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Electron Physics Group

Welcome

The Electron Physics Group conducts wide ranging, cross-disciplinary research focusing on innovative measurement science in nanotechnology with an emphasis on applications for future electronics.  The Group’s current expertise includes scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy, nanoscale magnetic imaging and dynamics, the theory of magnetism and electronic structure, and laser-based atom manipulation.  These capabilities are put to use in research programs that support development of new paradigms in nanoelectronics, examining such areas as transport in novel electronic materials (e.g. graphene), spintronic and other nanomagnetic data storage and processing devices, and focused ion beam imaging and fabrication. This research is built on the Electron Physics Group’s rich history of influential research and world-leading instrumentation development in spin-polarized electrons, electron-surface interactions, electron-atom scattering, electron optics and electron microscopy and spectroscopy.

Programs/Projects

Nanomagnetic Imaging—The microscopic arrangement of the magnetic structure within a thin metal film plays a fundamental role in many technological applications ranging from information storage in computer hard drives …

Nanomagnet Dynamics—We develop techniques for measuring magnetization dynamics in magnetic nanostructures with a particular emphasis on the emerging needs of future electronics. The dynamics of nanomagnets underpin …

Theory of Spin Transfer Torque—The working of countless electronic devices involves electric and magnetic effects interacting within nanostructured materials. In the phenomenon known as spin transfer torque, a current can give a …

Novel Sources for Focused-ion Beams—Focused beams of ions have a wide range of uses, from nanoscale imaging to the fabrication of nanomaterials.  At the CNST, researchers are developing a novel magneto-optical trap based ion …

Magnetic Nanostructures for Post-Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Electronics—Just as integrated electronic circuits continue to pack on more and ever tinier components, so magnetic technologies for data storage and other applications grow ever denser, increasing their …

Atom Manipulation with the Scanning Tunneling Microscope—At the heart of nanotechnology is the need to create nanostructures, which are material structures whose dimensions are in the nanometer scale.  Typically, nanostructures have new …

Theory of Transport in Graphene—Graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon, is considered one of the materials most likely to produce the next breakthrough in the electronics revolution.  Ideal graphene has the highest …

Measuring the Magneto-Electronic Properties of Graphene on the Nanometer Scale—The electrons in graphene are confined to the two-dimensional atomic layer of carbon atoms that make up the material .  Since graphene was first extracted from graphite in 2004, there has …

Probing Graphene Electronic Devices with Atomic Scale Measurements—The interest in using graphene as an electronic material arises in large part from the high speed with which electrons move through the material — approximately 100 times faster than in …

Structure, Defects, and Scattering in Graphene—Since its discovery, graphene, a single atomic sheet of carbon atoms, has become a leading contender to be a key building-block material for future generations of extraordinarily fast electronic …

Measuring Topological Insulator Surface State Properties—The transmission of information in today’s electronics requires the movement of electrical charge, which expends energy and generates heat, creating two limitations that are impeding the …

Designing Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy Instruments—A scanning probe microscope (SPM) in its simplest form uses a fine probe tip in proximity to a sample surface to measure a particular physical property.  SPMs achieve atomic or nanometer …