Miradia Inc.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Shoucheng Zhang

Xiao Charles Yang

Dongmin Chen

Shaoher X Pan

Xiao Zhang

James D Kelly

Naoto Nagaosa

Jie Chen

Jing Wang

Claudia Felser

Shuichi Murakami

A topological insulator is grown on an IC wafer in a vacuum chamber as a thin film interconnect between two circuits in the IC communicating with each other. As the TI is being grown, magnetic doping of the various TI sub-layers is varied to create different edge states in the stack of sub-layers. The sub-edges conduct in parallel with virtually zero power dissipation. Conventional metal electrodes are formed on the IC wafer that electrically contact the four corners of the TI layer (including the side edges) to electrically connect a first circuit to a second circuit via the TI interconnect. The TI interconnect thus forms two independent conducting paths between the two circuits, with each path being formed of a plurality of sub-edges. This allows bi-direction communications without collisions. Since each electrode contacts many sub-edges in parallel, the overall contact resistance is extremely low.

Topological insulator in IC with multiple conductor paths

An electrical device includes a current transport layer formed using a layer of a topological material selected from the group of a topological insulator, a quantum anomalous hall (QAH) insulator, a topological insulator variant, and a topological magnetic insulator. In one embodiment, the current transport layer forms a conductive wire on an integrated circuit where the conductive wire includes two spatially separated edge channels, each edge channel carrying charge carriers propagating in one direction only. In other embodiments, an optical device includes an optical layer formed using a layer of the topological material. The optical layer can be a light absorbing layer, a light emitting layer, a light transport layer, or a light modulation layer.

Electrical and optical devices incorporating topological materials including topological insulators

An electrical device includes a charge carrier transport layer formed using a ternary semiconducting compound having a stoichiometry of 1:1:1 and an element combination selected from the set of I-II-V, I-III-IV, II-II-IV, and I-I-VI; or having a stoichiometry of 3:1:2 and an element combination selected from the set of I-III-V; or having a stoichiometry of 2:1:1 and an element combination selected from the set of I-II-IV. In some embodiments, the charge carrier transport layer is used as the radiation absorption layer for a photovoltaic cell, or a light emitting layer of a light emitting device. Other devices, such as laser diode, a photodetection device, an optical modulator, a transparent electrode and a window layer, can also be formed using the ternary semiconducting compound as the charge carrier transport.

Electrical devices formed using ternary semiconducting compounds

A micro-mirror array that is useful, for example, in a reflective spatial light modulator. In one embodiment, the micro mirror array includes spacer support walls, a vertical torsion hinge, and a mirror plate, all being fabricated from a single wafer. The micro-mirror array has a large fill ratio.

Reflective spatial light modulator

A spatial light modulator for use in projection display applications is provided. The spatial light modulator includes a substrate including a plurality of electrically active circuits and an electrode layer electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of electrically active circuits. In one embodiment, the electrode layer includes a semi-continuous layer with at least one optical path. The spatial light modulator also includes a shielding layer electrically isolated from the electrode layer and disposed between the substrate and the plurality of electrically active circuits and an electrical connector coupling the shielding layer to a reference potential. In a specific embodiment, the shielding layer of the spatial light modulator converts incident light energy to electrical current and routes the current back to a source. In another specific embodiment, the shielding layer converts electrical field disturbance to electrical current and routes the current back to a source.

Memory cell dual protection

A micro-mirror array fabricated on one substrate is bonded to a second substrate that includes addressing electrodes and control circuitry. In one embodiment, the micro mirror array is fabricated from a substrate that is a single crystal material. There is enough area beneath the micro mirror array for electrodes and control circuitry, including memory buffers and a pulse width modulation array to be fabricated on the second substrate.

Architecture of a reflective spatial light modulator

A device and a method for generating an electric-field-induced spin current are disclosed. A highly spin-polarized electric current is generated using a semiconductor structure and an applied electric field across the semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure can be a hole-doped semiconductor having finite or zero bandgap or an undoped semiconductor of zero bandgap. In one embodiment, a device for injecting spin-polarized current into a current output terminal includes a semiconductor structure including first and second electrodes, along a first axis, receiving an applied electric field and a third electrode, along a direction perpendicular to the first axis, providing the spin-polarized current. The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor material whose spin orbit coupling energy is greater than room temperature (300 Kelvin) times the Boltzmann constant. In one embodiment, the semiconductor structure is a hole-doped semiconductor structure, such as a p-type GaAs semiconductor layer.

Electric field induced spin-polarized current

An electro-mechanical system, the system comprising a first surface with an electrically activated electrode coupled to the first surface and to an electrical source to receive a first signal. The system further comprising a moveable structure suspended at a first height over the first surface, the moveable structure being attracted toward the electrode based upon the first signal, and the moveable structure being attracted toward the first surface through an interaction with one or more parasitic forces. The systems also provides a landing post coupled to the moveable structure, the landing post being adapted to contact the base of the landing post against the first surface when the electrically activated electrode receives a predetermined voltage bias associated with the first signal, thereby maintaining an outer portion of the moveable structure free from physical contact with the first surface and reducing a magnitude of one or more parasitic forces.

Growing community of inventors

Stanford, CA, United States of America

Shoucheng Zhang