Atomic-Scale Optics Advanced

An advance that better explains how light interacts with matter could eventually lead to faster, more efficient computers.

North Carolina State University physics professor David Aspnes, PhD, and research associate Eric Adles, PhD, conducted research on second-harmonic generation, or how wavelengths of light are shortened upon interaction with materials.

Aspnes said that the research could be used to further our understanding of how materials bond to each other -- such as silicon and next-generation insulating materials for integrated circuit technologies. By helping researchers select and process materials that bond to silicon more uniformly, the work could result in faster computers that use energy more efficiently, he said.

Adles said the work allows scientists and engineers to use nonlinear-optical spectroscopy -- which examines light reflected, absorbed or produced by a substance to determine its physical properties -- to obtain more accurate information on a substance at the atomic scale. For example, the research could be used to get better data on the physical properties of the "interface" -- the one-atom-thick layer where two materials bond to each other.

Essentially, Adles said, the results provide a "key" that can be used by researchers to analyze spectroscopy data. Previously, scientists could collect such data on the interface, but had no means of interpreting it correctly on the atomic scale.

Aspnes said the goal of the research was to "improve our understanding of how things work," but that it also gives others the tools to better analyze data and therefore gives manufacturers and industry scientists the opportunity to make better decisions about how best to move forward.

The research appears in the April 15 issue of Physical Review B.

For more information, visit: www.ncsu.edu