NanoTechnology: Materials, Processes & Devices

Safe and deformable soft batteries are highly desirable for applications such as mobile electronics and conformable systems on irregular surfaces. Conventional Li-ion batteries rely on rigid packaging and hermetic sealing to block moisture intrusion and prevent leakage of toxic, flammable organic electrolytes. In contrast, recently reported deformable or stretchable batteries provide good conformability but suffer rapid performance degradation in ambient conditions, limiting their operating lifetimes. The fundamental challenge is that mechanical softness and gas impermeability are mutually...

Color centers in silicon are promising building blocks for photonic quantum processors. The T center, with its long spin coherence and telecom-band optical transitions, is a particularly compelling candidate for quantum repeater and memory applications. However, the impact of local charges and spins introduced during device integration remains poorly understood. In this work, we develop a silicon photonics platform that enables probing of single T centers under applied electric and magnetic fields, allowing systematic investigation of Stark shifts and ionization dynamics. These...

Point defects in crystalline materials can introduce localized defects states with optical transitions, creating color centers. Color centers in silicon have recently shown their potential as telecom-band single photon emitters. Leveraging the mature semiconductor fabrication techniques, silicon color centers can be fabricated on a large scale and are compatible with integrated photonics. Among all the silicon color centers investigated so far, T centers provide a spin-photon interface suitable for quantum networking and communication applications. In this project, we demonstrate coherent...

While silicon has been the workhorse for much of the MEMS sensor industry, it has its shortcomings when compared to other materials that might be used, namely diamond. Diamond has advantages over silicon in Young’s modulus, quality factor, and surface inertness, all of which could contribute to improved MEMS device performance. This project specifically employs diamond to increase the velocity of resonant mechanical structures towards better performance for sensors and frequency control devices.

Project is currently funded by: Federal