NSF Award
1554094
This project is jointly funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Ceramics Program in the Division of Materials Research.<br/><br/>NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This CAREER project achieves a fundamental understanding of the formation, stability, and manipulation of defects in optoelectronic materials in order to more effectively synthesize high-quality laser materials with tailored properties. This line of research is extremely important in the development of new optical devices, and has not yet been adequately pursued and understood. This project is transformative, as it will open new avenues for utilizing dopants to design and synthesize optical and photonic materials with new capabilities and functionalities. The research has potential impacts on a wide range of important applications, including laser machining and manufacturing, laser-sparked fusion energy, laser communications, high-energy particle and radiation detection, medical imaging, etc. The project has developed an educational program called Collaborative Exchange Research and Materials in Ceramic Sciences (CERAMICS) to help students gain research experience abroad, primarily in Asian countries, through an exchange program. This experience provides students with a more global view of research activities. <br/><br/>TECHNICAL DETAILS: The overall objective of this CAREER project is to address the fundamental materials science questions associated with using off-valence ion substitution to control the valency of dopant ions in laser and optoelectronic materials. To answer these questions, a thorough understanding of the formation, stability, and manipulation of cation defects and ionic valencies in select materials is being developed. Specifically, the intention of this project is to study the mechanisms by which the valencies of dopant ions can be tuned, by controlling the local oxidizing or reducing environment. Modification of local environments can generate different electronic and coordination structures, which changes the behavior of the optically-active ion centers in a material. This project applies simulation methods to study models with different dopants and/or combinations of dopants to predict possible spectroscopic properties. Electron microscopy is used to examine the distribution of dopants and vacancies in different materials, and to determine the location of substitutional ions; whether they exist in lattice sites or are segregated at grain boundaries. This work brings about unique opportunities to design new optical materials for applications in next generation devices such as ceramic lasers and scintillation detectors. The project also includes a dedicated enhanced educational experience for students, which trains future generations of optical and photonic materials engineers.
