Time-resolved THz Studies of Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors, Superconductors, and Strongly-correlated Electron Materials

Time-resolved THz Studies of Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors, Superconductors, and Strongly-correlated Electron Materials
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2006
Genre:
ISBN:

Perhaps the most important aspect of contemporary condensed matter physics involves understanding strong Coulomb interactions between the large number of electrons in a solid. Electronic correlations lead to the emergence of new system properties, such as metal-insulator transitions, superconductivity, magneto-resistance, Bose-Einstein condensation, the formation of excitonic gases, or the integer and fractional Quantum Hall effects. The discovery of high-Tc superconductivity in particular was a watershed event, leading to dramatic experimental and theoretical advances in the field of correlated-electron systems. Such materials often exhibit competition between the charge, lattice, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom, whose cause-effect relationships are difficult to ascertain. Experimental insight into the properties of solids is traditionally obtained by time-averaged probes, which measure e.g., linear optical spectra, electrical conduction properties, or the occupied band structure in thermal equilibrium. Many novel physical properties arise from excitations out of the ground state into energetically higher states by thermal, optical, or electrical means. This leads to fundamental interactions between the system's constituents, such as electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions, which occur on ultrafast timescales. While these interactions underlie the physical properties of solids, they are often only indirectly inferred from time-averaged measurements. Time-resolved spectroscopy, consequently, is playing an ever increasing role to provide insight into light-matter interaction, microscopic processes, or cause-effect relationships that determine the physics of complex materials. In the past, experiments using visible and near-infrared femtosecond pulses have been extensively employed, e.g. to follow relaxation and dephasing processes in metals and semiconductors. However, many basic excitations in strongly-correlated electron systems and nanoscale materials occur at lower energies. The terahertz (THz) regime is particularly rich in such fundamental resonances. This includes ubiquitous lattice vibrations and low-energy collective oscillations of conduction charges. In nanoscale materials, band structure quantization also yields novel infrared and THz transitions, including intersubband absorption in quantum wells. The formation of excitons in turn leads to low-energy excitations analogous to inter-level transitions in atoms. In transition-metal oxides, fundamental excitation gaps arise from charge pairing into superconducting condensates and other correlated states. This motivates the use of ultrafast THz spectroscopy as a powerful tool to study light-matter interactions and microscopic processes in nanoscale and correlated-electron materials. A distinct advantage of coherent THz pulses is that the amplitude and phase of the electric field can be measured directly, as the THz fields are coherent with the fs pulses from which they are generated. Using THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), both the real and imaginary parts of the response functions (such as the dielectric function) are obtained directly without the need for Kramers?Kronig transforms. The THz response can also be expressed in terms of absorption and refractive index, or as the optical conductivity. The optical conductivity describes the current response of a many-body system to an electric field, an ideal tool to study conducting systems. A second important advantage is the ultrafast time resolution that results from the short temporal duration of the THz time-domain sources. In particular, optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy enables a delicate probe of the transient THz conductivity after optical photoexcitation. These experiments can provide insight into quasiparticle interactions, phase transitions, or nonequilibrium dynamics. In this chapter we will provide many such examples. Since THz spectroscopy of solids is a quickly expanding field.

Terahertz Spectroscopy

Terahertz Spectroscopy
Author: Susan L. Dexheimer
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2017-12-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 142000770X

The development of new sources and methods in the terahertz spectral range has generated intense interest in terahertz spectroscopy and its application in an array of fields. Presenting state-of-the-art terahertz spectroscopic techniques, Terahertz Spectroscopy: Principles and Applications focuses on time-domain methods based on femtosecond laser sources and important recent applications in physics, materials science, chemistry, and biomedicine. The first section of the book examines instrumentation and methods for terahertz spectroscopy. It provides a comprehensive treatment of time-domain terahertz spectroscopic measurements, including methods for the generation and detection of terahertz radiation, methods for determining optical constants from time-domain measurements, and the use of femtosecond time-resolved techniques. The last two sections explore a variety of applications of terahertz spectroscopy in physics, materials science, chemistry, and biomedicine. With chapters contributed by leading experts in academia, industry, and research, this volume thoroughly discusses methods and applications, setting it apart from other recent books in this emerging terahertz field.

