QTwist
The QTWIST program aims to uncover the fundamental properties of emerging synthetic quantum materials, including a vast range of two-dimensional materials, and their potential future applications in quantum nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.
Read moreAbout
Unique infrastructure and imaging techniques are needed to observe desired properties that can be achieved by precise twisting of synthetic quantum matter.
Through the QTwist program, ICFO, in close collaboration with Distinguished Invited Professors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) and the Max Planck Society (DE), as well as other world renown scientific collaborators from leading institutions around the world, aims to create completely new functionalities from two-dimensional quantum materials. An important aspect in this effort is to develop novel experimental tools to probe the phenomena that emerge from interaction, topology, and twisting.
Concentration of international expertise through formal international collaborations with Distinguished Invited Professors as well as world-renown scientists involved in the QTWIST Board.
Establishing Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain as a pivotal center for Quantum materials, with the aim of generating economic value and fostering societal engagement.
Participants
Claudia Felser
Director at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids and ICFO Distinguished Invited Professor. Member of National Academy of Sciences
Pablo Jarillo-Herrero
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ICFO Distinguished Invited Professor. Member of National Academy of Sciences
Funding
Funded by
Joint Labs
Dilution Fridge
A dilution refrigerator uses a mixture of helium-3 and helium-4 isotopes to achieve ultra-low temperatures, near absolute zero, on the order of millikelvins (mK). This environment is essential for precise measurements of the electric and magnetic responses of quantum materials such as superconductors and other advanced materials, which demand an extreme reduction of thermal noise in order to observe their quantum properties.
Quantum Twist Microscope (QTM)
The Quantum Twist Microscope is designed to explore the properties of twisted bilayer materials, where slight rotations between layers drastically alter their electronic characteristics. This instrument uses advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques to visualize and analyze the electronic interactions at the interface of twisted layers. By applying controlled twists and measuring the resulting electronic and magnetic responses within a single sample, the QTM enables the study of material properties across a wide range of twist angles. This reduces the need to fabricate multiple devices for each twist angle, significantly streamlining the research process.
CryoSNOM (Cryogenic Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope)
CryoSNOM operates at cryogenic temperatures (close to 10 K) to provide high-resolution imaging of nanoscale surface properties using near-field optics at the mid-IR and Thz range. By cooling the sample, thermal noise is reduced and reveals quantum optical phenomena that are not visible at higher temperatures. This tool enables the study of plasmons and other intricate material optical properties at the nanoscale regardless of the excitation energy and their temperature dependence.
SpectroMag
The SpectroMag combines spectroscopy and magnetometry to study the magnetic properties of materials under various temperatures and magnetic fields (down to 4 K and up to 7 T). It enables the observation of changes in these properties, providing critical insights into magnetic phases, transitions, and interactions. This instrument is coupled with mid-IR and THz laser sources, which are of particular interest for investigating twisted graphene devices.
Flake Hunter
The Flake Hunter is used to identify and extract flakes from bulk crystals of layered materials, such as graphene, ranging from single to few layers. This involves an automated stage that uses optical contrast measurements to determine the number of layers. The instrument is crucial for preparing samples for electronic and optical device fabrication, streamlining the process by allowing for efficient isolation and testing of specific layers.
Transfer Microscope
A transfer microscope is essential for the precise placement and alignment of microscopic samples onto substrates or other devices. Especially in the construction of 2D material heterostructures, this instrument ensures that graphene and other 2D materials are positioned accurately according to the desired specifications. It involves a micropositioner that controls a transparent glass slide in conjunction with the microscope stage, which includes rotation and heating capabilities, to properly position and release the different layers.
Work with us
We are actively recruiting PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to do cutting edge research in the QTwist program.
Open positions are listed on the corresponding ICFO group pages and linked to application details on the institute’s JOBS website, alongside projects and positions throughout the center. You may contact ICFO group leaders directly for further information.
Quantum NanoElectronics and NanoMechanics
Calls openWe investigate quantum transport properties down to 7 mK temperature of correlated electron states in twisted bilayer graphene and other superlattice systems.
ICFO Group Leader Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold
adrian.bachtold@icfo.eu
Quantum Nano-Optoelectronics
Calls openWe study interactions between light and 2D material for quantum technologies and novel ways of manipulating materials
ICFO Group Leader ICREA Prof. Dr. Frank Koppens
frank.koppens@icfo.eu
STM on 2D quantum materials
Calls openWe focus on the study of cirreskated ogases that emerge in two dimensional astystems by means of low-temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/ STS)
ICFO Group leader Prof. Carmen Rubio Verdú
carmen.rubio@icfo.eu