Dr. Carlos Untiedt is an Associated Professor (Prof. Titular de Universidad) at the Universidad de Alicante. He has been working in the area of electronic transport in nanostructures for the last fiveteen years (ten after his Ph.D.) and published 23 articles that have been cited more than 1150 times, two of these in the Nature and six in the Phys. Rev. Lett. Has supervised two Ph.D. Thesis and managed five different research projects as PI.
1994-1999
He made his Ph.D. at the Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid under the supervision of
Prof.Nicolás Agraït.
His Ph.D. Thesis was titled: Electronic transport in nanometer-sized structures at low temperatures and was defended the 30th of June 1999. The main outcome of his thesis was to extend the technique called Point contact spectroscopy (PCS) to structures formed by one or a very few atoms connected to two electrodes. This technique has been shown to be an important tool for the characterization of atomic and molecular junctions.
He studied the formation of atomic contacts using a home-made scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). This made possible to develop new and simple models for the characterization of the shape of the electrodes near the contact from the evolution of the conductance of the contact while the process of its formation. In collaboration with different theoretical groups it was possible also to understand the different transport behaviour of atomic-sized contacts for different materials.
Then, at the atomic contacts, he studied in depth the variations of the conductance when different bias voltages are applied to the contact. He showed that there are at least two effects: One due to the elastic scattering of the electrons at the structure and with the impurities which trough an interference phenomenon gives an oscillatory dependence of the conductance with the applied voltage. Secondly there is a decrease of the conductance coming from the inelastic scattering of electrons which comes from phenomena such as the emission of phonons. This second effect is in which is based the technique of the PCS and gave us the possibility of using it when is conveniently separated from the other effect.
Finally this new technique was applied to the study of the electron-phonon interactions in the newly discovered structure, the chain of atoms. This study showed that the electrons transported by the chain could only excite one phonon mode of the chain and that there is a dependence of this mode with the strain applied to the chain.
These studies talked during his Ph.D. lead to the publication of seven articles, three of these in the Phys. Rev. Lett. and two in the Phys. Rev. B. These papers have been cited more than 307 times.
Right after the thesis he worked three months for a project directed by Prof.S. Vieira for the Spanish National Institute of Aerospatial Technology (INTA) to study the thermal properties of some carbon fibbers around the temperature of liquid hydrogen (20K).
He studied the formation of atomic contacts using a home-made scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). This made possible to develop new and simple models for the characterization of the shape of the electrodes near the contact from the evolution of the conductance of the contact while the process of its formation. In collaboration with different theoretical groups it was possible also to understand the different transport behaviour of atomic-sized contacts for different materials.
Then, at the atomic contacts, he studied in depth the variations of the conductance when different bias voltages are applied to the contact. He showed that there are at least two effects: One due to the elastic scattering of the electrons at the structure and with the impurities which trough an interference phenomenon gives an oscillatory dependence of the conductance with the applied voltage. Secondly there is a decrease of the conductance coming from the inelastic scattering of electrons which comes from phenomena such as the emission of phonons. This second effect is in which is based the technique of the PCS and gave us the possibility of using it when is conveniently separated from the other effect.
Finally this new technique was applied to the study of the electron-phonon interactions in the newly discovered structure, the chain of atoms. This study showed that the electrons transported by the chain could only excite one phonon mode of the chain and that there is a dependence of this mode with the strain applied to the chain.
These studies talked during his Ph.D. lead to the publication of seven articles, three of these in the Phys. Rev. Lett. and two in the Phys. Rev. B. These papers have been cited more than 307 times.
Right after the thesis he worked three months for a project directed by Prof.S. Vieira for the Spanish National Institute of Aerospatial Technology (INTA) to study the thermal properties of some carbon fibbers around the temperature of liquid hydrogen (20K).
2000-2003
In January of 2000 started a post doctoral contract at the Leiden Institute of Physics in the Netherlands under the supervision of Prof. J.M.van Ruitenbeek. Thanks to a Marie Curie Fellowship starting on March 2001 could stay in Leiden until March 2003. The main outcome of this period was to detect and characterize the electrical conduction of a single hydrogen molecule connecting two macroscopic electrodes and to characterize, in many aspects, the physical properties of an atomic chain of atoms suspended in between two electrodes.
In Leiden he supervised the Ph.D. of Dr. R.H.M. Smit and became co-promotor of his thesis which was titled From Quantum Point Contacts to Monoatomic Chains: Fabrication and Characterization of the Ultimate Nanowire This thesis obtained Cum Laude and the 2002 C.J. Kok-prize a price which is awarded each year to distinguish exceptional work in the sciences and medicine at Leiden University.
He also supervised the work of three undergraduates at their stages at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory.
Finally it should be addressed the successful measurement of the electronic transport through a single hydrogen molecule, a work which appeared in the prestigious magazine “Nature”. This was possible from his previous works done during his Ph.D. where he extended the technique of the point contact spectroscopy to the study of atomic-sized contacts.
This period finished with the publication of other six articles, one of these in the Nature, two in the Phys. Rev.Lett. and two in the Phys. Rev. B. These papers have been cited more than 618 times.
In Leiden he supervised the Ph.D. of Dr. R.H.M. Smit and became co-promotor of his thesis which was titled From Quantum Point Contacts to Monoatomic Chains: Fabrication and Characterization of the Ultimate Nanowire This thesis obtained Cum Laude and the 2002 C.J. Kok-prize a price which is awarded each year to distinguish exceptional work in the sciences and medicine at Leiden University.
He also supervised the work of three undergraduates at their stages at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory.
Finally it should be addressed the successful measurement of the electronic transport through a single hydrogen molecule, a work which appeared in the prestigious magazine “Nature”. This was possible from his previous works done during his Ph.D. where he extended the technique of the point contact spectroscopy to the study of atomic-sized contacts.
This period finished with the publication of other six articles, one of these in the Nature, two in the Phys. Rev.Lett. and two in the Phys. Rev. B. These papers have been cited more than 618 times.
2003-today
From May 2003 is working at the Universidad de AlicanteSpain
InAlicante
In 2005 he started supervising the Ph.D thesis of Mss. Reyes Calvo which will deal about electronic transport in magnetic nanostructures. Reyes defended her Ph.D. Thesis in May 2009 and now she is working as Post Doc at the London Center of Nanotechnology.
At the end of 2006 also started the supervision of the Ph.D. thesis of Mr. Giovanni Sáenz which deals about the manipulation and measurements of nanostructures on surfaces.
At the end of 2008 Mr. Carlos Sabater and Mr David Costa started their Ph.D. thesis under Untiedt's supervition.
In Alicante he has published seven articles including one in Nature, one in the Phys. Rev. Lett. and three in the Phys. Rev. B. These paper have been cited more 112 than times
The effort that Dr. Carlos Untiedt has started in 2003 inAlicante Alicante
Sep 2009
In
In 2005 he started supervising the Ph.D thesis of Mss. Reyes Calvo which will deal about electronic transport in magnetic nanostructures. Reyes defended her Ph.D. Thesis in May 2009 and now she is working as Post Doc at the London Center of Nanotechnology.
At the end of 2006 also started the supervision of the Ph.D. thesis of Mr. Giovanni Sáenz which deals about the manipulation and measurements of nanostructures on surfaces.
At the end of 2008 Mr. Carlos Sabater and Mr David Costa started their Ph.D. thesis under Untiedt's supervition.
In Alicante he has published seven articles including one in Nature, one in the Phys. Rev. Lett. and three in the Phys. Rev. B. These paper have been cited more 112 than times
The effort that Dr. Carlos Untiedt has started in 2003 in
Sep 2009