Research


I am a Ph.D. Candidate and Future Faculty Fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. I received my B.A. in Physics from Colby College in Waterville, Maine in 2006, where I studied quantum spin-forbidden transitions in organometallic Haldane materials under high magnetic field conditions. At UMD, I have previously investigated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to fabricate Josephson junction qubit devices. My current research focuses on the use of ALD for the development of advanced heteronanostructures for electrical energy storage devices including its use in NW nanowires, as active storage in cathodic nanostructures, and in solid-state lithium-ion batteries. I am the president of the UMD Materials Research Society graduate student society chapter, and am an avid musician.

Demand for portable electronics over the past 20 years has driven the development of advanced lithium ion batteries to power these devices. With recent advances on the fabrication of materials patterned at the nanoscale, the opportunity arrises to be able to improve both the power density and energy density of batteries. Such advanced batteries could lead to huge increases in battery life for portable electronics.

At the University of Maryland, we use our expertise in fabrication and characterization of heteronanostructures to address these grand energy challenges.

ALD Nanostructures Laboratory (ANSLab)


ANSLab at the University of Maryland. Shown, from left to right, is our Cambridge Nanotech Fiji F200 ALD Tool (Luigi), our glovebox for working with air-sensitive materials, our rotary wafer transporter (RTTA), Kratos Ultra DLD surface analysis system, thermal evaporation chamber, and second Cambridge Nanotech Fiji F200 ALD tool (Mario).


Previously, in collaboration with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) and the University of Colorado at Boulder I investigated the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a way to fabricate the dielectric layers in superconducting Josephson junctions. Josephson junctions are one type of superconducting phase qubit which show promise for future quantum computers. Current Josephson junctions have a low quality factor, which is thought to be primarily due to material defects in the dielectric. One of the major defect cantidates is thought to be -OH defects in the dielectric layer. These -OH defects can act as quantum two level systems, attenuating the power input at certain frequencies. Use of ALD provides significant control over materials properties allowing us to engineer the type and density of defects in the dielectric layer. This research will lead to a greater understanding of the material-based loss mechanisms in Josephson junctions, and will bring us closer to the realization of quantum computation.






© 2019 Alexander C. Kozen