Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2017
Placement period
May – August, September – December
Supervisor’s name
Liu Hao Tjeng
Project Details
Overview
Topological insulators have a unique property in that they have metallic conducting surface in spite of an insulating bulk. The over-all goal of my project is to cap a thin film of Bismuth Telluride with a superconducter so as to conduct transport measurements on it. This may lead to interesting properties unfolding, especially at the insulator-superconductor interface.
Project objectives
We are currently trying to get the already thin films of Bismuth Telluride thinner so as to have more control on the interface. We achieve epitaxial growth by using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) techniques in an Ultra-high Vacuum (UHV) system. Furthermore, we use spectroscopic techniques (e.g. RHEED, ARPES) to determine the purity of the film.
The next step would be to find and deposit a suitable superconductor on the thin film.
Research outcomes
Project status
In progress
Expected completion date
12/21/2017
Complimentary document for project
Complimentary document for project
Complimentary document for project
My Co-op Experience at MPI
Why did you apply for a placement with Max Planck Institute?
In my first year of university, I wandered into the wrong classroom and ended up listening to a talk given to a previous student who went to MPI the year prior. I was entranced by the promise of being on the forefront of research and by the prospect of working in Europe. I thus made it a goal of mine to at least apply to MPI because it would, at worst, be a fun story to tell, and, at best, be a life changing experience.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in MPI-UBC exchange program?
Apply. I have met a lot of wonderful and smart people who would have gone to MPI if not for their insecurities stopping them. It is true that there is a certain gravitas when one mentions the Max Planck Institute, but that is the beauty of Co-op — you get to apply and reach for things seemingly out of your reach.
After you get here, I would suggest spending 1-2 months just in your region, and get a hang of it. After those months, I would suggest hopping around to the cities that the other UBC people are at. If all goes well, you would be able to see the best parts of the respective cities, and have a generally fun time.
Lastly, Oktoberfest: Go the the Munich one; Christmas market: Go to the Dresden one.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences in Germany and the rest of the Europe
At the time of writing, I have not traveled much out of the Dresden-Saxon area by choice. Dresden is a wonderful city with a lot to do, in and of itself. The city is compact, so you can practically walk it. There are tons of museums and festivals are sprinkled around the summer.
If you get bored of the city, you can explore the Saxon area. A 1-hour train ride would bring you to the Saxon-Switzerland Border. There are many hiking trails, most notably the ‘Malerweg’ or Painter’s Way, that you can spend hours just trekking up and down. For outside of Dresden, I went to Prague and Munich. I focused more on Eastern Germany and Europe since it was closer to me.
