Wei Wu's research

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Developed a novel nanolithography technique using photonic properties of silica/polystyrene micro-/nano-spheres on photoresist:

Modeled super focusing properties of silica and polystyrene microspheres on photoresist using 3D-FDTD method.

Designed a setup to form a very large monolayer of hexagonally close packed microspheres on photoresist (~cm^2 size).

Achieved formation of a large uniform nanohole/nanopillar array (~180nm diameter) with controlled pitches using standard UV source (wavelength of ~400nm).

Research was published as a cover of Nanotechnology, and reported by several media.

Developed a gate-controlled electrically tunable quantum dot/nanowire infrared/terahertz photodetector (funded by NSF and DARPA):

Simulated the performance characteristics of the electrically tunable photodetector for terahertz detection.

Designed and developed multiple processing strategies for fabricating the quantum dot/nanowire device arrays, and implemented more than 50 processing steps in Argonne National Lab CNM, Northwestern, and University of Illinois cleanrooms.

Excellent at nanofabrication (E-beam lithography and FIB) and nano-characterization techniques (took more than 2,000 SEM images).

Extensive electrical and optical characterization experience of infrared photodetectors and other quantum devices.

Designed and developed a plasmonic enhanced quantum well infrared photodetector:

Designed and modeled the enhanced optical absorption of quantum wells by the surface plasmon waves generated by a periodic hole array perforated in metal film.

Fabricated and characterized the plasmonic enhanced quantum well infrared photodetector devices.

Achieved very high quantum efficiency and detectivity for quantum wells photodetectors.

An injectorless quantum cascade laser with very low voltage defect:

Involved in developing an injectorless quantum cascade laser based on double LO-phonon resonance, and achieved a very low voltage defect of 57 meV at 77K at 6.7 um.

A bio-inspired single photon detector with a very high SNR:

Involved in the development of a bio-inspired nano-injector based near-infrared single photon detector with a very high gain and low noise, and fabricated a focal plane array (FPA) of the detectors.

Proposed and simulated plasmonic photonic crystal as emitter of Thermophotovoltaics to enhance the efficiency:

Simulated the far-field properties of periodic hole arrays perforated in metal-dielectric-metal layers.

Optimized the plasmonic structure to enhance the absorption of GaSb photovoltaic cells.

Collaborated with Prof. Samuel Stupp's group on characterizations of novel organic ferroelectric crystals:

Tested the polarization hysterisis and dielectric constant of the ferroelectric crystal at different temperatures.

Studied single-wall carbon nanotubes for transistors applications:

Deposited and characterized high-k dielectrics on single-wall carbon nanotube field-effect transistors.