Urgent Acquisition of a Second-Hand 40 GHz Source for Nanoelectronics Experiments

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We urgently request funding for the acquisition of a second-hand microwave source. This is the consequence of two major breakthroughs in Gervais' laboratory. The first concerns the fabrication of vertically-coupled quantum wire circuits designed with independent contacts [a NSERC DG funded project]. Last year, we successfully measured the 1D-1D "Coulomb drag signal"; i.e. the voltage generated in one wire by the current flow in the other owing to the close proximity (less than 15 nm) between the two quantum wires. These results were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology in 2011. We are now intensively investigating electron-electron interaction in our coupled 1D-1D devices at the lowest temperatures where it is expected that a Luttinger liquid will form. In order to elucidate this physics, a microwave source in the GHz range is urgently needed. Second, we have recently (2012) filed a US patent regarding the direct cooling of silicon "all-on-a-chip''. The demonstration of magnetic refrigeration in doped silicon presents several interesting new technological avenues. Our technique allows for seamless, monolithic integration of refrigerant with active electronic devices built in modern foundries. In the future, this could prove important for refrigeration of electronics for applications such as quantum devices, quantum information, as well as low-noise detector arrays. In order to push our concept further, we urgently need a microwave source to perform electrically detected electron spin resonance (ESR) on the donour bound spins. Finally, in order to limit the cost and the burden on the NSERC RTI program, we propose as a realistic solution to purchase a second-hand microwave source for less than 40% of the cost of a brand new microwave source.