Logistical details

Introduction

Structure and grading

Course outline

References

Resources on the web

SCHEDULE!

Final paper topics

Logistical Details

Any student with a disability requiring accommodations in this course is encouraged to contact me after class or during office hours.  Additionally, students should contact Disability Support Services in the Ley Student Center.

Introduction

• How can we fabricate objects and devices on the nanometer scale?
• What measurement techniques allow us to examine such systems?
• What length, energy, and time scales are relevant when trying to understand nanoscale systems?
• What are the quantum contributions to electrical properties?
• Why don't we see such quantum effects all the time?
• Do we understand electron correlations (magnetism, superconductivity) on these scales?
• Can individual molecules be used as circuit elements?

Structure and grading

For the rest of the course, we shall focus on scientific questions like those mentioned above, and will try to answer them using recent papers from the literature. I give you fair warning that the selection of papers will have a definite experimental slant.  In part this is because of my own bias as an experimentalist; generally, however, the reason is that experiment has been the driving innovative force in nanoscale work over the last twenty years.  Few of the phenomena we will study were predicted in advance of experimental observation.

The idea is to do this in a seminar format.  That is, everyone will get copies of the relevant article(s) for the current topic, and one person will give a presentation (around 30 minutes, with transparencies) describing the work and how it relates to the question at hand.  Before the presentation, I may briefly review some of the essential physics issues, but hopefully these will be touched on during the talk.  After the talk, we will discuss the findings and assess what we've learned regarding our question.  I'm going to do the first couple of these presentations, and then you're going to take turns doing them.  Giving clear, effective talks like this is a tremendously valuable skill, and the more practice you get at it, the better!

In the talks, I'll want you to address the following questions:

• What are the energy, length, and time scales of interest in this work, and why (what is the underlying physics here)?
• What is new about this measurement (why hasn't this been done before)?
• What do we know now that we didn't know before this work?
• What is the relationship between the conclusion and theory?
• What are the next logical steps?

Course Outline

1. Motivation
1. Why nanoscale?
1. Technology
2. New physics
2. Length, energy, and time scales
2. A (Far Too) Brief Review of Solid State Physics (2 lectures)
1. Ideal Fermi Gas (1d,2d,3d)
1. Density of states
2. Distribution fns and chemical potential
2. How ideal are real Fermi gases?
1. Bonding and bands
1. Bloch waves
2. Metals, semiconductors, band insulators
2. Structural issues
1. Interfaces and surfaces
2. Charge transfer, band bending, barriers
3. Lattice dynamics
3. Interactions?
1. Screening
2. Fermi liquid theory
3. Transport
1. Transitions and Fermi's Golden Rule
2. Classical transport
3. Symmetries
4. Measurement considerations
3. Characterization at the nanoscale- acronyms galore!
1. Scattering techniques
2. Transport
3. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
4. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
5. Scanned Probe Microscopy (SPM)
1. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
1. Contact mode
2. Tapping/noncontact mode
3. Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM)
4. Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM)
5. Chemically sensitive ideas
6. Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM)
7. Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM)
2. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)
3. Scanning SQUID Microscopy (SSM)
4. Scanning Hall Bar Microscopy (SHBM)
5. Scanning Single Electron Transistor (SSET)
6. Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM)
6. Combined SPM and transport
7. Nanomagnetic sensing
8. Nanomechanical sensing
4. Fabrication of nanoscale structures
1. Microfabrication - photolithography
1. Pattern definition
2. Pattern transfer
1. Additive steps
2. Subtractive steps
2. Top-down fabrication methods
1. Extensions of photolithography
2. Electron-beam lithography (EBL)
3. Scanned probe lithography (SPL)
3. Bottom-up fabrication methods
1. Crystal growth
2. Chemistry
3. Self-assembly

1. Quantum corrections to electrical conduction
1. Landauer formula, conductance quantization
• B. J. van Wees, H. van Houten, C. W. J. Beenakker, J. G. Williamson, L. P. Kouwenhoven, D. van der Marel, C. T. Foxon, "Quantized conductance of point contacts in a two-dimensional electron gas," PRL60, 848 (1988). - constriction comparable to electron wavelength.
• E. Scheer, N. Agrait, J.C. Cuevas, A.L. Yeyati, B. Ludoph, A. Martin-Roderos, G.R. Bollinger, J.M. van-Ruitenbeek, C. Urbina, "The signature of chemical valence in the electrical conduction through a single-atom contact," Nature 394, 154 (1998). - similar idea, in real metal.
2. Aharanov-Bohm effect
• R.A. Webb, S. Washburn, C.P. Umbach, R.B. Laibowitz, "Observation of h/e Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in normal-metal rings," PRL54, 2696 (1985).
3. Universal Conductance Fluctuations
• W.J. Skocpol, P.M. Mankiewich, R.E. Howard, L.D. Jackel, D.M. Tennant, A.D. Stone, "Universal conductance fluctuations in silicon inversion-layer nanostructures,"

