About the project
This project aims to investigate the optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, to study light emission dynamics and photon correlation, and to optimise the chemical composition and processing methods for achieving improved brightness and purity.
The University of Southampton is expanding its PhD research in the area of Quantum Technology Engineering. In addition to the research project outlined below you will receive substantial training in scientific, technical, and commercial skills.
Perovskite semiconductors are an emerging class of materials that are gaining increasing attention owning to their excellent efficiency, low-cost fabrication, and remarkable versatility.
Perovskite nanocrystals can be easily fabricated in colloidal suspensions and offer a wide range of colour tunability with high radiative efficiency, making them excellent candidates for light emission applications.
Nanoparticles presenting quantum and dielectric confinement provide another degree of tunability, and offer interesting opportunities for exploring excitonic effects. In addition to classical light emitters, these nanocrystals present promising properties for novel quantum technologies, and they have demonstrated very interesting potential for single-photon emitters. Further development is required to improve stability, minimise blinking, and to understand and optimise the factors that regulate single photon purity.
In this project you will take part in this exciting and dynamic field of emerging semiconductors.
You will develop expertise in laser spectroscopy, including photoluminescence, transient absorption, and single-photon correlation.
You will also gain skills in material fabrication and characterisation, numerical modelling, data analysis, and other important transferrable skills.
This will open numerous opportunities for a future career in cutting-edge academic research and in the growing industry in semiconductors and quantum technologies.
This project will be supervised by Dr Silvia Motti and will integrate the Semiconductor Photophysics group and the wider Quantum, Light, and Matter group of the School of Physics and Astronomy. The group offers a welcoming and inclusive environment, a friendly and supportive local community, and flexible arrangements.
We strongly encourage applications from candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.