arXiv subjects

Qun Cao

Publications and source records attributed to Qun Cao.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Optical Detection of Coefficient of Thermal Expansion via Frequency Tracking at Cryogenic Temperatures

Accurate characterization of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in nanoscale thin films is critical for predicting residual stress and ensuring the reliability of modern micro-electromechanical systems and advanced semiconductor architectures. The primary limitation is that traditional methods depend on precise thickness measurements or are restricted to crystalline materials. In this work, we present an in-situ, non-destructive optical methodology to determine the CTE of suspended nanofilms by tracking the temperature-dependence of their vibrational frequency. This approach eliminates thickness measurements entirely and works for amorphous films where X-ray diffraction (XRD) fails. We experimentally validate this technique across a broad temperature range, evaluating membranes in their native microstructure state without requiring additional destructive patterning or complex sample preparation. This non-contact optical method achieves uncertainty below 5.3 * 10-8 K-1, substantially improving upon conventional thin-film CTE metrology.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2026

Tunable turning point of the frequency--temperature response in suspended bilayer SiN_x/Al nanofilms

Non-invasive thermometry is highly desirable in cryogenic experiments to avoid the self-heating inherent in conventional sensors. In previous work, temperature was probed via the vibrational eigenfrequency of a suspended single-layer SiNx nanofilm. However, the turning point of the frequency-temperature curve limited the usable measurement range. Moreover, the slow thermal response confined measurements to a stepwise protocol with only discrete temperature points. Here, we show that these limitations can be overcome with a suspended bilayer SiNx/Al nanofilm, whose temperature-dependent vibrational eigenfrequency provides a monotonic, continuous, and repeatable temperature readout. The frequency-temperature dependence is governed by the mismatch between the effective coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the bilayer and the substrate, which makes the turning point tunable through the thickness ratio of the two layers. Over the 90 K to 300 K range, we characterize three bilayer nanofilms with different Al layer thicknesses and show how the turning point shifts with the thickness of the Al layer. For the sample with 72 nm Al, the turning point is pushed beyond 300 K, yielding a monotonic negative temperature coefficient over the entire 90 K to 300 K range. Combining a thin Al layer on the SiNx film with improved thermal anchoring of the chip shortens the thermal response to below 1 s, enabling continuous frequency tracking at a ramp rate of 3 K/min. We also demonstrate that the nanofilm with a 72 nm Al layer achieves a repeatability better than 150 mK above 175 K, and the frequency resolution of 1 Hz corresponds to a temperature resolution of ~5 mK.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Imaging via Kurtosis-Difference Weighted Covariance on 2D Camera

Camera-based quantum imaging detects spatially correlated photon pairs from spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). Conventional covariance methods typically require tens of thousands of frames to extract weak correlations from noise. While thick crystals can increase photon flux, they generate photon pairs from multiple emission positions within the crystal, producing multiple correlation centers with complex pairing geometries. In addition, conventional covariance methods assume a single pre-selected correlation center and cannot fully exploit these distributed correlations. We demonstrate that kurtosis difference, a fourth-order statistic measuring tail similarity, effectively discriminates correlated pixel pairs even when correlation coefficients remain low. Weighting covariance by an exponential function of absolute kurtosis difference can select symmetric pixels while preserving true coincidences. This kurtosis weighting automatically identifies correlated pairs within a broad search region and accommodates multiple pairing geometries without requiring precise correlation center calibration. At 5000 frames, our method yields a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) exceeding 7, whereas standard covariance remains below 2. Compared with standard covariance, the method reduces the acquisition time by 40-fold and could enable practical quantum imaging in sparse correlated-photon regimes.

quant-ph↗