Gate-defined quantum confinement in graphene superlattice

This project aims to fabricate gate-defined quantum dots on graphene superlattice and study quantum confinement physics in strongly correlated two-dimensional electron system.

Description

Quantum materials have attracted much attention in recent years due to their exotic and incredible properties. Among them, Moiré superlattice materials stand out due to their rich and electrostatically tunable phase dia-gram, making them a suitable platform for hosting single-material multi-purpose devices. In particular, magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene has become a highly tunable quantum platform exhibiting a wide range of phases, such as metal, insulator, and superconductor states. To engineer such devices, understanding electronic transport and localization across electrostatically defined interfaces is of fundamental importance. In particular, how the quantum confinement influences the correlated electron behavior in a strongly correlated 2D electron system is still not sufficiently understood.

In this project, we aim to study quantum confinement physics in graphene superlattice with gate-defined quantum dots. We will be working on the stacking of twisted bilayer graphene channels encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and the fabrication of quantum dot devices in a multi-layer gate architecture. We will be performing electrical transport characterization of the devices at ultra-low temperature (255 mK).

The student will stack the heterostructure, fabricate the devices and perform the transport measurements. It will be an opportunity to gain experience in the innovative techniques of modern nanofabrication and measurement practices at cryogenic temperatures, along with the chance to work in an emerging field of physics, which is both theoretically intriguing and promises to grow in importance as devices scale down in size.

We invite applications from highly motivated students with a strong background in physics, nanoscience, electrical engineering or related fields. We provide state-of-the-art facilities and an ideal environment for conducting your research.