Transport Phenomena in Micro- and Nanoscale Functional Materials and Devices

Transport Phenomena in Micro- and Nanoscale Functional Materials and Devices
Author: Joao B. Sousa
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2021-03-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0323460976

Transport Phenomena in Micro- and Nanoscale Functional Materials and Devices offers a pragmatic view on transport phenomena for micro- and nanoscale materials and devices, both as a research tool and as a means to implant new functions in materials. Chapters emphasize transport properties (TP) as a research tool at the micro/nano level and give an experimental view on underlying techniques. The relevance of TP is highlighted through the interplay between a micro/nanocarrier's characteristics and media characteristics: long/short-range order and disorder excitations, couplings, and in energy conversions. Later sections contain case studies on the role of transport properties in functional nanomaterials. This includes transport in thin films and nanostructures, from nanogranular films, to graphene and 2D semiconductors and spintronics, and from read heads, MRAMs and sensors, to nano-oscillators and energy conversion, from figures of merit, micro-coolers and micro-heaters, to spincaloritronics. Presents a pragmatic description of electrical transport phenomena in micro- and nanoscale materials and devices from an experimental viewpoint Provides an in-depth overview of the experimental techniques available to measure transport phenomena in micro- and nanoscale materials Features case studies to illustrate how each technique works Highlights emerging areas of interest in micro- and nanomaterial transport phenomena, including spintronics

Generating and Using Terahertz Radiation to Explore Carrier Dynamics of Semiconductor and Metal Nanostructures

Generating and Using Terahertz Radiation to Explore Carrier Dynamics of Semiconductor and Metal Nanostructures
Author: Andrew D. Jameson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 137
Release: 2012
Genre: Metallic films
ISBN:

In this thesis, I present studies in the field of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. These studies are divided into three areas: Development of a narrowband THz source, the study of carrier transport in metal thin films, and the exploration of coherent dynamics of quasi-particles in semiconductor nanostructures with both broadband and narrowband THz sources. The narrowband THz source makes use of type II difference frequency generation (DFG) in a nonlinear crystal to generate THz waves. By using two linearly chirped, orthogonally polarized optical pulses to drive the DFG, we were able to produce a tunable source of strong, narrowband THz radiation. The broadband source makes use of optical rectification of an ultra-short optical pulse in a nonlinear crystal to generate a single-cycle THz pulse. Linear spectroscopic measurements were taken on NiTi-alloy thin films of various thicknesses and titanium concentrations with broadband THz pulses as well as THz power transmission measurements. By applying a combination of the Drude model and Fresnel thin-film coefficients, we were able to extract the DC resistivity of the NiTi-alloy thin films. Using the narrowband source of THz radiation, we explored the exciton dynamics of semiconductor quantum wells. These dynamics were made sense of by observing time-resolved transmission measurements and comparing them to theoretical calculations. By tuning the THz photon energy near exciton transition energies, we were able to observe extreme nonlinear optical transients including the onset of Rabi oscillations. Furthermore, we applied the broadband THz waves to quantum wells embedded in a microcavity, and time-resolved reflectivity measurements were taken. Many interesting nonlinear optical transients were observed, including interference effects between the modulated polariton states in the sample.

A Terahertz Emission Spectrometer for the Study of Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors

A Terahertz Emission Spectrometer for the Study of Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors
Author: Gregory Bell
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:

"Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in semiconductors are behind many operation characteristics of opto-electronic devices. The buildup of carrier momentum in an electric field involves more than the field itself. The buildup also depends on intrinsic interactions within a material that occur on ultrafast time scales. The acceleration of the charges that attain this momentum emit a radiation that reveals details of the carrier motion via Maxwell's equation. The frequency of these electromagnetic waves thus depends on the internal processes controlling the momentum rise. These time scales in semiconductors are often in the picosecond regime, which can lead to generation of terahertz (THz) light. By taking coherent measurements of the electric field in time, one can glean information about the carrier motion on femtosecond (fs) times scales. In this writing, the construction of time-resolved THz emission spectrometers designed to detect this THz radiation from sources biased by a quasi-static electric field while being excited by a pulsed fs laser is discussed. The theory of the THz generation from semiconductors outlined is based on established techniques, and shows how they can be used to obtain information ab out the material's properties. Theperformance of the spectrometer is established with standard electro-optic emitters ZnTe and GaP. Two attempts are made to detect THz radiation from novel systems: semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), and organo metallic halide perovskite thin films. Complications that were encountered are summarized, along with steps to overcome them, with the plan to continue to employ the current spectrometer into inquiries ab out ultrafast carrier dynamics in materials." --

Fundamentals of Semiconductors

Fundamentals of Semiconductors
Author: Peter YU
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 651
Release: 2007-05-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3540264752

Excellent bridge between general solid-state physics textbook and research articles packed with providing detailed explanations of the electronic, vibrational, transport, and optical properties of semiconductors "The most striking feature of the book is its modern outlook ... provides a wonderful foundation. The most wonderful feature is its efficient style of exposition ... an excellent book." Physics Today "Presents the theoretical derivations carefully and in detail and gives thorough discussions of the experimental results it presents. This makes it an excellent textbook both for learners and for more experienced researchers wishing to check facts. I have enjoyed reading it and strongly recommend it as a text for anyone working with semiconductors ... I know of no better text ... I am sure most semiconductor physicists will find this book useful and I recommend it to them." Contemporary Physics Offers much new material: an extensive appendix about the important and by now well-established, deep center known as the DX center, additional problems and the solutions to over fifty of the problems at the end of the various chapters.