically induced photocurrents in TaAs are inherent to the underlying crystal symmetry. Such generality in the microscopic origin of photocurrent generation in the transition metal monopnictide family of Weyl semimetals makes these materials promising candidates as next generation sources or detectors in the mid-IR and THz frequency ranges.
Ultrashort terahertz (THz) pulses are a powerful tool for both probing and controlling novel phenomena in quantum materials. This is particularly useful in Dirac materials, since these materials exhibit novel magnetic and lattice excitations that can potentially be used to control their properties. Here, the use of ultrashort THz pulses to reveal the circular photogalvanic effect in the Weyl semimetal TaAs and probe magnetoplasmon modes in graphene nanoribbons will be examined.
We performed THz emission spectroscopy on the (112) and (001) surfaces of the Weyl semimetal TaAs. Our data enables us to clearly distinguish between helicity-dependent photocurrents generated within the ab-plane and polarization-independent photocurrents flowing along the non-centrosymmetric c-axis. Such findings are in excellent agreement with previous static photocurrent measurements. However, by considering both the physical constraints imposed by symmetry and the temporal dynamics intrinsic to current generation and decay, we can attribute these transient photocurrents to the underlying crystal symmetry of these materials.
We also used terahertz (THz) magneto-optical spectroscopy to demonstrate how a periodic array of graphene micro-ribbons can be used to control the transmission spectrum and polarization state of a THz pulse whose electric field is oriented along the pattern’s axis of periodicity (perpendicular to the long axis of the ribbons). Our results demonstrate that graphene micro-ribbon arrays are a powerful system for controlling the coupling between light and magnetoplasmonic modes. This enables the tailoring of THz transmission profiles and polarization states using applied magnetic fields.
We investigate polarization-dependent ultrafast photocurrents in theWeyl semimetal TaAs using terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy. Our results reveal that highly directional, transient photocurrents are generated along the non-centrosymmetric c-axis regardless of incident light polarization, while helicity-dependent photocurrents are excited within the ab-plane. Such findings are consistent with earlier static photocurrent experiments, and demonstrate on the basis of both the physical constraints imposed by symmetry and the temporal dynamics intrinsic to current generation and decay that optically induced photocurrents in TaAs are inherent to the underlying crystal symmetry. Such generality in the microscopic origin of photocurrent generation in the transition metal monopnictide family of Weyl semimetals makes these materials promising candidates as next generation sources or detectors in the mid-IR and terahertz frequency ranges.
Ultrafast optical microscopy is an important tool for examining fundamental phenomena in semiconductor nanowires with high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we used this technique to study carrier dynamics in single GaN/InGaN core−shell nonpolar multiple quantum well nanowires. We find that intraband carrier−carrier scattering is the main channel governing carrier capture, while subsequent carrier relaxation is dominated by three-carrier Auger recombination at higher densities and bimolecular recombina tion at lower densities. The Auger constants in these nanowires are approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower than in planar InGaN multiple quantum wells, highlighting their potential for future light-emitting devices.
Ultrafast optical microscopy (UOM) combines a typical optical microscope and femtosecond (fs) lasers that produce
high intensity, ultrashort pulses at high repetition rates over a broad wavelength range. This enables us new types of
imaging modalities, including scanning optical pump-probe microscopy, which varies the pump and probe positions
relatively on the sample and ultrafast optical wide field microscopy, which is capable of rapidly acquiring wide field
images at different time delays, that is measurable nearly any sample in a non-contact manner with high spatial and
temporal resolution simultaneously. We directly tracked carriers in space and time throughout a NW by varying the
focused position of a strong optical “pump” pulse along the Si core-shell nanowires (NWs) axis while probing the
resulting changes in carrier density with a weaker “probe” pulse at one end of the NW. The resulting time-dependent
dynamics reveals the influence of oxide layer encapsulation on surface state passivation in core-shell NWs, as well as the
presence of strong acoustic phonon oscillations, observed here for the first time in single NWs. Time-resolved wide field
images of the photoinduced changes in transmission for a patterned semiconductor thin film and a single silicon
nanowire after optical excitation are also captured in real time using a two dimensional smart pixel array detector. Our
experiments enable us to extract several fundamental parameters in these samples, including the diffusion current,
surface recombination velocity, diffusion coefficients, and diffusion velocities, without the influence of contacts.
