IEEE Photonics Society’s Post

💡 Great news in the realm of quantum electronics! Researchers at Penn State University Materials Research Institute have found that "kink states" in #semiconducting materials hold significant potential for next-level #sensors and lasers. They've crafted a switch that controls these states, enhancing electron flow regulation in quantum systems. This breakthrough could open doors to incredible new technologies! #Research #AdvancedManufacturing #Electronics #Talent #InvestInCentralPA https://lnkd.in/eYVsyift

New Breakthrough in Quantum Engineering: Exciting new research by Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows Profs. Supratik Guha and David Awschalom, along with their collaborators, on "Controlled Spalling of 4H Silicon Carbide for Quantum Technologies," has hit the press. In this paper, the researchers have developed a way to safely remove layers of 4H-Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC)—a material that’s perfect for both power electronics and quantum computing—without damaging the crystal. This technique could help make 4H-SiC more affordable by reusing the material, which is typically expensive to produce. https://lnkd.in/e39hG4fS #basicrsearch #QuantumComputing #Innovation #Research #TechBreakthrough #Semiconductors #QuantumTechnology #4HSiliconCarbide

Electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Linran Fan received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) award for his research project “Efficient Generation of Loss-Resilient Quantum Photonic States Enhanced by Photon Number Resolving Detections” that is exploring novel methods for reliable quantum information processing in tasks such as computing, communication, and sensing. The success of this project presents a paradigm shift in the pursuit of robust quantum information processing based on optical photons. There is potential to significantly reduce the impact of optical losses, the most critical issue for photonic quantum technologies. Fan’s research group focuses on nonlinear interactions between optical photons, superconducting circuits, electron spins, and acoustic waves at the quantum level in a hybrid system of novel integrated devices and materials. Aspired applications include photonic information processing, communication, and precision measurement enhanced by quantum information science. #quantum #innovation

Superconductivity offers new insights into quantum material MnBi₂Te₄ Overview of normal transport in MBT flakes of thicknesses of 24.7 nm and 14.7 nm, depicted with red and blue lines respectively. For the first time since the discovery of the material MnBi2Te4 (MBT), researchers at the University of Twente have successfully made it behave like a superconductor. This marks an important step in understanding MBT and is significant for future technologies, such as new methods of information processing and quantum computing. MBT is a recently discovered material attracting attention due to its unique magnetic and topological properties. In their research, the scientists examined how electricity behaves in the material. MBT's topological properties cause electrons to move only along the edges of the material, and in theory, they should only move in a clockwise direction. However, the experiments at Twente demonstrated that under certain conditions, the electrons can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise. "It may not seem like a significant difference, but the one-way electron flow is essential for creating new electronic states that enable novel ways of processing information." The researchers observed that the electrons rotated in both directions when they succeeded in making MBT act as a superconductor—a material without electrical resistance, which allowed them to study its properties under the influence of a magnetic field. "The different rotation directions of the electrons are undesirable if we aim to use the material in quantum applications, but now that we understand how these unwanted properties emerge, we can also work on preventing them. #magneticfield #Superconductivity #quantummaterial #MnBi2Te4 #computing #electron #electronic

Research article | quantum technologies Emerging quantum technologies require unprecedented knowledge and control over the devices that are used to steer sensitive quantum systems. Characterizing and certifying these devices is often a challenge for researchers and component manufacturers alike. How do you tell how good a device at the cutting edge is, given that we usually compare it to a better one for this purpose? Of course, the quantum systems themselves could be used to tell, but measurement time is precious and, in particular for component manufacturers, hard to come by. In recent work published in Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers at the University of Innsbruck have described and tested a device to determine the noise properties of ultra-stable lasers as used in trapped-ion or cold atom quantum computers. This optical phase-noise analyzer has some nice features: It uses no external reference, uses post-processing to surpress detector noise, and beats commercial alternatives in noise performance at a fraction of the cost. The authors aimed at an instructive manuscript that enables researchers and component manufacturers to tailor-make their own device to bring ultra-precise phase noise characterization to the wider community - in particular the wider quantum technology industry without direct access to their end-users' devices. 👉 Read the full article via AIP Publishing: https://lnkd.in/ddGxj-sf Christian Marciniak Robert Freund Thomas Monz Universität Innsbruck Manfred Hager Robert Scholten #MILLENION #quantum #MILLENIONQUANTUM #QuantumTech #Europe 

