Baltimore Chapter of Electron Devices and Solid-State Circuits

Quantum Engineering of Semiconductor Atomic Structures for Biosensing

Dr. Manijeh Razeghi
Center for Quantum Devices
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Northwestern University

5:30pm Tuesday, 30 April 2013
206 Technology Research Center, UMBC

5:30pm social hour, talk begins at 6:15pm. Free but please RSVP to by Monday, April 29

Nature offers us different kinds of atoms, but it takes human intelligence to put them together in an elegant way in order to realize functional structures not found in nature. III-V semiconductors are made of atoms from column III (B, Al, Ga, In, Tl) and column V (N, As, P, Sb, Bi) of the periodic table, and constitute a particularly rich variety of compounds with many useful optical and electronic properties. Guided by highly accurate simulations of the electronic structure, modern semiconductor optoelectronic devices are literally made atom by atom using advanced growth technology such as Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Recent breakthroughs have brought quantum engineering to an unprecedented level, creating light detectors and emitters over an extremely wide spectral range from 0.2 µm to 300 µm. Nitrogen serves as the best column V element for the short wavelength side of the electromagnetic spectrum, where we have demonstrated III-nitride light emitting diodes and photo detectors in the deep ultraviolet to visible wavelengths. In the infrared, III-V compounds using phosphorus, arsenic, or antimony from column V with indium, gallium, aluminum, or thallium from column III can create lasers and detectors based on quantum-dot (QD) or type-II superlattice (T2SL). These are fast becoming the choice of technology in crucial applications such as environmental monitoring and space exploration. Last but not least, on the far-infrared end of the electromagnetic spectrum known as the terahertz (THz) region, III-V semiconductors offer a unique solution of generating THz waves in a compact device at room temperature. Continued effort is being devoted to all of the above areas with the intention of developing smart technologies which meet the current challenges in environment, health, security, and energy. This talk will highlight contributions to the world of III-V semiconductor nano-scale optoelectronic devices from deep UV to THz.

Dr. Manijeh Razeghi received the Doctorat d'État es Sciences Physiques from the Université de Paris in 1980. After heading the Exploratory Materials Lab at Thomson-CSF (France), she joined Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, in the fall of 1991 as the Director of the Center for Quantum Devices, where she created undergraduate and graduate programs in solid-state engineering. Dr. Razeghi pioneered the development and implementation of major modern epitaxial techniques such as MOCVD, VPE, gas MBE, and MOMBE for the growth of entire compositional ranges of III-V compound semiconductors. She is on the editorial board of journals such as the Journal of Nanotechnology and the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and is an Associate Editor of the Opto-Electronics Review. Dr. Razeghi is on the International Advisory Board for the Polish Committee of Science, and is an Adjunct Professor at the College of Optical Sciences of the University of Arizona in Tucson. She ha s authored or co-authored more than 1000 papers, over 30 book chapters, and fifteen books, including the textbooks Technology of Quantum Devices and Fundamentals of Solid State Engineering, 3rd Edition. Two of her books, MOCVD Challenge Vol. 1 (1989) and MOCVD Challenge Vol. 2 (1995), discuss some of her pioneering work in InP-GaInAsP and GaAs-GaInAsP based systems. [The MOCVD Challenge, 2nd Edition (2010) represents the combined updated version of Volumes 1 and 2]. Dr. Razeghi holds 50 U.S. patents and has given more than 1000 invited and plenary talks. Her current research interest is in nanoscale optoelectronic quantum devices. Dr. Razeghi is a Fellow of MRS, IOP, IEEE, APS, SPIE, OSA, and the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), a Fellow and Life Member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and a member of the Electrochemical Society, ACS, AAAS, and the French Academy of Sciences and Technology. She 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, and multiple best paper awards.