Physics of nanostructures

This EU presents the physical properties of different nanostructures such as quantum wells, 1D photonic crystals, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. Electronic (structure and transport), vibrational, and optical properties are discussed, as well as radiation-matter interaction.

This will involve describing the development of low-dimensional materials and the associated electronic, photonic, and phononic structures, studying transport phenomena, electron-photon and electron-phonon couplings, excitons, and the absorption, emission, and scattering of light.

Describe physical phenomena occurring at the nanoscale and understand the properties of nanomaterials.

Concepts of crystallography, reciprocal lattice. Band structure. Propagation of electromagnetic waves (Maxwell's equations). Vibrations of a crystal, absorption and dispersion of light.

Recommended prerequisites:

Excitonic effects, electronic and phononic dispersion curves.

Continuous assessment.

Four written exams and one oral exam.

The final grade is the average of the 5 grades.

Carbon-based nanostructures:

 Presentation of carbon-based nanostructures
Structural, electronic, and optical properties of graphene and single-walled nanotubes
Raman spectroscopy
Applications to carbon nanostructures

Nano-photonics: 

1D, 2D, and 3D photonic crystals

Reflectivity and transmission through transfer matrices

Strip chart

Anisotropic media

Plasmonics

Optical spectroscopy of nanostructures:

 Interaction between light and electrons confined in a nanostructure

Semiconductor wells and quantum dots: intra-band and inter-band transitions

Quantum light emitters

Nanotransport:

 Semi-classical transport theories
Quantum transport: Effect of dimensionality and band structure
Landauer formalism
Transport in nanotubes and graphene
Quantum Hall effect and metrology
High-mobility transistor (HEMT)