No Arabic abstract
Deposition of clusters from the gas phase is becoming an enabling technology for the production of nanostructured devices. Supersonic clusters beam deposition (SCBD) has been shown as a viable route for the production of nanostructured thin films. By using SCBD and by exploiting aerodynamical effects typical of supersonic beams it is possible to obtain very high deposition rates with a control on neutral cluster mass distribution, allowing the deposition of thin films with tailored nanostructure. Due to high deposition rates, high lateral resolution, low temperature processing, SCBD can be used for the integration of cluster-assembled films on micro- and nanofabricated platforms with limited or no post-growth processing. Here we present the industrial opportunities for batch fabrication of gas sensor microarrays based on transition metal oxide nanoparticles deposited on microfabricated substrates.
We have characterized the frictional properties of nanostructured (ns) carbon films grown by Supersonic Cluster Beam Deposition (SCBD) via an Atomic Force-Friction Force Microscope (AFM-FFM). The experimental data are discussed on the basis of a modified Amontons law for friction, stating a linear dependence of friction on load plus an adhesive offset accounting for a finite friction force in the limit of null total applied load. Molecular Dynamics simulations of the interaction of the AFM tip with the nanostructured carbon confirm the validity of the friction model used for this system. Experimental results show that the friction coefficient is not influenced by the nanostructure of the films nor by the relative humidity. On the other hand the adhesion coefficient depends on these parameters.
Graphene and graphene-based materials exhibit exceptional optical and electrical properties with great promise for novel applications in light detection. However, several challenges prevent the full exploitation of these properties in commercial devices. Such challenges include the limited linear dynamic range (LDR) of graphene-based photodetectors, the lack of efficient generation and extraction of photoexcited charges, the smearing of photoactive junctions due to hot-carriers effects, large-scale fabrication and ultimately the environmental stability of the constituent materials. In order to overcome the aforementioned limits, different approaches to tune the properties of graphene have been explored. A new class of graphene-based devices has emerged where chemical functionalisation, hybridisation with light-sensitising materials and the formation of heterostructures with other 2D materials have led to improved performance, stability or versatility. For example, intercalation of graphene with FeCl$_3$ is highly stable in ambient conditions and can be used to define photo-active junctions characterized by an unprecedented LDR while graphene oxide (GO) is a very scalable and versatile material which supports the photodetection from UV to THz frequencies. Nanoparticles and quantum dots have been used to enhance the absorption of pristine graphene and to enable high gain thanks to the photogating effect. In the same way, hybrid detectors made from stacked sequences of graphene and layered transition-metal dichalcogenides enabled a class of detectors with high gain and responsivity. In this work we will review the performance and advances in functionalised graphene and hybrid photodetectors, with particular focus on the physical mechanisms governing the photoresponse in these materials, their performance and possible future paths of investigation.
Fabrication of single nickel-nitrogen (NE8) defect centers in diamond by chemical vapor deposition is demonstrated. Under continuous-wave 745 nm laser excitation single defects were induced to emit single photon pulses at 797 nm with a linewidth of 1.5 nm at room temperature. Photon antibunching of single centers was demonstrated using a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss interferometer. Confocal images revealed approximately 10^6 optically active sites/cm^2 in the synthesized films. The fabrication of an NE8 based single photon source in synthetic diamond is important for fiber based quantum cryptography. It can also be used as an ideal point-like source for near-field optical microscopy.
We study strain relaxation and surface damage of GaN nanopillar arrays fabricated using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching and post etch wet chemical treatment. We controlled the shape and surface damage of such nanopillar structures through selection of etching parameters. We compared different substrate temperatures and different chlorine-based etch chemistries to fabricate high quality GaN nanopillars. Room temperature photoluminescence and Raman scattering measurements were carried to study the presence of surface defect and strain relaxation on these nanostructures, respectively. We found that wet KOH etching can remove the side wall damages caused by dry plasma etching, leading to better quality of GaN nanopillars arrays. The Si material underneath the GaN pillars was removed by KOH wet etching, leaving behind a fine Si pillar to support the GaN structure. Substantial strain relaxations were observed in these structures from room temperature Raman spectroscopy measurements. Room temperature Photoluminescence spectroscopy shows the presence of whispering gallery modes from these the nano disks structures.
In this article, we present our results on bilayers assembled upon strategic placement of Cd$_6$Se$_6$ clusters. These bilayers are studied for their stability and electronic structure with the help of density functional theory and are further analyzed using Bardeen, Tersoff and Hamann formalism for their tunneling properties. Our calculations show that the hexagonal arrangement of these clusters prevails as the most stable geometry showing all real phonon modes. First-principles molecular dynamics studies on this 2D structure show that it remains intact even at room temperature. This bilayer shows an indirect semiconducting band gap of 1.28~eV with the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics similar to a tunnel diode. Further, we functionalized this bilayer using transition metal atoms, Co and Cr. The aim was to seek whether the bilayer sustains magnetism and how the concentration affects its electronic and magnetic properties. Co functionalization brings ferromagnetic ordering in the bilayer which turns near half-metallic upon increasing the concentration. On the other hand, Cr functionalization shows a transition from antiferro- to ferromagnetic ordering upon increasing the concentration. The I-V characteristics of all these functionalized bilayers show negative differential conductance similar to a tunnel diode.