Diffusion induced decoherence of stored optical vortices

We study the coherence properties of optical vortices stored in atomic ensembles. In the presence of thermal diffusion, the topological nature of stored optical vortices is found not to guarantee slow decoherence. Instead the stored vortex state has decoherence surprisingly larger than the stored Gaussian mode. Generally, the less phase gradient, the more robust for stored coherence against diffusion. Furthermore, calculation of coherence factor shows that the center of stored vortex becomes completely incoherent once diffusion begins and, when reading laser is applied, the optical intensity at the center of the vortex becomes nonzero. Its implication for quantum information is discussed. Comparison of classical diffusion and quantum diffusion is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Shot Noise in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions: Evidence for Sequential Tunneling

We report the experimental observation of sub-Poissonian shot noise in single magnetic tunnel junctions, indicating the importance of tunneling via impurity levels inside the tunnel barrier. For junctions with weak zero-bias anomaly in conductance, the Fano factor (normalized shot noise) depends on the magnetic configuration being enhanced for antiparallel alignment of the ferromagnetic electrodes. We propose a model of sequential tunneling through nonmagnetic and paramagnetic impurity levels inside the tunnel barrier to qualitatively explain the observations.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Characterization Of Thermal Stresses And Plasticity In Through-Silicon Via Structures For Three-Dimensional Integration

Through-silicon via (TSV) is a critical element connecting stacked dies in three-dimensional (3D) integration. The mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between the Cu via and Si can generate significant stresses in the TSV structure to cause reliability problems. In this study, the thermal stress in the TSV structure was measured by the wafer curvature method and its unique stress characteristics were compared to that of a Cu thin film structure. The thermo-mechanical characteristics of the Cu TSV structure were correlated to microstructure evolution during thermal cycling and the local plasticity in Cu in a triaxial stress state. These findings were confirmed by microstructure analysis of the Cu vias and finite element analysis (FEA) of the stress characteristics. In addition, the local plasticity and deformation in and around individual TSVs were measured by synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction to supplement the wafer curvature measurements. The importance and implication of the local plasticity and residual stress on TSV reliabilities are discussed for TSV extrusion and device keep-out zone (KOZ).Microelectronics Research Cente