Single-electron quantum nanoelectronics in silicon
Speaker
Zahid Durrani
Professor of Quantum Nanoelectronics, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London.
Title
"Single-electron quantum nanoelectronics in silicon"
Abstract
Advances in nanofabrication technology down to few nanometre scales have enabled the development of quantum dot (QD) single-electron transistors (SETs) in silicon, compatible with silicon large scale integrated circuits and capable of room temperature (RT) operation. In the scaling limit, the QDs in these devices may even be defined by single dopant atoms, creating single-atom transistors in silicon. The devices are of particular interest for the definition of ultra- low power, highly scaled nanoelectronics with one electron per bit, and for development of scalable silicon quantum computing systems.
This talk will discuss the nanofabrication and electrical measurement of RT dopant atom QD SETs, operating in the single QD, and double QD ‘quasi-molecular’ regime. We will also discuss the application of these devices to a single- particle Maxwell’s Demon or Szilard heat engine, operating near the theoretical ‘Landauer’ limit for energy consumption, per information bit. These experiments help to obtain a better understanding of the fundamental entropy, and energy consumption limits for information storage in nanoelectronics.
About Speaker
Zahid Durrani is Professor of Quantum Nanoelectronics, Imperial College, and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). His recent research interests include single-atom electronic devices, 'beyond CMOS' single-electron and quantum dot devices in silicon, and few-particle nanoscale thermodynamics, including experimental investigations of Maxwell’s Demon.
His interests have also included the application of quantum dots towards semiconductor quantum computing, nanoscale materials for thermoelectric applications, electron transport in silicon nanocrystals and nanowires, and sub-10 nm nanofabrication methods using electron beam and scanning probe lithography. During his research, he has collaborated closely with Hitachi and IBM Zürich laboratories, and with university laboratories in the U.K., the E.U., and Japan.