Negative Capacitance-enabled Quantum Metamaterials: a route to higher operating temperature quantum materials and technologies
| Interdisciplinary Areas: | Micro-, Nano-, and Quantum Engineering |
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Project Description
This project will explore a new paradigm of designing quantum materials via engineering Coulomb interactions into previously unavailable regimes by exploiting the negative capacitance ferroelectrics, with the aim of developing quantum devices with beyond state-of-the-art figure of merits (e.g. operating temperatures). We will explore designing FE/DE heterostructures, where the response of spontaneously polarized FE order to external E-fields can stabilize the FE layer locally in the negative capacitance phase [1,2]. Thus, the FE layer in such heterostructures behaves as a region with effective negative permittivity even in the static limit, adding a new “negative axis” for Coulomb engineering [3]! Most strikingly, for electrons embedded between FE and DE layers (e.g. in FE/2D electron gas/DE heterostructures), the effective permittivity seen by the electrons can thus approach 0 and even change sign, signaling a promising route to engineer significantly enhanced repulsive and attractive Coulomb interactions in solid-state to synthesize quantum matter. The postdoctoral researcher will perform theoretical, numerical, and/or experimental work (depending on the background and interests) at the interface of condensed matter and quantum science and engineering. The selected candidate will utilize the state-of-the-art facilities and get an opportunity to interact with experimentalists and theorists via quantum centers at the Purdue.
Start Date
09/01/2024
Post Doc Qualifications
PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Material Science and Engineering or closely related fields. Experience in condensed matter, quantum optics and/or quantum science and engineering is preferred.
Co-Advisors
1) Pramey Upadhyaya
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
prameyup@purdue.edu
https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE/People/ptProfile?resource_id=182798
2) Supriyo Datta
Thomas Duncan Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
datta@purdue.edu
https://nanohub.org/groups/supriyodatta
3) Yong Chen
Karl Lark-Horovitz Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Director of Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute
chen276@purdue.edu
https://www.physics.purdue.edu/quantum/
Bibliography
[2] Salahuddin, S. & Datta, S. Use of Negative Capacitance to Provide Voltage Amplification for Low Power Nanoscale Devices. Nano Lett. 8, 405–410 (2008).
[3] Raja, A. et al. Coulomb engineering of the bandgap and excitons in two-dimensional materials. Nat Commun 8, 15251 (2017).
[4] Wang, G. et al. Colloquium: Excitons in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides. Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 021001 (2018).