In this work a novel package for the calculation of the diffracted intensity from nano-structures based on finite element simulations is presented. Besides a short introduction into the algorithm which we have developed two examples namely the diffraction from Si/SiGe systems with ripples and quantum dots with dislocations are shown.

We report a new technique of creating a nanoporous polymeric nanostructure by photo-patterning emulsions generated from a formamide (polar phase) and an acrylate-monomer (nonpolar phase). Formamide is a highly polar solvent that forms well dispersed, non-aqueous emulsion droplets within the monomer-containing nonpolar phase before holographic patterning. Photochemically initiated polymerization of the nonpolar phase (acrylate monomer) forces the formation of ordered formamide emulsions defined by the holographic interference. Evaporation of the formamide from the ordered structure yields a periodic structure with high optical reflectivity and a wide reflection bandwidth. The average size and the size distribution of formamide droplets in the photopolymer fluid must be controlled to fabricate a periodic structure with high reflectivity. Furthermore, we found that the addition of sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) surfactant helps to stabilize the formamide emulsion which further facilitates the formation of the ordered nanopores with uniform size.

Metallic nanoporous architecture can be spontaneously attained by dealloying of a binary alloy. The nanoporous architecture can be often fabricated in noble metals such as Au and Pt. In this study, nanoporous Ni, Ni-Cu are fabricated by dealloying rolled Ni-Mn and Cu-Ni-Mn alloys, respectively. Unlike conventional Raney nickel composed of brittle Ni-Al or Cu-Al intermetallic compounds, the initial alloys had good workability probably because of their fcc crystal structures. After the electrolysis of the alloys in (NH4)2SO4 aqueous solution, nanoporous architectures of Ni and Ni-Cu with pore and ligament sizes of 10–20 nm were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction analyses suggested that Ni and Cu atoms form a homogeneous solid solution in the Ni-Cu nanoporous architecture. The ligament sizes of nanoporous Ni and Ni-Cu were smaller than that of nanoporous Cu, reflecting the difference between diffusivities of Ni and Cu at solid/electrolyte interface. Ni can reduce the pore and ligament sizes of resulting nanoporous architecture when added to initial Cu-Mn alloys.

The wettability of electrochemically deposited conducting polymer films is highly dependent on several parameters including the deposition conditions, the dopant, and the roughness of the working electrode. To produce superhydrophobic surfaces, one must be able to control the micro and nanostructure of the film. In this study, a template-free method of producing superhydrophobic (water contact angle of 154°) polypyrrole films was demonstrated. The polypyrrole was doped with the low surface-energy heptadecafluorooctanesulfonic acid and had microstructures with nanometer-scale roughness. The microstructures served to increase the roughness of the film and amplify the hydrophobicity of the surface. It is also of interest to be able to dynamically adjust the wettability of a polypyrrole surface after deposition. Applications of this functionality include microfluidics, self-cleaning surfaces, liquid lenses, and smart textiles. By oxidizing or reducing a polypyrrole film, one can change the surface morphology as well as the chemical composition, and control the wettability of the surface. This study characterizes the electrochemically-induced changes in surface energy of polypyrrole. The relationship between applied voltage, charge transferred, surface roughness, and water contact angle was investigated. Upon reduction, the polypyrrole film was switched to a superhydrophilic state and the maximum change in contact angle was observed to be 154°. Surface wettability was found to be not fully reversible, with some hysteresis occurring after the first electrochemical cycle.

The crystal growth of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films on nanoimprinted glass substrates was examined by applying pulsed laser deposition. The nanoimprinted glass was fabricated by thermal nanoimprint using a nanostriped NiO thin film mold. The nanopatterned glass had a straight nanowire array with intervals of about 180 nm, and wire height of about 30 nm. The surface morphology of the ITO thin film grown on the nanoimprinted glass accurately reflected the morphology of the glass surface nanopattern. The ITO thin film on the imprinted glass exhibited preferentially (111)-oriented polycrystalline growth, and had 35% lower resistivity in the direction perpendicular to the nanowire array than that of the film grown on the nonpatterned commercial glass.

Ordered arrays of gold particles have been fabricated on gold-coated Si(100) surfaces by pre-patterning the surface with a nanoindenter. During thermal annealing the Au is observed to accumulate within the residual indents. Once nucleated, the Au particles grow at the expense of smaller surface particles via an Ostwald-ripening process. The size of the Au particles is controlled by the initial thickness of the deposited Au layer, the size of the indentation (which is controlled with a high degree of precision), and the annealing conditions. Particles of ˜200 nm dimensions are formed in indents of ˜1 μm dimensions whilst nanoparticles of ˜20 nm are observed in the smallest indents made (˜50 nm). We have also demonstrated patterning of Au by indentation of a Au layer sandwiched between two SiO2 films deposited on Si by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Here, cracking of the SiO2 layer occurs allowing Au to diffuse to the surface at the indented locations during post-indentation annealing.

