Phase locking of a 3.4 THz third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser using a room-temperature superlattice harmonic mixer

We report on the phase locking of a 3.4 THz third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) using a room temperature GaAs/AlAs superlattice diode as both a frequency multiplier and an internal harmonic mixer. A signal-to-noise level of 60?dB is observed in the intermediate frequency signal between the 18th harmonic of a 190.7?GHz...

Photon- and phonon-assisted tunneling in the three-dimensional charge stability diagram of a triple quantum dot array

We report both photon- and phonon-assisted tunneling transitions in a linear array of three quantum dots, which can only be understood by considering the full three-dimensionality of the charge stability diagram. Such tunneling transitions potentially contribute to leakage of qubits defined in this system. A detailed understanding of these...

Beam and phase distributions of a terahertz quantum cascade wire laser

We report on both measurements and simulations of the beam profile and wavefront of a single-mode, 3.5?THz quantum cascade wire laser, incorporating a lateral corrugated metal-metal waveguide, 3rd-order distributed feedback grating. The intrinsic wavefront was measured by using a Hartmann wavefront sensor (HWS) without any optical components...

Substrate-dependent quasiparticle recombination time in superconducting resonators

We demonstrate an increased quasiparticle recombination time in superconducting resonators on a SiNx membrane, compared to identical resonators on a SiNx/Si wafer. An interpretation is given using a thermal model of the membrane. Using an array of tunnel junctions to cool or heat the membrane, we show that the resonators on the membranes are...

Lightweight sodium alanate thin films grown by reactive sputtering

We report the preparation of sodium alanate, a promising hydrogen storage material, in a thin film form using cosputtering in a reactive atmosphere of atomic hydrogen. We study the phase formation and distribution, and the hydrogen desorption, with a combination of optical and infrared transmission spectroscopy. We show that the hydrogen...

Ca(AlH4)2, CaAlH5, and CaH2+6LiBH4: Calculated dehydrogenation enthalpy, including zero point energy, and the structure of the phonon spectra

The dehydrogenation enthalpies of Ca(AlH4)2, CaAlH5, and CaH2+6LiBH4 have been calculated using density functional theory calculations at the generalized gradient approximation level. Harmonic phonon zero point energy (ZPE) corrections have been included using Parlinski’s direct method. The dehydrogenation of Ca(AlH4)2 is exothermic, indicating...

Epitaxial aluminum nitride tunnel barriers grown by nitridation with a plasma source

High critical current-density (10?to?420?kA/cm2) superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions with aluminum nitride barriers have been realized using a remote nitrogen plasma from an inductively coupled plasma source operated in a pressure range of 10?3–10?1?mbar. We find a much better reproducibility and control compared to previous...

Low-frequency noise in Josephson junctions for superconducting qubits

The authors have studied low-frequency resistance fluctuations in shadow-evaporated Al/AlOx/Al tunnel junctions. Between 300 and 5?K the spectral density follows a 1/f law. Below 5?K, individual defects distort the 1/f shape of the spectrum. The spectral density decreases linearly with temperature between 150 and 1?K and saturates below 0.8?K....

Parametrization of an anharmonic Kirkwood–Keating potential for AlxGa1?xAs alloys

We introduce a simple semiempirical anharmonic Kirkwood–Keating potential to model AxB1?xC-type semiconductors. The potential consists of the Morse strain energy and Coulomb interaction terms. The optical constants of pure components, AB and BC, were employed to fit the potential parameters such as bond-stretching and -bending force constants,...

Effect of cation distribution on self-diffusion of molecular hydrogen in Na3Al3Si3O12 sodalite:?A molecular dynamics study

The diffusion of hydrogen in sodium aluminum sodalite (NaAlSi-SOD) is modeled using classical molecular dynamics, allowing for full flexibility of the host framework, in the temperature range 800–1200 K. From these simulations, the self-diffusion coefficient is determined as a function of temperature and the hydrogen uptake at low equilibrium...

Real-time detection of single-electron tunneling using a quantum point contact

We observe individual tunnel events of a single electron between a quantum dot and a reservoir, using a nearby quantum point contact (QPC) as a charge meter. The QPC is capacitively coupled to the dot, and the QPC conductance changes by about 1% if the number of electrons on the dot changes by one. The QPC is voltage biased and the current is...

Engineering the quantum point contact response to single-electron charging in a few-electron quantum-dot circuit

We show that the design of a quantum point contact adjacent to a quantum dot can be optimized to produce maximum sensitivity to single-electron charging in the quantum dot. Our analysis is based on the self-consistent solution of coupled three-dimensional Kohn-Sham and Poisson equations for the quantum circuit. We predict a detection sensitivity...

Excited-state spectroscopy on a nearly closed quantum dot via charge detection

We demonstrate a method for measuring the discrete energy spectrum of a quantum dot connected very weakly to a single lead. A train of voltage pulses applied to a metal gate induces tunneling of electrons between the quantum dot and a reservoir. The effective tunnel rate depends on the number and nature of the energy levels in the dot made...

Planar nanocontacts with atomically controlled separation

We have developed a technology to reproducibly make gaps with distance control on the single-atom scale. The gold contacts are flat on the nanometer scale and are fabricated on an oxidized aluminum film that serves as a gate. We show that these contacts are clean and can be stabilized via chemical functionalization. Deposition of conjugated...

Magnetic field effects on switching noise in a quantum point contact

Low-frequency noise in quantum point contacts