Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

The major technological trends that are reshaping everyday life in Canada—from cloud computing, renewable energy, and telemedicine, to social media, smartphones, and the internet-of-things—are built upon the trillions of electronic devices that transmit and transform energy and information. At present, these components (transistors, detectors, photovoltaics, LEDs...) are overwhelmingly made from traditional semiconductors, particularly silicon. However, in some applications, alternative materials have real-world advantages, including energy efficiency, flexibility, or unique performance. Indeed, in 2016, most high-end smartphone displays are made from molecular organic semiconductors, and top-of-the-line flat-panel televisions employ colloidal quantum dots—brilliantly colourful semiconductor chunks. Light interacts with these novel semiconductors via excitons: quantum packets that can transport or temporarily store energy on the nano-scale.

We seek to understand the rich behaviour of excitons, using laser spectroscopy to monitor their fleeting (100fs–100μs) lives. We will watch as they are created by photon absorption, evolve under the influence of entropy and quantum-mechanical spin, and move through materials and across interfaces to carry their energy payload to the target. We will support our pursuit by becoming experts in the synthesis of quantum dots and the fabrication of nanostructured, multi-component thin-film devices—particularly those that interact with short-wave infrared light. (λ:1–3μm)

In sum, as we reveal the rich behaviour of excitons, we will be able to imagine and advance new technologies, such as the use of organic molecules and quantum dots together to help conventional silicon cameras 'see' infrared light. Indeed, the technological opportunities we will pursue play to Canada's economic strengths. For example our research could enhance the efficiency of today's solar cells, enable new dyes for inexpensive biomedical imaging that can probe more deeply into tissue, and reduce the cost of infrared cameras so that they can help autonomous vehicles see through fog.

Importantly, the outcome of the research program enabled by this grant is more than published discoveries—it is also the advanced training opportunities provided to students. Over the next five years, the Wilson Lab is expected to grow to approximately 8 graduate students, 2 postdoctoral fellows, and two rotating positions for undergraduates. Our early success in recruitment stems from a firm dedication to mentorship, as well as students' enthusiasm to pursue their own research projects within the scope of this application, and learn technical skills (ultrafast optics, materials characterization, thin-film deposition, etc.) and broader abilities (communication, experimentation, analysis, design) that are sought-after in a wide range of careers.