We demonstrate the feasibility of a new approach of Nano Selective Area Growth (Nano-SAG) to precisely localize InAs/InP QDs, by low-pressure Metalorganic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE). This approach is based on a partial patterning with a dielectric mask containing nano-openings. The two main advantages of MOVPE are: the important diffusion length of the active species and the inhibition of growth on the dielectric mask. We demonstrate the synthesis of localized nanostructures with high structural properties and the precise control of their dimensions at the nanometer scale. This allows in principle the precise control of the tunability of the emission length.

There are many factors that have the potential to limit significant advances in device technology. These include the ability to arrange materials at shrinking dimensions and the ability to successfully integrate new materials with better properties or new functionalities. To overcome these limitations, the development of advanced processing methods that can organize various combinations of materials at nano-scale dimensions with the necessary quality and reliability is required. We have explored using a gallium focused ion beam (FIB) as a method of integrating highly mismatched materials with silicon by creating template patterns directly on Si with nanoscale resolution. These templates are potentially useful as a means of locally controlling topography at nanoscale dimensions or as a means of locally implanting Ga at specific surface sites. We have annealed these templates in vacuum to study the effects of ion dosage on local Ga concentration and topography. We have also investigated the feasibility of creating Ga nanodots using this method that could eventually be converted to GaN through a nitridation process. Atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy characterization of the resulting structures are shown for a variety of patterning and processing conditions.

Etching of hydrogen-terminated Si(100) in deoxygenated water produces surfaces with a regular nanoscale topography. Surface infrared spectroscopy provides detailed information about this topography via interrogation of the silicon hydride species that populate this highly ordered surface. Here we investigate the feasibility of using siloxane chemistry to functionalize this surface while preserving the initial topography. The critical step in silanization to form high-quality organic layers is oxidative cleaning of the surface. By re-etching oxidized surfaces in hydrofluoric acid, we can repopulate surface hydride species and examine any apparent changes in topography that resulted from the oxidation step. We compare three different oxidation protocols and find that an SC-2 clean results in the least perturbation of the original topography. Preliminary results using both dynamic contact angle and atomic force microscopy suggest that the SC-2 oxidized surface can be functionalized with alkylsilane reagents to create a functionalized surface with regular, nanoscale topography, with all surface processing carried out under ambient conditions at or near room temperature.

We studied the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the Freedericksz transition of a liquid crystal (LC) and calibrated the altitudinal angle of CNTs as a function of the electric field. In addition, we directed the azimuthal angle which gave us complete control of the 3D orientation of the CNTs. We constructed anti-parallel electro-optic cells using a nanocomposite at a concentration of 0.01% CNTs with 4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal. This low concentration was necessary to achieve maximum transmission of electromagnetic radiation through the cell and to minimize the Van der Waals attraction between the CNTs responsible for their aggregation. We chose two dimensional microscopic transmission ellipsometry (2D-MTE) to measure the phaseshift of the polarized electromagnetic radiation through the cell and to derive from it the altitudinal angle of the CNTs. Our results show that in the presence of CNTs the Freedericksz transition occurs at 55% of the transitional electric field as compared to the control electro-optic cell without CNTs. The width of the Freedericksz transition narrows by a similar factor. The switching time of the cell decreased in the presence CNTs by 18.5%.

Arrays of magnetic nanowires and well-oriented chains of superparamagnetic nanoparticles were fabricated using polymer and alumina membrane templates. The systems were characterized by SQUID and studied by electron magnetic resonance methods. Comparative analysis of the obtained results for different geometries and sizes of the magnetic inclusions is presented.

We investigated the formation mechanism and thermal behaviors of defects which were induced at a microscopic area inside (1120) sapphire. We used a femtosecond laser having a pulse width, wavelength, and repetition rate of 238 fs, 780 nm, and 1 kHz, respectively. Cracks were formed at the focal point along the {1102} and the {1100} planes by laser irradiation. The preferential crack formation on these planes was attributed to the different surface fracture energy between the crystallographic planes of sapphire. The cracks transformed into the array of discrete pores by the subsequent heat treatment above 1300 °C, which was due to the diffusive crack healing process. In addition, dislocations were also introduced at the interface between closed cracks.