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”   Last week at the 2024 IEEE Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop in Honolulu I gave a keynote presentation titled “Gate oxide reliability: upcoming trends, challenges and opportunities.”   I tried to demonstrate that through deep, physics-based understanding of properties of gate oxide defects it’s not only possible to explain the standard FET degradation mechanisms, but also to develop new insights into many seemingly unrelated topics, including   ·      RRAM and OTS operation ·      Anomalous charge loss in FLASH memories ·      FeFET ferroelectric switching ·      FET operation and noise at cryogenic temperatures ·      IGZO FET reliability ·      Trapping and RTN in 2D FETs   Taking the time to understand gate oxide defects at the fundamental level eventually leads to breakthrough solutions and novel applications, such as   ·      Novel fabrication processes for reliable low-temperature gate oxides ·      On-chip circuits to monitor degradation (SmartArrays and odometers), including tampering detection ·      TDDS and percolation-based PUFs for chip identification, cryptography, etc. ·      BTI-based reservoir computing for edge AI applications   Thanks go to all my colleagues at our #imecAR2T department, #imec, and #TUVienna for their contributions!

📢 Join us for an exciting talk by Prof. Dragica Vasileska (IEEE Fellow) on Monday, September 23rd at 1:00 PM in room CD 05 20 of the TU Wien - Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik - ETIT 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: Monday, September 23rd, 2024 at 1pm 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Self-Heating Effects and Reliability in 28nm FD SOI Devices at Cryogenic Temperatures Prof. Vasileska is a renowned expert in semiconductor device physics and modeling, with numerous accolades including the prestigious NSF CAREER Award. She has authored multiple influential books and papers in the field. 🔎 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭: FD-SOI CMOS offers high performance with low power consumption, excellent electrostatic control, and reliability in extreme environments such as a wide range of temperature (2K to 400K), making it suitable for advanced applications such as quantum computing. However, self-heating effects (SHE) pose a challenge, especially due to the low thermal conductivity of the buried oxide and thin silicon layers. SHE can significantly impact device performance, particularly in the on-state. To address this, Prof. Vasileska's team is studying SHE within the semi-classical limit using the coupled Boltzmann Transport Equations for electrons and phonons. The simulations, validated against experimental data at 4.2K, show excellent agreement in both subthreshold and linear regions. See more here: https://lnkd.in/dnUTHibN Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the leading minds in the field! 🌟 #Invited #IuE2024 #CryogenicDevices #QuantumComputing #Research #Engineering #VLSI #SemiconductorPhysics

🔬 JKU Researchers Achieve Quantum Optics Breakthrough! 🌟 An international team, led by researchers from the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, has made a groundbreaking discovery in quantum optics and semiconductor manufacturing. The work, spearheaded by Johannes Aberl from the Institute for Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, introduces a method to precisely create color centers: defects in silicon crystals that serve as sources for light quanta. 💡 Why it matters: These color centers operate at wavelengths crucial for telecommunications and the development of quantum computers, enabling the exchange of quantum information across long distances. 🔍 What’s revolutionary: The Linz-based team has developed a unique process using epitaxy — a crystal growth method — to control the exact positioning of these defects without collateral damage to the silicon structure, ensuring greater efficiency and broader applications. 💡 For non-physicists: Imagine building a skyscraper where every brick is perfectly aligned without cracks or gaps. This breakthrough allows scientists to precisely place tiny defects in silicon crystals, which act like specialized "light sources" for quantum technology, making future devices more reliable and efficient. 🌍 Global collaboration: This achievement involved contributions from researchers in Austria, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Hungary, highlighting the power of international teamwork in advancing science. We are excited about this fascinating contribution to quantum photonics and the potential it holds for future technologies! #quantumscience #semiconductors #innovation #teamwork #quantumoptics #research

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: The research sheds light on fundamental polariton properties and related many-body phenomena, and it opens up novel possibilities for studies of polaritonic quantum matter. https://lnkd.in/gKSmaJB7 #nanotechnology #quantum #optics #engineering #electronics #scienceandtechnology

Semiconductor History: Early Discoveries (Late 19th to Early 20th Century): The foundation of semiconductor physics was laid in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through pioneering work by scientists such as Michael Faraday, who discovered the principles of electrical conductivity, and James Clerk Maxwell, who formulated the theory of electromagnetic radiation. Discovery of Semiconductors (Late 19th to Early 20th Century): In the late 19th century, scientists observed the unique electrical properties of certain materials that exhibited conductivity between conductors (such as metals) and insulators (such as rubber). These materials came to be known as semiconductors.