writing-and-low-temperature-characterization-of-oxide-nanostructures

Writing and Low-Temperature Characterization of Oxide Nanostructures

Oxide nanoelectronics is a rapidly growing field which seeks to develop novel materials with multifunctional behavior at nanoscale dimensions.  Oxide ...

University of Pittsburgh

We present a time-resolved optical technique to measure electron spin dynamics with GHz dynamical bandwidth, transform-limited spectral selectivity, and phase-sensitive (lock-in) detection. Use of a continuous-wave (CW) laser and fast optical bridge enables greatly improved signal-to-noise characteristics compared to traditional optical sampling (pump-probe) techniques. We demonstrate the technique with a measurement of GHz-spin precession in n-GaAs. This approach may be applicable to other physical systems where stroboscopic techniques cannot be used because of either noise or spectral limitations.

Gigahertz optical spin transceiver.

Nanoscale control of the metal-insulator transition at the interface between LaAlO(3) and SrTiO(3) provides a pathway for reconfigurable, oxide-based nanoelectronics. Four-terminal transport measurements of LaAlO(3)/SrTiO(3) nanowires at room temperature (T = 300 K) reveal an equivalent 2D Hall mobility greatly surpassing that of bulk SrTiO(3) and approaching that of n-type Si nanowires of comparable dimensions. This large enhancement of mobility is relevant for room-temperature device applications.

Anomalous high mobility in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 nanowires.

Terahertz (0.1-30 THz) radiation reveals a wealth of information that is relevant for material, biological, and medical sciences with applications that span chemical sensing, high-speed electronics, and coherent control of semiconductor quantum bits. To date, there have been no methods capable of controlling terahertz (THz) radiation at molecular scales. Here we report both generation and detection of broadband terahertz field from 10 nm scale oxide nanojunctions. Frequency components of ultrafast optical radiation are mixed at these nanojunctions, producing broadband THz emission. These same devices detect THz electric fields with comparable spatial resolution. This unprecedented control, on a scale of 4 orders of magnitude smaller than the diffraction limit, creates a pathway toward THz-bandwidth spectroscopy and control of individual nanoparticles and molecules.

Broadband terahertz generation and detection at 10 nm scale.

We report quasi-1D superconductivity at the interface of LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. The material system and nanostructure fabrication method supply a new platform for superconducting nanoelectronics. Nanostructures having line widths w ~ 10 nm are formed from the parent two-dimensional electron liquid using conductive atomic force microscope lithography. Nanowire cross-sections are small compared to the superconducting coherence length in LaAlO3/SrTiO3, placing them in the quasi-1D regime. Broad superconducting transitions versus temperature and finite resistances in the superconducting state well below Tc ≈ 200 mK are observed, suggesting the presence of fluctuation- and heating-induced resistance. The superconducting resistances and V-I characteristics are tunable through the use of a back gate. Four-terminal resistances in the superconducting state show an unusual dependence on the current path, varying by as much as an order of magnitude. This new technology, i.e., the ability to 'write' gate-tunable superconducting nanostructures on an insulating LaAlO3/SrTiO3 'canvas', opens possibilities for the development of new families of reconfigurable superconducting nanoelectronics.

Patrick Irvin

Department of Physics

University of Pittsburgh

Writing and Low-Temperature Characterization of Oxide Nanostructures

Patrick Irvin

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Physics

University of Pittsburgh

Writing and Low-Temperature Characterization of Oxide Nanostructures

Department of Physics