MIT
Quantum Nanostructures and
Nanofabrication Group

Prof. Karl K. Berggren and Dr. P. Donald Keathley

The frontier of information processing lies in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. At the nanoscale, materials and structures can be engineered to exhibit interesting new properties, some based on quantum mechanical effects. Our research focuses on developing nanofabrication technology at the few-nanometer length-scale. We use these technologies to push the envelope of what is possible with photonic and electrical devices, focusing in particular on superconductive and free-electron devices. Our research combines electrical engineering, physics, and materials science and helps extend the limits of nanoscale engineering.

LATEST EVENTS IN OUR GROUP

2.2.2021
New Publication “Enhancing the performance of superconducting nanowire-based detectors with high-filling factor by using variable thickness ”
Current crowding at bends of superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is one of the main factors limiting the performance of meander-style detectors with large filling factors. In this paper, we... Read more >>
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10.7.2020
New Publication “Superconducting Nanowire Spiking Element for Neural Networks ”
As the limits of traditional von Neumann computing come into view, the brain’s ability to communicate vast quantities of information using low-power spikes has become an increasing source of inspiration... Read more >>
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9.4.2020
New Publication “Fabrication of gold nanostructures using wet lift-off without adhesion promotion”
The use of an intervening adhesion layer is essential in reliable fabrication of noble metallic nanostructures for optical and electronic devices. However, many emerging applications such as plasmonics and transfer... Read more >>
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9.2.2020
New Publication “Electron energy loss of ultraviolet plasmonic modes in aluminum nanodisks”
We theoretically investigated electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) of ultraviolet surface plasmon modes in aluminum nanodisks. Using full-wave Maxell electromagnetic simulations, we studied the impact of the diameter on the... Read more >>
7.8.2020
New Publication “Light phase detection with on-chip petahertz electronic networks”
Ultrafast, high-intensity light-matter interactions lead to optical-field-driven photocurrents with an attosecond-level temporal response. These photocurrents can be used to detect the carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) of short optical pulses, and enable optical-frequency,... Read more >>

The nanocryotron: A superconducting-nanowire three-terminal electrothermal device