The course will cover the following topics:
• Review of fundamentals of semiconductors and their optical properties
• Aspects of semiconductor materials manufacturing and characterization
• Modern semiconductor-based detectors for high-end fundamental and applied research (image detectors, single photon detectors, etc.)
• Semiconductor based sources: classical (e.g., broad- and narrow-band sources) and quantum (e.g., low-dimensional structures and sources of single photons)
• Overview of the latest technology advancements, including recently market-launched devices for high-end fundamental and applied research (e.g., quantum CMOS)
The aim of the course is that the participating students learn about the details of modern detectors and light sources based on semiconductor materials, which are employed nowadays for the high-end fundamental and applied research. Based on a detailed discussion of the underlying physics, the students should also learn about the main features of such detectors and sources and their operation requirements, as well as what are the paths towards expected further advancements in the field. The students will learn what to expect from modern semiconductor devices during experiments and what criteria to consider when selecting a detector/source for a certain application.
The course is intended to help students interested in practical work to become more confident and independent within the experiments for their master thesis and/or doctorate project, while for theory enthusiasts to better understand what is achievable in the real measurements and what the current limitations are. This will give the students an overview of what is the state-of-the-art of the technology and what are the current goals, so that they could benefit from this vision in their later career.
To achieve the above-mentioned goals, the course, first, will shortly review the basics of semiconductor materials with an emphasis on their optical properties and discuss the aspects of manufacturing and characterization of semiconductors depending on the intended application. Then, the largest part of the course will be dedicated to the detailed analysis of the physics, operation principles, and application parameters of modern semiconductor devices, e.g. scientific CCD and CMOS cameras, single photon detectors and their arrays, as well as light sources of classical (e.g., LEDs, lasers) and quantum (e.g., single photon sources) nature.
To enable the students to apply the knowledge obtained in the lectures to the solution of real problems, the accompanying tutorials will provide students with practical examples of devices and their selection, analyze the latest reported advancements, as well as will offer lab tours and/or demonstration experiments. |
