| Abstract |
We are accustomed to the use of electricity in every day life, this is based on the flow of electrons through materials which have a high conductivity such as metals. At low temperatures the laws of quantum mechanics prevail and now an electron does not behave as a particle but rather as a wave, which reflects the probability of finding an electron in a particular place. An entirely new range of phenomena flow from this change in the physics and this is most pronounced in very small devices, called nanostructures. The purpose of this grant is to enable the most advanced nanostructures to be fabricated and new physical phenomena to be sought in them. In addition to the new physics that will be found, new methods of transmitting and handling data will emerge, which will be of great benefit to both existing and future industries yet to be born. |