PRL 56, 2865 (1986). - transport sensitive to details of disorder.
• T. L. Meisenheimer and N. Giordano, "Conductance fluctuations in thin silver films," PRB 39, 9929 (1989).; N.O. Birge, B. Golding, and W. Haemmerle, "Conductance fluctuations and 1/f noise in Bi," PRB 42, 2735 (1990). - transport sensitive to motion of single impurities!
4. Localization
• P. M. Echternach, M. E. Gershenson, H. M. Bozler, A.L. Bogdanov, and B. Nilsson, "Nyquist phase relaxation in one-dimensional metal films," PRB 48, 11516 (1993). - nice demonstration of weak localization as probe for coherence.
5. Persistent currents
• L.P. Levy, G. Dolan, J. Dunsmuir, H. Bouchiat, "Magnetization of mesoscopic copper rings: evidence for persistent currents," PRL64, 2074 (1990).
6. Other coherence effects
• H.C. Manoharan, C.P. Lutz, and D.M. Eigler. "Quantum mirages formed by coherent projection of electronic structure," Nature403, 512-515 (2000).
2. Quantum "dots"
• L. P. Kouwenhoven, T. H. Oosterkamp, M. W. Danoesastro, M. Eto, D. G. Austing, T. Honda, S. Tarucha, "Excitation Spectra of Circular, Few-Electron Quantum Dots", Science 278, 1788 (1997). - dots as model systems.
• D. R. Stewart, D. Sprinzak, C. M. Marcus, C. I. Duruöz, J.S. Harris Jr., "Correlations Between Ground and Excited State Spectra of a Quantum Dot", Science278, 1784 (1997). - dots as model systems.
•  D.C. Ralph, C.T. Black, M. Tinkham, "Gate-voltage studies of discrete electronic states in aluminum nanoparticles," PRL78, 4087 (1997). - dots from nanoscale metals.
3. Decoherence
• E. Buks, R. Schuster, M. Heiblum, D. Mahalu, V. Umansky, "Dephasing in electron interference by a 'which-path' detector," Nature391, 871 (1998).
• A.J. Rimberg, T.R. Ho, C. Kurdak, John Clarke, K.L. Campman, A.C. Gossard, "Dissipation-driven superconductor-insulator transition in a two-dimensional Josephson-junction array," PRL78, 2632 (1997).
• P. Mohanty, E.M.Q. Jariwala, R.A. Webb, "Intrinsic decoherence in mesoscopic systems," PRL 78, 3366 (1997). - do we really understand decoherence?
4. Nanotubes
• S. Frank, P. Poncharal, Z.L. Wang, W.A. DeHeer, "Carbon nanotube quantum resistors," Science 280, 1744 (1998). - coherence at room temperature!
• S.J. Tans, A.R.M. Verschueren, and C. Dekker, "Room temperature transistor based on a single carbon nanotube," Nature393, 49 (1998).
• S.J. Tans, M.H. Devoret, R.J.A. Groeneveld, C. Dekker, "Electron-electron correlations in carbon nanotubes," Nature 394, 761 (1998). - "dot" from nanotube.
• Marc Bockrath, David H. Cobden, Jia Lu, Andrew G. Rinzler, Richard E. Smalley, Leon Balents, Paul L. McEuen. "Luttinger-liquid behavior in carbon nanotubes," Nature 397, 598 (1999). - the weirdness of 1d systems
5. Molecular electronics
• M.A. Reed, C. Zhou, C.J. Muller, T.P. Burgin, J.M. Tour, "Conductance of a molecular junction," Science 278, 252 (1997).
• S. Datta, W.D. Tian, S.H. Hong, R. Reifenberger, J.I. Henderson, C.P. Kubiak, "Current-voltage characteristics of self-assembled monolayers by scanning tunneling microscopy," PRL79, 2530 (1997). - the "contact" problem
• H.W. Fink, C. Schonenberger, "Electrical conduction through DNA molecules," Nature 398, 407 (1999); Danny Porath, Alexey Bezryadin, Simon de Vries, Cees Dekker, "Direct measurement of electrical transport through DNA molecules," Nature 403, 635 (2000). - fun with DNA.
• C.P. Collier, E.W. Wong, M. Belohradsky, F.M. Raymo, J.F. Stoddart, P.J. Kuekes, R.S. Williams, J.R. Heath, "Electronically configurable molecular-based logic gates," Science 285, 391 (1999); C.P. Collier, G. Mattersteig, E.W. Wong, Y. Luo, K.Beverly, J.Sampaio, F.M. Raymo, J. F. Stoddart, and J.R. Heath, "A [2]Catenane-Based Solid State Electronically Reconfigurable Switch," Science289, 1172 (2000). - the wiring problem.
6. Nanoscale magnetism
•  T. Shinjo, T. Okuno, R. Hassdorf, K. Shigeto, T. Ono, "Magnetic Vortex Core Observation in Circular Dots of Permalloy," Science289, 930 (2000).
• W. Wernsdorfer, E. Bonet Orozco, B. Barbara, A. Benoit and D. Mailly "Classical and quantum magnetisation reversal studied in single nanometer-sized particles and clusters using micro-SQUIDs," Physica B, 280, 264 (2000). - a review.
7. Nanoscale Superconductivity
• A. K. Geim, S. V. Dubnos, J.G.S. Lok, M. Henini and J.C. Maan, "Paramagnetic Meissner effect in small superconductors," Nature 396, 144 (1998). - nice result, cool technique.
• A. Bezryadin, C.N. Lau, M. Tinkham, "Quantum suppression of superconductivity in ultrathin nanowires," Nature404, 971 (2000).
8. Nanoscale thermal properties
• K. Schwab, E.A. Henriksen, J.M. Worlock, M.L. Roukes, "Measurement of the quantum of thermal conductance," Nature 404, 974 (2000).
9. Self-assembly
• E. Braun, Y. Eichen, U. Sivan, and G. Ben-Yoseph, "DNA-templated assembly and electrode attachment of a conducting silver wire," Nature391, 775 (1998).
• C.M Niemeyer, "Progress in 'engineering up' nanotechnology devices utilizing DNA as a construction material," App. Phys. A, 68, 119 (1999). - a review.

