Arhiv

Predavanje: Counting Single Electrons in a CMOS Circuit

datum začetka: 09.10.2014
ura: 10:00
lokacija: Predavalnica P11
organizator: Laboratorij za mikrosenzorske strukture in elektroniko

 

Laboratorij za mikrosenzorske strukture in elektroniko Vas vljudno vabi na predavanje

 

prof. dr. Radivoje S. Popovic, professor Emeritus EPFL

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland, and CTO SENIS AG, Zug, Switzerland

“Counting Single Electrons in a CMOS Circuit”.

 

Predavanje bo 

v četrtek, 09. 10. 2014 ob 10:00 uri v predavalnici 11, na Fakulteti za elektrotehniko.

 

Predavanje bo potekalo v angleščini.

 

Abstract:

We developed a CMOS integrated circuit, which enables the measurement of sub-pico-ampere currents by counting single electrons at room temperature. The key component of the circuit is a bipolar transistor optimized for the operation in the Geiger avalanche mode, called SEBAT (Single-Electron Bipolar Avalanche Transistor). An electron injected through the base-emitter junction of the SEBAT triggers avalanche breakdown in its collector-base junction. The breakdown is then rapidly stopped by a quenching circuit. This produces a voltage pulse at the collector, which is transferred to the digital domain by an inverter. The integrated combination SEBAT - inverter can be used as a bit-stream-making part of a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter. By counting the pulses, we measured currents down to the atto-ampere range. SEBAT has much lower noise and much faster response than that of conventional low-level-current amplifiers.

By way of example, we propose the application of the SEBAT in an integrated combination with a nano-probe cantilever for the scanning-probe microscopy of biological or other low-conductivity nanostructures.

 

Biography:

Radivoje Popovic received the Dipl. Ing. degree in engineering physics from the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1969, and the M.Sc and Dr.Sc. degrees in electronics from the University of Nis, Yugoslavia in 1974 and 1978.

From 1969 to 1981, he worked for Elektronska Industrija in Nis, Yugoslavia, where from 1978 to 1981 he was head of CMOS department. From 1982 to 1993, he was with Landis & Gyr AG, Central R&D in Zug, Switzerland, where from 1991 to 1993 he was vice president.

In 1994 Popovic joined EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland), as extraordinary professor for microtechnology systems, and became ordinary professor in 1997. He taught courses in conceptual product design, semiconductor device physics, microelectronics, optical detectors, and integrated sensors; and he was adviser of 20 PhD students. Since 2010 he is professor emeritus.

Currently, he is chief technology officer of SENIS AG (www.senis.ch).

Popovic has published a book on Hall effect devices, and is author or co-author of about 280 technical papers and 95 patent applications. He is co-founder of start-up companies Sentron AG, Sentronis AD, Senis AG, Ametes AG, and Sensima Technology SA. He is member of Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, Serbian Academy of Engineering Sciences, and senior member of IEEE.

http://people.epfl.ch/radivoje.popovic/bio?lang=en&cvlang=en