The $500,000 award will span five years, beginning in Spring 2022. The NSF CAREER is NSF’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the community.

Cavallo’s project is entitled “CAREER: Spintronic Devices Using Screw Dislocations in Single-Crystalline Semiconductors.” The work on the project will be performed at the UNM’s Center for High-Technology Materials (CHTM) and in collaboration with the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies in Albuquerque.

Cavallo said that the program aims to investigate the device physics of a novel spin field-effect transistor (spin-FET) while broadening the participation of Deaf, Hispanics, and Native Americans in nanoscience and engineering. The work will be the first experimental study to focus on the fabrication and characterization of spin FETs that leverage screw dislocations in conventional semiconductors. A screw dislocation is a type of crystal defect that promises to act as a suitable channel for a spin transistor that operates at relevant temperatures for commercial, industrial, and military applications (i.e., room temperature and above). The improved knowledge and technological advances generated in this project will potentially accelerate very-large-scale integration of high-performance spintronic devices, which is required for the practical realization of hybrid and entirely spin-based classical and quantum computers. 

Dr. Cavallo will also implement an extensive educational and outreach plan to broaden the participation of Deaf, Hispanics, and Native Americans in STEM. Among the planned activities are experiential exhibits and workshops at the ¡Explora! learning center in Old Town Albuquerque as well as traveling exhibits to community libraries in rural areas of New Mexico and the New Mexico School of the Deaf in Santa Fe.