Scanning probe microscopy for fundamental studies in nanoscience

我的研究领域是纳米科学与技术--在纳米尺度上理解、操纵和表征物质的性质。在过去的几年里，我们开发了一系列令人印象深刻的扫描探针显微镜，这些显微镜是实验研究纳米级系统的完美工具。我想深入了解材料在长度尺度上的基本性质，这是其他技术不容易达到的。这项研究的一个结果是，人们可以更好地理解当今技术的局限性，以及可能克服它们的方法。 我的第一个目标是研究C60等单个分子的导电性。目前可用的实验数据与理论模型的比较是非常困难的，因为接触导线的原子结构是至关重要的，但通常是不受控制的。我们在世界范围内处于解决这些问题的独特地位，因为我们已经开发出能够在原子尺度上表征和操纵接触导线的仪器。第二个目标是构建和研究原子定义的三个终端设备。三个终端设备通过电子门控效应实现对有源能级的更多控制。这一目标将通过使用我们最近开发的各种发现和分子定位方法来实现。第三个目标是利用我们最近发展的耗散和力显微镜技术对量子点和金纳米粒子进行能级光谱研究。我们将使用DNA研究自旋、点之间偶联的控制以及点的组装。量子点是固态量子计算的一种可能的量子比特实现方式。最后，我们的第四个目标是研究是什么决定了单个单磁区铁磁粒子转换取向的磁场。我们将在SiN薄膜上的微细加工亚微米磁体上结合磁力和透射电子显微镜来实现这一点。

My research is in the field of Nanoscience and Technology - understanding, manipulating and characterizing the properties of matter on a nanometer scale. In the past few years we have developed an impressive array of scanned probe microscopes that are the perfect tools to experimentally study nanaoscale systems. I want to obtain insights into fundamental properties of material on length scales not easily accessible by other techniques. An outcome of this research is that one can then better understand limits of present day technology and possibly ways of overcoming them. My first objective is to investigate the electrical conduction of individual molecules such as C60. The comparison of currently available experimental data with theoretical modelling is very difficult, as the atomic structure of the contact leads is of utmost importance, but usually not controlled. We are in a world-wide unique position to resolve these issues, as we have developed instrumentation allowing contact leads to be characterized and manipulated on an atomic scale. A second objective is to construct and study atomically defined three terminal devices. Three terminal devices allow more control over the active energy levels via electric gating effects. This goal will be reached by using various discoveries and molecule localization methods we have recently developed. A third objective is to perform energy level spectroscopy on quantum dots and gold nano particles using our recently developed dissipation and force microscopy techniques. We will investigate spins, control of coupling between dots and assembly of dots using DNA. Qdots are a possible qubit implementation for solid-state quantum computation. Finally, our fourth objective is to study what determines the magnetic field at which an individual single domain ferromagnetic particle switches orientation. We will combine magnetic force with transmission electron microscopy on microfabricated submicron magnets on SiN membranes to achieve this.