The incorporation of semiconductor quantum dots into different heterostructures for applications in nanoscale
photodetection, lasing and amplification has been an active area of research in recent years. Here, we use ultrafast
differential transmission spectroscopy to temporally and spectrally resolve density-and-temperature-dependent carrier
dynamics in an InAs/InGaAs quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) heterostructure. In our experiments, electron-hole pairs
are optically injected into the three dimensional GaAs barriers, after which we monitor carrier relaxation into the two
dimensional InGaAs quantum wells and the zero dimensional InAs quantum dots by tuning the probe photon energy.
We find that for low photoinjected carrier densities, carrier capture and relaxation are dominated by Auger carrier-carrier
scattering at low temperatures, with thermal emission playing an increasing role with temperature. At low temperatures
we also observe excitation-dependent shifts of the quantum dot energy levels. In contrast, high density measurements
reveal an anomalous induced absorption at the quantum dot excited state that is correlated with quantum well population
dynamics. Our experiments provide essential insight into carrier relaxation across multiple spatial dimensions and reveal
unique Coulomb interaction-induced phenomena, with important implications for DWELL-based lasers and amplifiers.
Although planar heterostructures dominate current solid-state lighting architectures (SSL), 1D nanowires have distinct
and advantageous properties that may eventually enable higher efficiency, longer wavelength, and cheaper devices.
However, in order to fully realize the potential of nanowire-based SSL, several challenges exist in the areas of controlled
nanowire synthesis, nanowire device integration, and understanding and controlling the nanowire electrical, optical, and
thermal properties. Here recent results are reported regarding the aligned growth of GaN and III-nitride core-shell
nanowires, along with extensive results providing insights into the nanowire properties obtained using cutting-edge
structural, electrical, thermal, and optical nanocharacterization techniques. A new top-down fabrication method for
fabricating periodic arrays of GaN nanorods and subsequent nanorod LED fabrication is also presented.
Nanowires based on the III nitride materials system have attracted attention as potential nanoscale building blocks in
optoelectronics, sensing, and electronics. However, before such applications can be realized, several challenges exist in
the areas of controlled and ordered nanowire synthesis, fabrication of advanced nanowire heterostructures, and
understanding and controlling the nanowire electrical and optical properties. Here, recent work is presented involving
the aligned growth of GaN and III-nitride core-shell nanowires, along with extensive results providing insights into the
nanowire properties obtained using advanced electrical, optical and structural characterization techniques.
The novel properties of semiconductor nanowires, along with their potential for device applications in areas including
nanoscale lasers and thermoelectrics, have led to a resurgence of interest in their growth and characterization over the
past decade. However, the further development and optimization of nanowire-based devices will depend critically on an
understanding of carrier relaxation in these nanostructures. For example, the operation of GaN-based photonic devices is
often influenced by the presence of a large defect state concentration. Ultrafast optical spectroscopy can address this
problem by measuring carrier transfer into and out of these states, which will be important in optimizing device
performance.
In this work, we use ultrafast wavelength-tunable optical spectroscopy to temporally resolve carrier dynamics in
semiconductor nanowires. Wavelength-tunable optical pump-probe measurements enable us to independently measure
electron and hole dynamics in Ge nanowires, revealing that the lifetime of both electrons and holes decreases with
decreasing nanowire diameter. Similar measurements on CdSe nanostructures reveal that the surface-to-volume ratio
strongly influences carrier relaxation. Finally, ultrafast optical experiments on GaN nanowires probe carrier dynamics in
the defect states that influence device operation. These experiments provide fundamental insight into carrier relaxation in
these nanosystems and reveal information critical to optimizing their performance for applications.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-destructive and non-contact technique that images microstructure within scattering media. In this work, the versatility of OCT for non-destructive evaluation is demonstrated through imaging of composite microstructure and damage. Imaging of composite microstructure is demonstrated through tomographic reconstructions of an epoxy/unidirectional E-glass composite and an epoxy/0-90 degree woven E-glass composite. Imaging of damage is shown by tomographic reconstruction of impact damage in a epoxy/unidirectional E-glass composite. The volumetric reconstruction of the composite is re-sliced along the thickness axis to reveal the propagation of cracks through the reinforcement layers. Advantages and limitations of OCT are discussed.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.