MRI: Development of a Scanning 4-Probe Microscope for Discovery and Characterization of Quantum Materials and Devices

MRI：开发用于发现和表征量子材料和器件的扫描 4 探针显微镜

• 批准号: 1828569
• 负责人: Jennifer Hoffman
• 金额: $ 98万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1828569&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Scanning; Probe; Microscope

Non-Technical DescriptionA key challenge in quantum technology development is to understand the link between the atomic-scale building blocks or "quanta" of materials (the charges and spins of electrons) and the motion of these building blocks that give a device its function. This project supports development of a novel 4-probe microscope to address this challenge. The new microscope independently scans four switchable probes across a material or device: individual probes can image static atoms, charges, and spins, while two or more probes together can detect the motion of these charges and spins from 10s of nanometers to 100s of micrometers in length. The microscope also operates in a high magnetic field and with samples cooled to liquid helium temperature - thus allowing access to a new regime of quantum phenomena. Projects enabled by this microscope include screening of new inhomogeneous materials, mapping the flow of electrons around single atom defects, developing nanostructured materials such as braided polymer cables, assembling complex sensors from individual atoms, and searching for emergent particles that can become the building blocks of new technologies. The microscope development is carried out in collaboration between Harvard and a small company; graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are trained through the microscope development process and later, in pursuing the launch of a commercial product. The microscope is housed in Harvard's Center for Nanoscale Systems, a scientific nexus for many Northeast colleges, universities, and industries. The microscope's dedicated staff provides technical education to an intellectually and demographically diverse cadre of users, and in turn serves as a point of connection and inspiration for cross-disciplinary ideas.Technical DescriptionThis Major Research Instrumentation grant supports development of a compact and versatile scanning 4-probe microscope (S4PM), to facilitate the discovery and fabrication of novel quantum materials and devices. The S4PM meets a critical need to understand the relationship between the static atomic structure and electronic wave functions of a material at the sub-Angstrom scale, and the electrical and magnetic transport properties across 10s of nanometers to 100s of microns that lead to device functionality. The S4PM employs a novel rotary motion design that reduces instrument size and allows operation at about 1 Kelvin, up to 5 Tesla of magnetic field, and 10s of nanometer transport resolution. The S4PM allows flexible in-situ exchange of a wide variety of complementary probes including scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning gate, and scanning diamond nitrogen-vacancy. Research projects enabled by this S4PM include screening the transport properties of inhomogeneous new materials, mapping electron and spin flow around single atom defects and constrictions, developing nanostructured materials such as braided polymer Litz cables, assembling atomic-scale sensors such as a very small superconducting quantum interference device, and searching for emergent particles such as Majorana fermions and magnetic monopoles.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术描述量子技术发展的一个关键挑战是理解原子尺度的构建块或材料的“量子”（电子的电荷和自旋）与这些构建块的运动之间的联系，这些构建块赋予设备功能。该项目支持开发一种新型的4探针显微镜来应对这一挑战。新的显微镜独立地扫描材料或设备上的四个可切换探针：单个探针可以对静态原子，电荷和自旋进行成像，而两个或多个探针一起可以检测这些电荷和自旋的运动，长度从10纳米到100微米。该显微镜还可以在高磁场中工作，样品冷却到液氦温度，从而可以获得量子现象的新机制。该显微镜支持的项目包括筛选新的非均匀材料，绘制单原子缺陷周围的电子流，开发纳米结构材料，如编织聚合物电缆，从单个原子组装复杂的传感器，以及寻找可以成为新技术基石的新兴粒子。显微镜的开发是在哈佛和一家小公司的合作下进行的;研究生和博士后研究人员通过显微镜的开发过程进行培训，后来，在追求商业产品的推出。该显微镜位于哈佛纳米系统中心，该中心是东北部许多学院、大学和工业的科学中心。该显微镜的专门工作人员提供技术教育，以智力和人口统计学上的不同干部的用户，并反过来作为一个点的连接和灵感的跨学科的想法。技术描述这主要研究仪器补助金支持开发一个紧凑和多功能的扫描4探针显微镜（S4 PM），以促进发现和制造新的量子材料和器件。S4 PM满足了理解亚埃尺度下材料的静态原子结构和电子波函数之间关系的关键需求，以及导致器件功能的10纳米到100微米的电和磁传输特性。S4 PM采用了一种新颖的旋转运动设计，可以减小仪器尺寸，并允许在约1开尔文，高达5特斯拉的磁场和10秒的纳米传输分辨率下操作。S4 PM可以灵活地原位交换各种互补探针，包括扫描隧道显微镜、原子力显微镜、扫描门和扫描金刚石氮空位。该S4 PM实现的研究项目包括筛选非均匀新材料的输运性质、映射单原子缺陷和收缩周围的电子和自旋流、开发纳米结构材料（例如编织聚合物利兹电缆）、组装原子级传感器（例如非常小的超导量子干涉装置），该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持和更广泛的影响审查标准。