We control the quantum mechanical motion of neutral atoms in an optical lattice by driving microwave transitions between spin states whose trapping potentials are spatially offset. Control of this offset with nanometer precision allows for adjustment of the coupling strength between different motional states, analogous to an adjustable effective Lamb-Dicke factor. This is used both for efficient one-dimensional sideband cooling of individual atoms to a vibrational ground state population of 97% and to drive coherent Rabi oscillation between arbitrary pairs of vibrational states. We further show that microwaves can drive well resolved transitions between motional states in maximally offset, shallow lattices, and thus in principle allow for coherent control of long-range quantum transport.

We demonstrate accurate single-qubit control in an ensemble of atomic qubits trapped in an optical lattice. The qubits are driven with microwave radiation, and their dynamics tracked by optical probe polarimetry. Real-time diagnostics is crucial to minimize systematic errors and optimize the performance of single-qubit gates, leading to fidelities of 0.99 for single-qubit π rotations. We show that increased robustness to large, deliberately introduced errors can be achieved through the use of composite rotations. However, during normal operation the combination of very small intrinsic errors and additional decoherence during the longer pulse sequences precludes any significant performance gain in our current experiment.

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This work investigated the decoration of the gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) on the TiO2 thin films for the applications in ethanol gas sensors. The Au-decorated TiO2 thin films (Au-TiO2) were prepared by the DC magnetron sputtering on the silicon (100) wafers and alumina substrates, interdigitated with Au electrodes. The distribution and size of Au nanoparticles were controlled by varying the sputtering time. Morphologies and element composition of the Au-TiO2 films were examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) respectively. The FE-SEM micrographs when the sputtering time was increased, the average size of the Au NPs was also increased. On the other hand, the distribution of the Au NPs was decreased. The change in size and distribution of the Au NPs consequently improved the response of ethanol gas sensors. The prepared Au-TiO2 was tested, in comparison with TiO2 reference films, as the ethanol sensors at 250-350oC in 50-1,000 ppm gas concentration. The results showed that the TiO2 thin film with Au-decorated at 6 sec sputtering time yielded the highest response of 514 at 350oC operating temperature and 1,000 ppm gas concentration.

Nitrogen - doped tin oxide (N-doped SnO2) thin films were prepared on unheated glass substrate by dc magnetron sputtering of a Sn target in gas mixtures of O2 and N2. The N2 flow rates were varied from 0 to 15 SCCM with the same working pressure of 1×10-2 Torr. The as-deposited films were annealed in vacuum at 400 °C for 1 h. The films structure, electrical properties and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), 4-point probe and Hall effect measurement and portable fiber optic UV-vis spectrometer, respectively. The observed XRD patterns of films showed preferred (101) orientation of the SnO2 tetragonal structure. The average crystalline size of the (101) diffraction peak decreased from 5.10 to 4.07 nm with N2 flow rate increased. Hall measurement indicated that resistivity increased and carrier concentrations decreased as N2 flow rate increased. The carrier concentrations decreased because N atoms substituted oxygen atom in SnO2 lattice. The N atoms may forms acceptor level in SnO2 band gap resulting in hole generation. The electron concentration from intrinsic defect were neutralized with the hole concentration. The carrier concentration decreased from 3.42×1017 cm-3 for un-doped SnO2 to the order of 1014 cm-3. The average percent transmittance of un-doped SnO2 of about 77.5% in visible range (400-700 nm) decreased to 60% with increasing N2 flow rate. The optical band gap decreased from 3.64 eV for un-doped SnO2 to 3.45 eV for N-doped SnO2 films.

Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) thin films were prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering without an external substrate heating on silicon (100) wafer and glass slide. The as-deposited films obtained from different conditions and various films thickness was investigated for physical, optical and electrical properties. First, the microstructure and film morphology were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The optical transparency was measured by UV-vis spectrophotometer. Finally, the electrical properties, based on measured resistivity, were studied by four-point probe. The result showed that the ZrN films were all well orientated in the (111) plane. When the film thickness was increased, the grain size was also increased. The effect of the film thickness was observed in the charge in colors and optical transmission of the films.

The TiO2 thin films were prepared by a dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique from high purity Ti target on silicon (100) wafers and alumina substrates inter-digital with gold electrodes. The as-deposited films were annealed from 400°C up to 800°C with 100 °C steps for 1 hour in air ambience in order to promote microstructure, morphology and gas-sensing properties. The change in microstructure and morphology of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The enhancement in the gas-sensing properties was test by ethanol gas. The prepared thin films were exposed to ethanol gas at concentration 1,000 ppm in purify dry air carrier. The resistance was measured as a function of the ethanol concentration of the films at operated temperatures in the range of 250 - 350°C. The influence of annealing temperature at 500 °C of TiO2 thin film has a highest sensitivity at 350 °C operated temperature.

A frequency-stabilized diode laser is widely used for applications in laser cooling and high-resolution spectroscopy. In this work, the 780-nm external cavity diode laser was constructed and subsequently frequency-controlled by three parameters, i.e., temperature, injection current and optical feedback. The laser frequency was measured with respect to the 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 (D2-lines) transition of Rubidium, while the laser mode was characterized by a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The laser temperature was passively controlled to a single value between 20 ̊C and 25 ̊C while the injection current was investigated in combination with course and fine adjustments of optical feedback. Only data relevant to a single-mode laser operation was collected. It was found that as the current increased, the laser frequency shifted linearly with slopes approximately 0.5-0.8 GHz/mA. Optical feedback from the external cavity was tuned by the voltage applied to the piezoelectric transducer, yielding a linear frequency response of approximately 0.2 GHz/V. The measured parameters were rearranged to represent the island of stability of the laser, suggesting suitable conditions that yielded single-mode operation, at a desirable laser frequency. The results were important for a design of an active feedback, in order to further reduce the frequency linewidth and intensity noise of the laser.