NanoTechnology: Materials, Processes & Devices

Research that includes:

  • Development of nanostructure fabrication technology
  • Nanomagnetics, Microphotonics
  • CMOS Integrated Nanowires/Nanotubes (CMOS-Inn)

BPN993: Safe and Deformable Soft Batteries

Jong Ha Park
Peisheng He
2025

Safe and deformable soft batteries are desirable for modern products that call for good safety features such as cell phones and good conformability to be embedded onto irregular surfaces in electronics systems. Current Li-ion batteries on the commercial market are rigidly packaged and hermetically sealed to prevent: 1) the intrusion of moistures which degrade performances; and 2) the leakage of toxic and flammable electrolytes due to mechanical damages. On the other hand, various deformable/stretchable batteries have been reported in research articles and they have shown good...

BPNX1032: A Quantum Nano-Electromechanical Transducer based on Interface Piezoelectricity

Kadircan Godeneli
Leo Sementilli
2025

Transduction of signals between electrical, mechanical, and optical domains is central to modern computing, sensing, and communication systems. Emerging quantum computing, sensing, and communication technologies also require the development of transducers capable of converting quantum-level signals such as single photons and phonons with high efficiency and low loss. Traditional piezoelectric materials such as aluminum nitride and lithium niobate are widely used in classical piezoelectric and electro-optic transducers. However, for quantum applications, these thin films have large defect...

BPNX1028: Large Scale Synthesis of Optically Active Tellurium-Based Material

Shu Wang
Naoki Higashitarumizu
2025

Large-scale growth of high-quality semiconductors, the active component of devices, is the foundation of modern electronics. Recently, tellurium (Te) was identified as a promising material for optoelectronics due to its appealing optical properties and potential low-temperature wafer-scale production. In this project, we will develop a new method for controlled and scalable production of optically active tellurium.

Project is currently funded by: Federal

BPNX1022: Multiplexed Gas Sensors

Carla Bassil
2025

Gas sensing has long been an area of academic and industrial interest. However, state of the art sensors still lack selectivity and sensitivity when it comes to differentiating gases of similar compositions. In this work, we explore methods to create multiplexed gas sensors that can differentiate these mixtures with high accuracy and long-term stability.

Project is currently funded by: Federal

BPNX1030: Coupling a Single Spin Qubit to Superconducting Circuits on Silicon

Zihuai Zhang
2025

Silicon, a mature platform for the semiconductor industry, has become a leading platform for future quantum technologies. As a high-purity material, it serves as a low-noise host for a variety of spin qubits. As a low-loss material, it is a desirable substrate and material platform for next generation quantum devices. In this project, we aim to engineer a hybrid quantum system on silicon with superconducting circuits and acceptor-based spin qubits. We plan to fabricate high-impedance resonators using high kinetic inductance superconductors to enable strong electric dipole coupling between...

BPNX1023: CMOS-Compatible Doping of 2D Semiconductors

Inha Kim
Naoki Higashitarumizu
2025

2D materials are among the most promising candidates for next-generation semiconductor devices due to their exceptional electronic transport properties and composition of a single atomic layer, which offers significant advantages for integration density. However, high contact resistance and challenges in doping present obstacles to their practical applications. In this work, we aim to explore various methods to overcome these issues and achieve technological breakthroughs that will enable these materials to become integral components in a wide range of applications.

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BPNX1011: Nanoscale Electronics with Tellurium

I K M Reaz Rahman
Naoki Higashitarumizu
Taehoon Kim
2025

Tellurium has a one-dimensional atomic structure that favors anisotropic electronic properties. Thermally evaporated tellurium has intrigued renewed interest in nanoscale electronics due to its near ambient crystallization, featuring single crystal orientation in micro-sized domain. Here we aim to study the performance limits of tellurium thin film transistors as we scale them to single grain domains. This will allow us to test the performance limits of tellurium transistors and pave the way for its viability for integration with standard silicon processes.

Project...

BPNX1006: Quantitative Optical Characterization of Indium Selenide

Jamie Geng
2024

Bulk gamma-InSe has a direct bandgap of 1.24 eV, which corresponds to near infrared (NIR) wavelengths (λ = 1.0 µm) useful in optoelectronic applications from biometric detectors to silicon photonics. However, its potential for optoelectronic applications is largely untapped due in part to the lack of quantitative studies of its optical properties. Here, we study the unusually low absorptance and high photoluminescence quantum efficiency of single-crystalline InSe flakes with thickness in the hundreds of nanometers. InSe emits brightly at room temperature from its direct bandgap with a peak...

BPN971: Mechanically Flexible Mid-Wave Infrared Imagers using Black Phosphorus Ink Films

Theodorus Jonathan Wijaya
Naoki Higashitarumizu
Shu Wang
Hyong Min Kim
Dehui Zhang
Kyuho Lee
Shogo Tajima
Shifan Wang
2025

Midwave infrared (MWIR) is significant for applications such as sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. Traditional materials in this wavelength range, III-V and II-VI semiconductors, has poor performance due to their high Auger recombination rate and large dark currents. Due to the better properties of black phosphorus (BP) such as its low Auger recombination coefficient, BP-based mid-infrared light emitters and detectors have shown to outperform the state-of-the-art commercial devices. However, the scalability of these devices remains questionable because of the limitations of...

BPNX1041: Enhanced Hydrogen Detection in MOX-Based Gas Sensor via Amphiphilic Copolymer Blending (New Project)

YoungJun Kim
Carlo Carraro
2025

Chemiresistive hydrogen sensors employing metal oxides (MOX) are known for their high sensitivity, ease of fabrication, and cost-effectiveness. However, the poor dispersion of the MOX nanomaterials on the sensing platform can degrade the gas-sensing performance of films prepared using the drop-casting method. In this research, we have synthesized an amphiphilic copolymer, poly(tetrafluoro propyl methacrylate)-co-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (PTPO), using a facile free-radical polymerization technique. The PTPO copolymer serves as a surfactant, significantly enhancing the dispersion of...