Title of Submission
Quantum Confinement of Charge Carriers in GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostructures
Degree Program
Materials Science and Engineering, PhD
Major Advisor Name
Paul Simmonds
Type of Submission
Scholarly Poster
Abstract
Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) travel on the surface of a material and have an amplitude that decays exponentially with increasing depth. By fine tuning the design of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure containing several quantum wells we can align the antinodes of the wave with the location of 2-dimensional electron gases. These waves are generated by high frequency lasers shining on an interference patterned tuned to the lasers repetition rate at ~76 MHz or by using interdigitated transducers on the surface. The epitaxial growth and concentration calibrations of the structure is discussed. Possible applications include energy conversion technology and encryption systems.
Funding Information
Idaho National Laboratory