BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Terahertz lights up the nanoscale: Paving the way for nanotechnolo
 gy via terahertz spectroscopy. - Jessica Boland\; The University of Manche
 ster
DTSTART:20190517T100000Z
DTEND:20190517T110000Z
UID:TALK123856@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Elizabeth Tennyson
DESCRIPTION:As our reliance on technology continues to increase\, the dema
 nd for smaller\, faster devices with increased functionality is constantly
  growing. Just think how much thinner and smaller your phone has become in
  the past few years!  Nanomaterials are rapidly finding their way into our
  everyday lives with a range of applications\, from electronics and solar 
 cells to biomedical\, such as drug delivery and sterilisation. However\, i
 f we really want to harness the advantages of these nanomaterials\, we nee
 d to understand their fundamental optoelectronic properties. How fast are 
 electrons moving in the material? How efficient are they at converting lig
 ht to an electric current? This is where terahertz spectroscopy comes in. 
 \nThe terahertz frequency range (1011 to 1013Hz) provides the perfect prob
 e for investigating electronic processes within these nanomaterials. The e
 nergy range of terahertz radiation extends over the energies of several ty
 pical quasiparticles\, such as free electrons and holes\, plasmons\, magno
 ns and polarons. Scattering rates between these mobile charge carriers als
 o occur on a timescale of 10-14 to 10-12 seconds\, placing them firmly in 
 the terahertz frequency range. In this talk\, I will show how terahertz sp
 ectroscopy can examine the ultrafast carrier dynamics of an ensemble of se
 miconductor nanowires\, allowing characterisation of photoconductivity lif
 etimes\, mobility and doping levels. Finally\, I will discuss how terahert
 z spectroscopy can be combined with atomic force microscopy to probe indiv
 idual nanostructures on nanometre length scales with surface sensitivity\,
  presenting the first terahertz microscopy study of topological insulator 
 thin films. This novel microscopy technique will provide a huge amount of 
 ‘untapped’ material information that will be vital for future device d
 evelopment. 
LOCATION:Rayleigh Seminar Room\, Maxwell Centre\, Cavendish Laboratory
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR