Research in the Nanoelectronic Materials and Devices Lab focuses on the discovery of new nanomaterials, the design of novel high-performance device architectures, and the experimental demonstration of device prototypes. Our particular interest is in colloidal quantum dot-based devices, in which semiconductor nanocrystals with tailored electronic properties are used as fundamental building blocks to construct devices from the bottom-up. This approach provides an opportunity to exploit unique properties arising from nanoscale components and to explore unconventional device concepts and designs. One of our major research thrust is to develop quantum dot-based sensors and imagers, with a specific focus on investigating new infrared sensing nanomaterials and device structures for high sensitivity, uncooled photodetection. This research aims to enable infrared detectors with low size, weight, power consumption and cost (SWaP-C) for applications toward sensors for autonomous driving, drones and microsatellite mounts, advanced robotic vision, and augmented googles. Other projects include the development of paper-based thermoelectric devices that offer a compelling combination of low-cost, high-throughput fabrication and flexible form. These devices can produce electrical power from body heat (curved surfaces) with applications ranging from wearable/portable electronics to "deploy-and-forget" wireless sensor networks.
