Grant: Alliance Grants

Temperature is one of the most widely measured quantities and accurate knowledge of temperature is needed for industrial processes, climate monitoring, health and pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D. Most thermometers rely on the change in resistance of a metal with temperature and need calibration. There is an enormous need for primary thermometers for which we can relate the measured quantity to temperature without the need for calibration. For decades National Metrology Institutes world-wide have been researching such devices. Success has come in the very low and very high temperature ranges but for the temperature range that is the most important for the environment, industrial processes etc., little progress has been made. Existing devices are very sensitive to mechanical shocks and other environmental conditions. Primary Coulomb Blockade Thermometers have been made but to date are limited to cryogenic applications. The limitations on the sizes that can be made by traditional lithography are the reason that these devices have not been able to operate above about 60 Kelvin (that is -213 C). In this project, we will use our silicon Atomically Precise Manufacturing process together with developments in connecting atom-defined devices to the outside world to make single electron transistors (SETs) that will function as a Primary Coulomb Blockade Thermometers near room temperature - a first demonstration of this technique in the industrially important range. Our advances in fabrication, connections to nanoscopic devices, ultra high vacuum encapsulation and packaging will immediately enable a broad range of devices including quantum sensors of magnetic fields with unprecedented spatial resolution, electric fields, material strain, and a current standard. This project will enhance the growth of the Edmonton SME Quantum Silicon Inc. enabling it to take a bite of the >$500B global sensor market.