Physics of NanoElectronics

Welcome to the research group Physics of NanoElectronics of the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology. 

Major discoveries in astronomy are always due to progress in new observational capabilities. With focused research it is possible to steer the development or even invent new instruments, which allow observations, unthinkable a few years ago. Our group does excellent fundamental solid state physics, while at the same time we collaborate with astronomers to actually use new devices in next generation instruments. This unique combination has resulted in state-of-art detectors that are currently being used in the James Clerk Maxwell telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, in the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile (near completion) and in the Herschel Space Telescope, which was launched on May 14^th 2009. Making our field one of the few in which nanotechnology is used in the outside world.

The new challenge is to get access to the submillimeter Universe, which will give us insight in stellar and galaxy evolution, in particular in the earliest galaxies. Currently, instruments based on superconducting detectors are the most attractive for this, because of the relevant energies, and because cryogenic cooling is required for high sensitivity instruments anyhow. Our research interacts with the field of quantum computation based on superconducting Josephson junctions, but is tailored to be capable of measuring energy-poor photons. Thereby realizing our goal is to work together with astronomers to do early discoveries with new observational instruments.

(Left) The Rosette molecular cloud observed in submillimeter waves (credit: ESA). (Middle) A post-doc of the NF group at the APEX sub-mm telescope in Chile. (Right) Microwave kinetic inductance detector array.

Our group is the linking pin between the Astronomy in Leiden and Quantum Nanoscience in Delft. In addition we collaborate with a variety of other national and international institutes with interest in the applications of nano-electronics for space research or astronomy. In this respect we should especially mention our unique relationship with the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), which develops instruments for astronomical and atmospheric research. Our projects are supported by NWO, JSPS (Japan), NOVA, FOM, Radionet (EU), KNAW with CAS (China) and NASA (US).