Rice researchers gain new insight into nanoscale optics

In recent years, the field of self-assembled quantum dots has shown great promise for nanoscale applications in optoelectronics and quantum computing. Worldwide efforts in both theory and experimental investigations have driven the growth, characterization, and applications of quantum dots into an advanced multidisciplinary field. Written by leading experts in the field, Self-Assembled Quantum Dots provides up-to-date coverage of  carrier and spin dynamics and energy transfer and structural interaction among nanostructures. Topics also includes current device applications such as quantum dot lasers and detectors as well as future applications to quantum information processing.

The continuous scaling of transistors in the last half of century has been the driving force for electronics. The channel length of the transistors in production today is below 100nm. A wide variety of devices are also being explored to complement or even replace silicon transistors at molecular scales. Similarities between nanoscale and micronscale transistors exist, but nanotransistors also behave in drastically different ways. For example, ballistic transport and quantum effects become much more important. To push MOSFETs to their scaling limits and to explore devices that may complement or even replace them at molecular scale, a clear understanding of device physics at nanometer scale is necessary.

The book provides a description of the recent development of theory,...

Through advanced characterization and new fabrication techniques, nanostructured materials have become a central focus of investigation in materials science, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Nanomaterials with a range of morphologies and compositions have been shown to display varied functionality in areas such as electronic structure, optical effects, and spin dynamics. This book presents a detailed overview of recent research developments on functional nanomaterials, including synthesis, characterization, and applications. A series of chapters provides state-of-the-art information on oxide nanoparticles, metal nanostructures, semiconductor nanocrystals, and polymer nanocomposites.

Just like the periodical crystalline potential in solid-state crystals determines their properties for the conduction of electrons, the periodical structuring of photonic crystals leads to envisioning the possibility of achieving a control of the photon flux in dielectric and metallic materials.

The use of photonic crystals as a cage for storing, filtering or guiding light at the wavelength scale thus paves the way to the realisation of optical and optoelectronic devices with ultimate properties and dimensions. This should contribute toward meeting the demands for a greater miniaturisation that the processing of an ever increasing number of data requires.

Photonic Crystals intends to provide students and researchers from different fields with the theoretical background...

This book deals with a "bottom-up" approach to building nanostructured systems, where one starts with atoms and molecules, which constitute the molecular building blocks (MBBs), and assembles them to build a nanostructured material. Nanotechnology MBBs are distinguished for their unique properties. They include, for example, graphite, fullerene, carbon nanotubes, diamondoids, nanowires, nanocrystals and amino acids. All these MBBs, and more, are candidates for various applications in nanotechnology. These building blocks have quite unique properties not found in small molecules. Some of these MBBs are electrical conductors, some are semiconductors, some are photonic, and the characteristic dimension of each is a few nanometers. The examples covered in this book by the sixteen chapters...

This book covers both experimental and theoretical aspects of nanoscale light scattering and surface roughness.

Topics include: Spherical particles located on a substrate, surface and buried interface roughness, surface roughness of polymer thin films, magnetic and thermal fluctuations at planar surfaces, speckle patterns, scattering of electromagnetic waves from a metal, multiple wavelength light scattering, nanoroughness standards, Beckmann-Kirchoff scalar scattering theory, random and nonrandom (patterned) surfaces, surface plasmons, instrumentation and experimental methods.