小二哥李白: I copy and paste the abstract of ths "quantum well" proje

A Novel Universal Photon and Radioactive Beta Particle Detector: Multifunctionality Enabled by
Wavefunction Engineering, Photomodulated Electron Tunneling, and Quantum Confinement of Charge
Carrier Motion in Nanowires
Saumil Bandyopadhyay
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, Richmond, VA
PH063
This research reports the invention of a novel universal photo- and radioactive beta particle
detector employing parallel arrays of 10- or 50-nm diameter semiconductor nanowires that are
electrochemically self assembled. Measurements show that it can detect infrared light with high
detectivity and high signal-to-noise ratio at room temperature. This is achieved through a new
principle of quantum-mechanical wavefunction engineering to selectively promote
electron-photon coupling over electron-phonon coupling. By integrating the detector with a 5 nm
insulating layer through which photogenerated charge carriers have to quantum-mechanically
tunnel, the signal-to-noise ratio is increased further while the standby power dissipation is
reduced dramatically to make the detector superbly energy-efficient. The detector can also detect
radioactive beta particles with high efficiency, despite the use of relatively impure materials,
because of quantum-mechanical suppression of charge carrier scattering in nanowires. This
universal detector is robust, rugged, reliable, inexpensive, amenable to mass production, and works
without cryo-cooling -- all of which open up vast areas of application in night vision, buried mine
detection, car collision avoidance systems, missile defense, astronomy, molecular spectroscopy,
forensic science, monitoring of global warming, radiation therapy for cancer treatment, and
homeland security, among others.