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Welcome to the
Minnich Group

Our group focuses on the growth and processing of electronic and quantum materials. We work at the intersection of materials science, engineering, 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.

News

Group News

Latest publications

Ivy Chen publishes her paper on directional atomic layer etching of MgO-doped lithium niobate using sequential exposures of H2 and SF6 plasma

Oct 16, 2023

 

Azmain Hossain publishes his paper on isotropic plasma-thermal atomic layer etching of superconducting titanium nitride films using sequential exposures of molecular oxygen and SF6/H2 plasma

Sep 26, 2023

 

Jin Ming Koh publishes his paper on measurement-induced entanglement phase transition on a superconducting quantum processor with mid-circuit readout.

June 8, 2023

Jiace Sun publishes his paper on semi-analytical model of two-phonon polar optical phonon scattering for hot electrons in GaAs

May 3, 2023

Haozhe Wang publishes his paper on isotropic plasma-thermal atomic layer etching of aluminum nitride

May 2, 2023

Happenings

Congrats to Ivy for getting her paper posted in record time!

October 17, 2023

 

Jin-Ming’s paper has been highlighted in a Quanta article. Congrats!

September 11, 2023

Congrats to Azmain for passing candidacy!

August 31, 2023

Congrats to Jiayin for passing candidacy!

August 29, 2023

Azmain has his paper accepted to JVSTA and is selected for Editor’s Pick! The article will be featured on the journal website. Nice work!

August 24, 2023

Nachiket successfully defends his thesis. Congratulations Dr. Naik!

August 22, 2023

Research

Projects

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.

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We are developing transistor microwave amplifiers used in radio astronomy and other fields that operate near the standard quantum limit of noise.

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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.

Community

People

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Principal Investigator

Austin J. Minnich

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics

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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

Graduate student

Click here to see our group alumni.

Teaching

Teaching

Fall 2023

APh 105a: States of Matter

Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, with emphasis on gases, liquids, materials, and condensed matter. Effects of heat, pressure, and fields on states of matter are presented with both classical thermodynamics and with statistical mechanics. Conditions of equilibrium in systems with multiple degrees of freedom. Applications include ordered states of matter and phase transitions.

Contact
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P: (626)-395-3385

F: (626)-583-4963

Minnich Lab

1200 E. California Blvd, M.C. 104-44

Pasadena, CA 91125

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