Project description
Advanced microscopy reveals structure impacts on strain and quantum transport
Building reliable quantum devices requires exquisite control over the physical properties of the materials from which they are made. Specifically, it requires understanding of the impact of metallic gate configurations on local atomic-scale strains and the resulting effects on quantum transport. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TEMPEST project aims to deliver groundbreaking insights with its advances in scanning transmission electron microscopy and momentum-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy. By correlating structural and electronic properties at the nanoscale and integrating findings into digital twin models, TEMPEST will accelerate the design of next-generation quantum devices, with methods broadly applicable across materials science.
Objective
The TEMPEST project - Transmission Electron Microscopy Probing Electronic Structure and Strain at Low Temperatures - addresses a critical challenge in quantum device engineering: understanding how device morphology, especially metallic gate configurations, governs local strain in active layers and thus impacts electronic band structure and quantum transport. TEMPEST focuses on the understanding of Si/Ge-based qubits, which mostly operate as spin qubits and as superconducting qubits.
To unlock this previously inaccessible knowledge, TEMPEST will advance the (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy ((S)TEM)-based characterisation of materials. The project will first measure local nanoscale strain in quantum devices at cryogenic temperatures around 5 K, which replicate the materials structural properties expected at the mK conditions of their typical operating regimes as functional devices.
Second, to correlate strain and other structural parameters with band structure measurements, the project will push beyond current momentum-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques by developing a methodology capable of spatially mapping band structure by optimising the triple limit of spatial-momentum-energy resolution. As part of this, TEMPEST will establish a comprehensive theoretical framework to interpret momentum-resolved EELS data by integrating experimental results from the main host, FZJ/ER-C (Germany), with corresponding theoretical calculations performed at the secondment host, ICFO (Spain).
These groundbreaking insights will be integrated to create digital twins that optimise a heuristic, physics-informed research cycle, enabling a faster and more efficient development of next-generation quantum devices with reduced time and resource demands. Although demonstrated on Si/Ge quantum devices, TEMPEST’s approach is designed to be broadly applicable across materials science, including major academic and industrial sectors such as semiconductors.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware quantum computers
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
52428 JULICH
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.