Overview

Led by Prof. Adrian Bachtold, the Quantum NanoElectronics Group specialises in the electrical and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes and graphene. These structures are so tiny that quantum effects start to play a dominant role. For example the energy levels are quantized, just like in atoms and molecules. Interestingly, these structures are large and robust enough to be implemented in a variety of different microfabricated devices, which allow the tuning of their quantum properties.

Background

Carbon nanotubes and graphene form a class of nanoscale objects with exceptional mechanical and electrical properties, which have generated great excitement in recent years. The breaking strength is record-high and the elastic modulus is extremely large, of the order of 1 TPa. Their high strength is accompanied by their ability to buckle to a large extent in a reversible manner (up to about 20%). Such remarkable mechanical properties make nanotubes and graphene easy to manipulate and to electrically contact. Transport measurements on individual tubes have shown that they transport current over lengths as long as 1 cm. This is exceptional since a single defect usually suppresses the current to zero for one-dimensional conductors. In addition, nanotubes can be metallic or semiconducting depending on the chirality of the tube. As for graphene, the mobility can be in excess of 100.000 cm2/Vs at room temperature, higher than any known semiconductor. The aim of the group is to take advantage of the unique properties of carbon nanotubes and graphene for different classes of experiments.