NanoTechnology: Materials, Processes & Devices

Research that includes:

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

BPN525: Hybrid Core-Multishell Nanowire Forests for Electrical Connector Applications

Rehan Kapadia
2010

Electrical connectors based on hybrid core-multishell nanowire forests that require low engagement forces are demonstrated. The physical binding and electrical connectivity of the nanowire electrical connectors arise from the van der Waals interactions between the conductive metallic shells of the engaged nanowire forests. Specifically, the nanofibrillar structure of the connectors causes an amplification of the contact area between the interpenetrating nanowire arrays, resulting in strong adhesion with relatively low interfacial resistance. The nanowire electrical connectors may...

BPN526: Semiconducting Nanopillars for Photodiodes

Rehan R. Kapadia
Zhiyong Fan
Daniel Ruebusch
2010

The ability to grow high-quality, vertically oriented, single-crystalline nanopillar arrays non-epitaxially enables the fabrication of novel and potentially highly-efficient opto-electronic devices on arbitrary substrates. This project aims to exploit the optical and electronic properties of these structures to fabricate highly sensitive photodiodes on low-cost substrates. In addition, photodiodes will be fabricated from multiple semiconductor materials to explore devices sensitive to different wavelength ranges.

Project end date: 08/09/10

BPN532: Sub-5 nm-wide Junction Formation by Monolayer Doping

Hui Fang
Kuniharu Takei
Johnny Ho
2010

We have previously created a new doping method of semiconductor-monolayer doping (MLD). This method can fulfill the need of the shrinking size of devices by making ultra shallow junctions. More importantly, it causes much less lattice damage in the crystal than conventional ion-implantation technique. In this project, we are going to apply MLD to sub-5 nm-wide patterned lines (by the e-beam lithography), which is very essential to achieve future nanoscale VLSI. The doping profile will be characterized by C-V measurement.

Project end date: 08/10/10

BPN527: Materials Development for Nanopillar Array Photovoltaics

Daniel J. Ruebusch
Rehan R. Kapadia
Zhiyong Fan
Xiaobo Zhang
2010

We have previously demonstrated a first generation solar cell employing an array of vertically oriented and spatially ordered n-CdS nanopillars (NPLs) embedded in a p-CdTe film. The single crystal NPLs are grown by a Au catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process that is compatible with a wide range of materials systems. We seek to expand the design space of our solar cells by developing and integrating promising NPL materials. Successfully grown NPLs will be characterized and ultimately integrated into complete solar cells.

Project end date: 08/11/10

BPN535: MEMS Poly/Nano: Nano-Particulate Composite Materials for Energy and Sensing Applications

Nuo Zhang
2010

The goal of this project is to develop a high-K, high breakdown, polymer nanocomposite material system. The novel material is composed of a high dielectric strength polymer seeded with core-shell nanoparticles. This technology will enable the development of low-cost, highly reliable, high energy density ultracapacitor system for energy storage. It is also a possible method to enhance the sensitivity of polymer based infrared sensor.

Project end date: 08/12/10

BPN601: Strain Engineering of Epitaxially Transferred, Ultrathin Layers of III-V Semiconductor on Insulator

Hui Fang
Morten Madsen
Kuniharu Takei
Ha Sul Kim
2011

Strain state of ultrathin InAs-on-insulator layers obtained from an epitaxial transfer process is studied. The as-grown InAs epilayer (10¨C20 nm thick) on the GaSb/AlGaSb source wafer has the expected ~0.62% tensile strain. The strain is found to fully release during the epitaxial transfer of the InAs layer onto a Si/SiO2 substrate. In order to engineer the strain of the transferred InAs layers, a ZrOx cap was used during the transfer process to effectively preserve the strain. The work presents an important advance toward the control of materials properties of III-V on insulator...

BPN588: Direct Bonding of Ultra-Thin InAs on SiO2 for High Performance Transistors

Morten Madsen
Kuniharu Takei
Hui Fang
2010

In the past years, integration of III-V materials on Si have been thoroughly investigated, in order to combine the well establish, low cost, processing of the Si technology with the high mobility of III-V semiconductors for high performance electron devices. In this work, direct bonding of InAs nanoribbons on Si/SiO2 (XOI) is proposed as a method for obtaining high performance nanoscale transistors with clean and purely inorganic interfaces between InAs and SiO2.

Project end date: 02/03/11

BPN462: Programmable Matter

Xiaobo Zhang
Bryan Schubert
2011

Poly NIPAM (N-isopropylacrylamide) is a kind of thermal responsive polymer that can be synthesized by polymerize NIPAM monomer from its water solution by UV radiation or other synthetic methods. The main impetus to study this material is due to its novel thermal behaviors such as "squeezing out" water from inside, switching from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and changing from transparent to opaque when heating up to its phase transition temperature. Numerous poly NIPAM co- polymers and composites were made to utilize these properties for drug delivery, chemical connectors, and optical...

BPN531: Gigahertz Operation of Flexible Transistors Using InAs Nanomaterial Arrays

Toshitake Takahashi
Kuniharu Takei
2011

In this project, we present NW-based high frequency flexible transistors operating in gigahertz regime. InAs NWs are printed on polyimide (PI) substrate with contact printing method, in which semiconducting NWs on the growth chip can be directly transferred to and aligned on the receiver substrate. Thus fabricated NW-based devices have ft = 1.04 GHz (unit transit frequency of the current gain) and fmax = 1.8 GHz (maximum frequency of oscillation). These results promise the potential of NW-based flexible TFT for future microwave applications.

Project end date: 08/...

BPN610: Measuring Contractile Force in Engineered Muscle via Percolation Strain Gauges

Daniel J. Cohen
2011

The Technology: I am developing a new kind of piezoresistive strain sensor capable of sustaining strains up to at least 25% and with a gauge factor far greater than that found in traditional resistive gauges. The sensor is designed as an elastomer-nanotube composite that deliberately avoids the major failure modes of traditional resistive strain gauges. In addition to improved elasticity and sensitivity, this type of sensor can be shaped into nearly any configuration and embedded in a variety of polymers. These attributes are particular important given that the application is to...