Physics and Engineering of Nanodevices

Main Research Lines

• Development of novel nanodevice structures and nanofabrication methods to investigate the physical properties of materials at the nanoscale and their technological relevance

• Investigation of topological properties and low energy propagation of information in quantum anomalous edge states

• Spin and thermal transport in 2D systems such as topological insulators, graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides

• Control of the magnetic state of ferro- and antiferromagnetic systems by means of the spin-orbit interaction and, particularly, the spin Hall effect

• Coupling in hybrid magnon-phonon-photon systems

• Quantum circuitry and quantum transduction

The Physics and Engineering of Nanodevices Group focuses on the development of novel devices specifically designed to gain insight into physical properties of materials at the nanoscale, combining state of the art lithographic and chemical methods with magnetic and electrical transport characterisation.

The Group’s research is currently centred on spintronic devices in metals, graphene and topological insulators, including thermoelectric effects. Spintronics introduces the spin degree of freedom into device design and has been predicted to enable a revolutionary class of electronics with functionalities exceeding current semiconductor technology. Conventional electronic devices are based on charge carriers and their associated energy, which limits their speed due to energy dissipation. Spintronics, which is based on spin orientation and spin coupling, promises much higher speeds, low power demands, non-volatility and higher integration densities.