News
Microsystems Technology Laboratory (MTL) annual report is published
A showcase of MTL’s diverse and creative research, this report contains 147 abstracts submitted by 40 research groups. The QNN group’s contributions can be found here:
Driving Stage for SFQ Circuits using a Single Nanocryotron
Modeling Superconducting Nanowire Circuits
Measuring the Timing Jitter of WSi SNSPDs with Integrated nTron Readout
Templated Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Thin Films Under Lithographic Confinement
Lithographic Control of Surface and Volume Plasmons in Aluminum
Interaction-Free Measurement by Three-Crystal Electron Interferometer
Membrane Nano-Gratings for Electron Diffraction
New paper: “Infrared transmissometer to measure the thickness of NbN films” published in Applied Optics
We built a transmissometer to determine the thickness of thin films of NbN that are deposited as the starting material for SNSPDs. The transmissometer measures the transmittance of light through NbN thin films, and the thickness of the NbN is found by fitting the measurements to analytical values calculated with the transfer matrix method. This simple, low-cost and non-destructive tool can give the thickness of several nanometer thick films with a precision of 0.2 nm.
The paper by Kristen Sunter, Andrew Dane, Christopher Lang and Karl K. Berggren has been published in Applied Optics and is currently available on arXiv and online from Applied Optics.
Kristen A. Sunter, Andrew E. Dane, Christopher I. Lang, and Karl K. Berggren. “Infrared transmissometer to measure the thickness of NbN thin films,” Applied Optics 54(18), 5743-5749 (2015).
Alyssa Cartwright Receives Morais (’86) and Rosenblum (’86) UROP Award
Congrats to QNN Group Member Alyssa Cartwright for receiving the Morais (’86) and Rosenblum (’86) UROP Award. This award is given at the annual EECS Celebration in recognition of best undergraduate research project in EECS.
Prof. Berggren authors case-study in MIT Innovation Deficit Report
Karl Berggren recently served as a member of MIT’s recent committee tasked with studying the nation’s “Innovation Deficit.” The outcome of the committee was a report in which a number of cases were studied, each of which illustrated opportunities in research which could be threatened by future budget cuts in R&D. Prof. Berggren’s focus was on the quantum information technology. He appreciates the input and feedback of a number of his MIT colleagues and students in helping him draft the report.
Sarah Goodman Awarded NDSEG Fellowship
Congrats to QNN group member Sarah Goodman who has received the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG). This is a large honor and will fund her research for the coming years.
“The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of fifteen supported disciplines. NDSEG confers high honors upon its recipients, and allows them to attend whichever U.S. institution they choose. NDSEG Fellowships last for three years and pay for full tuition and all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance (this excludes dental and vision insurance).”