Final Report Summary - ADONIS (Attosecond Dynamics On Interfaces and Solids)
First experiments on the electron transport in solids have been measured. In a very successfull collaboration with groups bringing in knowhow in solid-state and surface science it was possible to produce samples of a solid with a well defined number of adlayers of a different material on it. Using attosecond pulses to perform photoionization and set free electrons from the bulk material which travel through the adlayers, it was possible for the first time to measure the time an electron needs to move through an atomic monolayer.
Measuring and understanding the time a single electron needs to proceed "from A to B" are the prerequisite to exploit the ultimate possibilities of ultrafast electron transport for electronics. The outcome of the project ADONIS may be the basis for a speeding up of electronics and a shrinking of the size of electronic devices. In both cases a factor of 100,000 is possible.