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Master Thesis: Microcontroller-based Electronics for Quantum Optics Experiments
This project is about the development of versatile control electronics for a Quantum Optics lab. It involves the layout of a mixed-signal PCB with low-noise analog parts and fast digital processing, software development, and testing in the lab environment.
Progress in physics research requires ever better control and stability of experimental parameters. In our labs this means e.g. to maintain the length of an optical resonator to below a picometer, way below the size of a single atom, despite being exposed to a noisy environment. This requires robust feedback mechanisms. There are no commercial solutions that satisfy all our demands for functionality, versatility and scalability. This Master thesis project is about the development of a technical solution that gives us all that based on an existing prototype.
You get an opportunity to:
- do a challenging technical project under supervision
- get hands-on experience in low-noise analog electronics, PCB designs with microcontrollers, USB and Ethernet, and lots of low- and high-level programming including graphical user interfaces
- create a neat and fancy product that you can be proud of and show off to your potential employers
- get an insight into modern physics research
You will:
- Use a 32bit Cortex M4 microcontroller with SPI, USB and Ethernet devices
- Design a casing and power supply
- Program low-level signal processing and control algorithms in C++ including PID loops and FFT filters
- Program a high-level graphical user interface in Python
- Improve the design of a 4+ layer mixed-signal PCB
- Get some experience on modern experiments in quantum research
You are:
- Knowledgeable and experienced in some of the aforementioned activities and motivated to learn the others. Familiarity with C++ and Python is essential.
- Driven, eager and able to solve problems creatively and independently
- (Most likely) an electrical engineer, physicist or computer scientist
Progress in physics research requires ever better control and stability of experimental parameters. In our labs this means e.g. to maintain the length of an optical resonator to below a picometer, way below the size of a single atom, despite being exposed to a noisy environment. This requires robust feedback mechanisms. There are no commercial solutions that satisfy all our demands for functionality, versatility and scalability. This Master thesis project is about the development of a technical solution that gives us all that based on an existing prototype.
You get an opportunity to:
- do a challenging technical project under supervision
- get hands-on experience in low-noise analog electronics, PCB designs with microcontrollers, USB and Ethernet, and lots of low- and high-level programming including graphical user interfaces
- create a neat and fancy product that you can be proud of and show off to your potential employers
- get an insight into modern physics research
You will:
- Use a 32bit Cortex M4 microcontroller with SPI, USB and Ethernet devices
- Design a casing and power supply
- Program low-level signal processing and control algorithms in C++ including PID loops and FFT filters
- Program a high-level graphical user interface in Python
- Improve the design of a 4+ layer mixed-signal PCB
- Get some experience on modern experiments in quantum research
You are:
- Knowledgeable and experienced in some of the aforementioned activities and motivated to learn the others. Familiarity with C++ and Python is essential.
- Driven, eager and able to solve problems creatively and independently
- (Most likely) an electrical engineer, physicist or computer scientist
Design and test a prototype of an easy-to-use and versatile electronic experiment control module and prepare it for batch fabrication.
Design and test a prototype of an easy-to-use and versatile electronic experiment control module and prepare it for batch fabrication.
Please email me with information about your relevant experience and your CV: zupancic@phys.ethz.ch
Please email me with information about your relevant experience and your CV: zupancic@phys.ethz.ch