This individual investigator award supports a project to address fundamental scientific issues associated with electron transport and tunneling in low-dimensional systems that have technical relevance to future generations of microelectronics. There are two main scientific thrusts. The first is to use quench-condensed ultrathin films to investigate how low dimensionality, strong disorder, and electron-electron correlations can lead to novel behavior such as multifold magnetoconductance, a hard correlation gap, the electron glass, and a current-driven insulator-to-superconductor transition. New superconducting field-effect devices are proposed. The second is to characterize a variety of electrochemically fabricated ultrathin films and nanowires. The immediate goal is to develop novel methods, such as an in-situ contact method and electron-beam lithography, to make electrical contacts to single nanowires, of 2-200 nm in diameter, and to carry out transport and tunneling measurements. The project provides the students with an interdisciplinary learning environment integrating physics, electrochemistry, and nanofabrication, which will prepare them for future careers in either academia or industry. It will also benefit a new chemical physics program at the University of Rochester. Research projects are outlined that will provide outreach to women and students from groups underrepresented in science.
This individual investigator award supports research to address fundamental scientific issues associated with electron transport and tunneling in low-dimensional systems that have technical relevance to future generations of microelectronics. This project will carry out experimental studies of ultrathin films, mesoscopic structures fabricated by electron-beam lithography, and nano-sized materials fabricated by electrochemical self-assembly. The results from this research program will have a broad impact on basic science in the field of low-dimensional systems, as well as on the development of new physical principles, new materials, new devices, and new fabrication techniques for future generations of microelectronics. The project provides the students with an interdisciplinary learning environment integrating physics, electrochemistry, and nanofabrication, which will prepare them for future careers either in academia or in the broader high-tech industry. It will also benefit a new chemical physics program at the University of Rochester. Research projects are outlined that will provide outreach to women and students from groups underrepresented in science.