General solid state:

H. Ibach and H. Luth. Solid State Physics, an Introduction to Theory and Experiment.  Springer-Verlag.

This is a good general solid state physics text, with little experimental sections describing how some of this stuff is actually measured.  Its biggest flaw is the number of typographical mistakes in the exercises.

N. Ashcroft and N.D. Mermin. Solid State Physics.

The classic graduate text.  Excellent, and as readable as any physics book ever is.  Too bad that it ends in the mid 1970's....

C. Kittel. Introduction to Solid State Physics.

Also a classic, and also very good.  Like A\&M, the best parts were written 25 years ago, and some of the newer bits feel very tacked-on.

P.M. Chaikin and M. Lubensky.  Condensed Matter Physics.

More recent, and contains a very nice review of statistical mechanics.  Selection of topics geared much more toward ``soft'' condensed matter.

W. Harrison. Solid State Theory.

A pretty good book written by a master of band structure calculations.  Added benefit:  it's quite inexpensive!

Y. Imry.  Introduction to Mesoscopic Physics.  Oxford University Press.

Very good introduction to many issues relevant to nanoscale physics.  Occasionally so elegant as to be cryptic.

D.K. Ferry and S.M. Goodnick.  Transport in Nanostructures.  Cambridge University Press.

Also very good, and quite comprehensive.

S. Datta. Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems.  Cambridge University Press.

Again, pretty good, though I haven't looked at it as thoroughly as the others.

Resources on the web - this is not remotely complete; please pardon omissions....

http://xxx.lanl.gov
 Los Alamos e-print server - the latest hot results, but no peer review....

http://www.research.ibm.com/disciplines/physics.html
 IBM Research - lots of neat topics

http://www.bell-labs.com/org/physicalsciences/
 Bell Labs physical sciences

http://jas2.eng.buffalo.edu/applets/index.html
 Very cool java applets for solid state physics!

http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html
 Feynman's "Plenty of Room at the Bottom" lecture

http://www.ftf.lth.se/nm/nm.html
 Nanometer construction consortium

http://itri.loyola.edu/nanobase/
 NSF-sponsored repository of nanoscale information

http://www.foresight.org/
 Foresight Institute - a bit on the hypey side

http://www.foresight.org/EOC/
 K. Eric Drexler's over-the-top hype guide, Engines of Creation

http://www.zyvex.com/nano/
 Zyvex - also rather passionate.

http://vortex.tn.tudelft.nl/
 Delft University in the Netherlands - a very impressive group

http://www.lucent.com/minds/innovating/microscapes.html
  Bell Labs SPM images

http://www.park.com/spmguide/contents.htm
  Park Scientific's guide to SPM

http://www.di.com/appnotes/AmLab/AL-SPMMain.html
  Digital Instruments equivalent

http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/gallery.html
  Don Eigler's images at IBM

http://www.stanford.edu/group/quate_group/ImageFrame.html
  Cal Quate's group at Stanford

http://www.chem.nwu.edu/~mkngrp/
        Chad Mirkin's group at Northwestern

http://www.cmp.caltech.edu/~roukes/
        Mike Roukes' group at CalTech

http://vortex.tn.tudelft.nl/grkouwen/kouwen.html
        Leo Kouwenhoven at Delft

http://rleweb.mit.edu/rlestaff/p-asho.htm
        Ray Ashoori at MIT

http://marcuslab.harvard.edu
        Charlie Marcus' group at Harvard

http://dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu/~datta/
         Supriyo Datta's homepage at Purdue - a theorist
         working on molecular electronics

http://vortex.tn.tudelft.nl/grdekker/dekker.html
         Cees Dekker at Delft - nanotubes, DNA, and other fun

http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/research/mceuen/
         Paul McEuen at Berkeley (now Cornell); mostly nanotubes

http://www.jmtour.com/
         Our very own Prof. Tour....

http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~schung/Hgrp/
         Jim Heath at UCLA

http://chem.stanford.edu/group/dai/
         Hong Jie Die at Stanford - nanotubes by CVD

http://cnst.rice.edu/reshome.html
        Prof. Smalley

http://www.ece.rice.edu/~halas/
        Prof. Halas and nanoshells

http://nanonet.rice.edu/
        Prof. Colvin - nanocrystals