Abstracts Physics

Effects of Substrate Synthesis on Nanotube Conductance

by Micah Wood

Since the conception of the first digital computer, scientists have long sought to harness the physics of quantum mechanics in an effort to revolutionize computational efficiency. The intrinsic parallelism of a particle's wavefunction in the quantum world presents a unique opportunity for the realization of a quantum bit (qubit) - the building block of a quantum computer. It has recently been shown that the electron spin direction in a one-dimensional quantum dot can function as a qubit. The implementation of this concept through localized electrostatic gating of carbon nanotubes was recently attempted by the Marcus group. However, a functional quantum logic gate was unable to be produced due to an excess of defects in the nanotube stemming in part from the thermal oxide substrate on which it was grown. Since the quality of the nanotube relies so heavily on its substrate, this thesis will attempt to develop a diagnostic for evaluating the quality of that substrate.