MIT
Quantum Nanostructures and
Nanofabrication Group

Prof. Karl K. Berggren and Dr. P. Donald Keathley

The frontier of information processing lies in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. At the nanoscale, materials and structures can be engineered to exhibit interesting new properties, some based on quantum mechanical effects. Our research focuses on developing nanofabrication technology at the few-nanometer length-scale. We use these technologies to push the envelope of what is possible with photonic and electrical devices, focusing in particular on superconductive and free-electron devices. Our research combines electrical engineering, physics, and materials science and helps extend the limits of nanoscale engineering.

LATEST EVENTS IN OUR GROUP

12.17.2014
New paper: “Universal scaling of the critical temperature for thin films near the superconducting-to-insulating transition” accepted to Phys. Rev. B
[preprint] [supp. info.] We reported that the superconducting properties scale universally close to the superconducting-to-insulating transition in thin films. This universal behavior was found useful not only for the fundamental... Read more >>
Tags: , , , , ,
11.11.2014
New paper: “High-Yield, Ultrafast, Plasmon-Enhanced Au Nanorod Optical Field Emitter Arrays” accepted to ACS Nano
[abstract] [video] Here we demonstrate the design, fabrication and characterization of ultrafast, surface-plasmon enhanced Au nanorod optical field emitter arrays. We present a quantitative study of electron emission from Au... Read more >>
Tags: , , ,
10.20.2014
Dane awarded NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship
Congrats to Andrew Dane, Graduate Research Assistant in the QNN group, was awarded a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship, class of 2014.  His research topic is "Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon... Read more >>
Tags: , ,
10.20.2014
New paper: “Eight-fold signal amplification of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector using a multiple-avalanche architecture” accepted to Optics Express
[pdf] [abstract] Superconducting nanowire avalanche single-photon detectors (SNAPs) with n parallel nanowires are advantageous over single-nanowire detectors because their output signal amplitude scales linearly with n. However, the SNAP architecture has not been viably demonstrated... Read more >>
Tags: ,
10.13.2014
Prof. Berggren gives Feynman Lecture: Lithography and self-assembly below 10nm
Prof. Berggren's recent talk on "Lithography and self-assembly below 10nm" was published as part of IOP's Feynman Lectures 50th Anniversary Celebration Seminar Series. The talk outlines the QNN Group's research... Read more >>

The nanocryotron: A superconducting-nanowire three-terminal electrothermal device