CAREER: Interplay Between Thermal, Electric and Mechanical Properties of Atomic-Sized Conductors

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Scanning tunnelling microscopy techniques can be used to fabricate and study atomic-sized wires and contacts. At this size scale, quantum effects dominate the thermal, electric and mechanical properties. The goal of this Faculty Early Career Development project at the Georgia Institute of Technology is to investigate experimentally the strong interrelation between the thermal transport, electronic transport and mechanical properties in such atomic-sized metallic conductors. Electronic properties of conductors in the quantum regime can be fully characterized by a set of a few transmission coefficients. This is called ``the mesoscopic PIN-code. Measuring, manipulating, and studying the dependence of non-electric properties on this PIN-code is the unifying theme of this project. To achieve this research goal, a novel experimental capability will be developed which will enable us to investigate mechanical properties of atomic-sized conductors simultaneously with their electric and thermal properties. Such a capability will open numerous opportunities for studying the fundamental limitations of practical electronic elements and circuits. The project will bring relevant physics and technologies into the educational experience of graduate, undergraduate, and regional high-school students by involving them directly in cutting-edge scientific research. Modern scientific devices like the scanning tunneling microscope and the atomic force microscope facilitate investigation and precise manipulation of matter at the atomic scale. Using these tools, it is possible to fabricate electrical wires containing only a few atoms and single-atom electric contacts. Quantum laws become dominant at the atomic scale, so the physical properties of microscopic objects differ drastically from their macroscopic counterparts. The goal of this Faculty Early Career Development project at the Georgia Institute of Technology is to investigate experimentally the strong interrelation between the thermal, electric and mechanical properties of atomic-sized metallic conductors. This program will also develop novel experimental tools and methods for studying and manipulating matter at the atomic scale. At the intersection of electronic transport, thermal transport, and mechanics, this project will link several distinct research directions. This project addresses the question of fundamental limits for practical electronic circuits. This is important because relentless miniaturization (which presently yields electronic devices in the nanometer size range) will undoubtedly make atomic-sized devices routinely available in the future. The project will bring relevant physics and technologies into the educational experience of graduate, undergraduate, and regional high-school students by involving them directly in cutting-edge scientific research.