Optoelectronic Materials and Devices
RESEARCH
Research Overview
We connect research in electrical engineering, materials science, and physical chemistry to tackle a wide range of problems across the field of novel semiconducting materials and devices. Our group aims to develop innovative semiconductors with programmable electronic properties, provide fundamental insights into light-matter interactions, and build next-generation devices to address challenges in energy harvesting, sensing, bioimaging, and information technology.
Materials Discovery
Our group develops solution-based methodologies to create novel semiconductors and heterostructures that exhibit unique physical properties. Integrating semiconductors of disparate functionalities provides a powerful route to discover synergistic properties found in neither of the constituents. We work on a range of constituent materials including nanocrystals and metal halide perovskites. We explore the morphological, crystal, and band structure of the systems, design engineering strategies to control structural heterogeneity, and reveal energy transport across the hybrid interfaces.
Spectroscopy
The motion and dynamics of charges, excitons and phonons control the properties of semiconducting materials and devices. Using ultrafast pump-probe techniques, we investigate carrier and spin dynamics in materials on a range of length and time scales. This allows us to unravel the flow of energy in disordered semiconductors, elucidate charge transfer at the internal interfaces of heterostructures, and identify non-radiative energy loss mechanisms in devices. We seek to use these insights to develop new concepts for photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and lasers.
Optoelectronic Devices
Optoelectronics made from emerging semiconductors has the capacity to be pervasive in our daily lives. Our group develops thin-film devices including photodetectors, solar cells, LEDs, and lasers, with the aim of understanding the fundamental mechanisms and improving their performance. We apply what we learn from photophysical studies to design novel device concepts. Specific topics include the realization of infrared photodetectors and LEDs for sensing and communication, the design of nanostructures for quantum light generation, and new approaches to pushing solar cell performance beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit.
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