The Journal of Young Investigators: An Undergraduate, Peer-Reviewed Science Journal
Volume 19, Issue 17. Nov 2009
JYI: Interview with CEO at Sigma Xi Conference
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Research Articles
21 November 2008 -
The CEO of JYI, Shiv Gaglani, explains his research to the Director of Human Resources, Sherry Yu. His summer research was sponsored by NanoJapan (www.nanojapan.rice.edu) and involved nanotechnology work in Tokyo. An abstract of his Sigma Xi Award-winning presentation is here:
Fabrication of Single Atom Nanowires for Applications towards Quantum Computation
S. Gaglani, T. Arai, S. Huang, J. Ozawa, Y. Shiren, and K. Itoh
Department of Applied Physics, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Developments in nanotechnology over the last two decades have opened up the possibility of unparalleled computing power, such as the theoretical development of a quantum computer. The realization of quantum computers depends on our ability to specifically place quantum bits (qubits) in positions where they can be initialized and measured. In our all-silicon model of a quantum computer, we utilize silicon 29 isotopes as our qubits due to their inherent nuclear spin. Phosphorous 31 must be deposited at regular intervals between 29Si atoms so that its spin-polarized valence electron can initialize the silicon atoms’ nuclear spin states via spin diffusion. In this study we aimed to fabricate single atom-wide 29Si nanowires with regular spaced 31P atoms using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).
It is clear that a bottom-up approach is the most feasible and efficient way to fabricate single atom nanowires. In this method we use MBE to deposit 29Si and 31P atoms on a surface upon which the atoms self assemble into nanowire structures. Silicon(111) wafers were polished and heated to form the relatively stable 7x7 DAS Reconstructed surface in either U- or F-step conformations. Intentional kinks were made at regular intervals along the steps so that there were high energy corners with many dangling bonds. Low concentrations of 31P were first deposited on the surface and migrated to the high-energy corners. Silicon 29 was deposited next to form neat rows along the step edges. Proper fabrication of 29Si nanowires with regularly spaced 31P atoms was assessed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). Fabrication of qubit arrays represents the first step towards realization of a quantum computer.
The CEO of JYI, Shiv Gaglani, explains his research to the Director of Human Resources, Sherry Yu. His summer research was sponsored by NanoJapan (www.nanojapan.rice.edu) and involved nanotechnology work in Tokyo. An abstract of his Sigma Xi Award-winning presentation is here:
Fabrication of Single Atom Nanowires for Applications towards Quantum Computation
S. Gaglani, T. Arai, S. Huang, J. Ozawa, Y. Shiren, and K. Itoh
Department of Applied Physics, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Developments in nanotechnology over the last two decades have opened up the possibility of unparalleled computing power, such as the theoretical development of a quantum computer. The realization of quantum computers depends on our ability to specifically place quantum bits (qubits) in positions where they can be initialized and measured. In our all-silicon model of a quantum computer, we utilize silicon 29 isotopes as our qubits due to their inherent nuclear spin. Phosphorous 31 must be deposited at regular intervals between 29Si atoms so that its spin-polarized valence electron can initialize the silicon atoms’ nuclear spin states via spin diffusion. In this study we aimed to fabricate single atom-wide 29Si nanowires with regular spaced 31P atoms using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).
It is clear that a bottom-up approach is the most feasible and efficient way to fabricate single atom nanowires. In this method we use MBE to deposit 29Si and 31P atoms on a surface upon which the atoms self assemble into nanowire structures. Silicon(111) wafers were polished and heated to form the relatively stable 7x7 DAS Reconstructed surface in either U- or F-step conformations. Intentional kinks were made at regular intervals along the steps so that there were high energy corners with many dangling bonds. Low concentrations of 31P were first deposited on the surface and migrated to the high-energy corners. Silicon 29 was deposited next to form neat rows along the step edges. Proper fabrication of 29Si nanowires with regularly spaced 31P atoms was assessed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). Fabrication of qubit arrays represents the first step towards realization of a quantum computer.