Final Report Summary - ADONIS (Attosecond Dynamics On Interfaces and Solids)
In the framework of the ERC project ADONIS (attosecond dynamics on interfaces and surfaces) the worldwide first UHV (ultra-high vacuum) attosecond beamline was set up. Attosecond pulses (1 as = 10 EXP -18 s) are generated in a nonlinear process from ultrashort laser pulses in the IR (infrared). Currently, attosecond pulses are generated in the extreme ultraviolet (UHV) regime. Using these attosecond pulses in combination with the electric field of IR laser pulses one can investigate processes in the microcosm on an attosecond timescale. The deeper we look inside matter the faster processes are. Electronic processes in gases, molecules and solids happen on the attosecond time-scale, so attosecond pulses are necessary to investigate and understand them. Attosecond physics, established only about 10 years ago and pioneered by the PI, has so far concentrated on processes in gases. Now, with the existance of the ADONIS-UHV attosecond beamline, the investigation of electronic processes in solids and on surfaces has been made possible.
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.
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.