Minnich Group
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Welcome to the
Minnich Group
Our group focuses on developing detectors based on semiconductor devices and superconducting circuits used in radio astronomy and other scientific applications. We work at the intersection of engineering, materials science, and physics. We are part of a vibrant quantum science and engineering environment at Caltech.
Our group is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our division, at Caltech, and in the research community.
Group News
Latest publications
Jiace Sun publishes his paper on semi-analytical model of two-phonon polar optical phonon scattering for hot electrons in GaAs
Haozhe Wang publishes his paper on Isotropic plasma-thermal atomic layer etching of aluminum nitride
Shi-Ning Sun submits his paper on quantum computation of frequency-domain molecular response properties
Benjamin publishes his article in PRB on two-phonon scattering in non-polar semiconductors.
David publishes paper on high-field charge transport and noise in p-Si from first principles
Happenings
Minnich group presents 5 talks in APS March meeting
Mar 5, 2023
Welcome our new graduate students Ivy Chen and Justin Chen
Oct 31, 2022
Anthony successfully defends his thesis!
May 26, 2022
Alex is selected for the 2021 Centennial Prize for the Best Thesis in MCE!
May 24, 2022
Haozhe wins the Best Poster Award at Materials Research Society!
May 12, 2022
Research
Answering fundamental questions in physics and cosmology requires continuous improvement of the noise performance of existing detector technologies as well as the development of fundamentally new types of detectors. Our group’s present research focuses on the solid-state physics and transport phenomena that govern the noise performance of various detectors, typically based on semiconductors and superconducting circuits at Caltech.
We are developing transistor microwave amplifiers used in radio astronomy and other fields that operate near the standard quantum limit of noise.
We are advancing ab-initio methods to compute high-field transport and fluctuation phenomena in solids without any adjustable parameters.
We are developing atomic layer etching (ALE) processes for various dielectrics and metals and applying them to devices such as superconducting microresonators. By careful engineering of the surface region with atomic precision, we will be able to push the performance of detectors towards their intrinsic upper limit.
We are exploring how near-term quantum computers may be used for quantum simulation of physically relevant systems.
People
Principal Investigator
Austin J. Minnich
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics
Professional Preparation
BS University of California Berkeley, 2006
MS Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011
Appointments
Professor, California Institute of Technology, 2017-Present
Assistant Professor, California Institute of Technology, 2011-2017
Click here for a copy of Austin's CV
Deputy Chair, Division of E&AS, 2022 - Present
Current group members
Research scientist & Postdoctoral researcher
Graduate student
Research scientist. PhD, Caltech Research interests: precision measurement, low-noise amplifiers, nanofabrication Joined group: 2021
Postdoc. PhD, MIT Research interests: Atomic layer processing Joined group: 2021
BS, University of Minnesota Research Interests: transport and noise in semiconductors Join group: 2022
BS, Harvey Mudd College Research interests: Atomic layer etching Join group: 2022
BS, University of Science and Technology of China Research interests: Transport and fluctuations in semiconductors Joined group: 2022
BS, University of Rochester Research interests: Low noise amplifiers, noise in semiconductors Joined group: 2022
BS, UCLA Research interests: Atomic layer processing Joined group: 2021
HBS, Oregon State University Research interests: Low-noise amplifiers, atomic layer etching Joined group: 2021
BS, University of British Columbia Research interests: Quantum simulation, quantum error correction. Joined group: 2020
BS, University of Chicago Research interests: Quantum simulation, first-principles hot electron noise in semiconductors Joined group: 2019
BS, University of Texas at Arlington Research interests: Electronic fluctuations, low-noise amplifiers. Joined group: 2019
BS, Georgia Tech Research interests: First-principles hot electron noise in semiconductors. Joined group: 2019
BS, National University of Singapore Research interests: Quantum simulation, quantum algorithms. Joined group: 2018
BS, Georgia Tech Research interests: Electron transport in heterojunction bipolar transistors, low-noise amplifiers. Joined group: 2018
Click here to see our group alumni.
Teaching
Fall 2022
APh 138b: Quantum Hardware and Techniques
This class covers multiple quantum technology platforms and related theoretical techniques, and will provide students with broad knowledge in quantum science and engineering. It will be split into three-week modules covering: applications of near-term quantum computers, superconducting qubits, trapped atoms and ions, topological quantum matter, solid state quantum bits, tensorproduct states.
P: (626)-395-3385
F: (626)-583-4963
Minnich Lab
1200 E. California Blvd, M.C. 104-44
Pasadena, CA 91125