Physical Society Colloquium

Highly enriched ²⁸Si - a ‘semiconductor vacuum’

Michael Thewalt

Department of Physics
Simon Fraser University

Silicon devices are the basis for our electronics, communications and information technologies, and silicon has provided the test-bed for the development of much of semiconductor physics, so it may seem surprising that anything new can be learned about silicon. Nevertheless, we have spent the past 10+ years investigating the remarkable properties of highly isotopically enriched ²⁸Si, which is a unique new material that has been likened to a ‘semiconductor vacuum’. I will describe some of the surprising properties and discoveries that have resulted from the availability of ²⁸Si, with special emphasis on measurements and potential applications in the field of semiconductor-based quantum information.