category » Nanotechnology

Integration of Superconducting Microwave Resonators with Molecular Ion Traps
  • Over the last decade, quantum information experiments with trapped ions have demonstrated essential steps towards quantum computing and quantum simulation…


Timing Performance of Superconducting Nanowire Avalanche Photodetectors
  • Superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors (SNAPs) [1] are based on a parallel architecture that performs single-photon counting with higher signal-to-noise ratio…


Templated Self-Assembly Using Physical Templates with Majority-block Brushes
  • In this study, we demonstrated a high-resolution method for doubling the spatial frequency of lines and dots of structures defined…


Scanning-neon and Helium-ion-beam Lithography
  • A commercially-available scanning-helium-ion microscope of high source brightness [1] has been modified for operation with neon gas. This neon system…


CMP Slurry Abrasive Particle Agglomeration Modeling
  • In this work we propose a particle agglomeration model for CMP, to understand the creation and behavior of agglomerated slurry…


Improved Current Extraction from Colloidal Quantum Dot Photovoltaics Using Metal Oxide Transport Layers
  • Solar cells based on lead sulfide colloidal quantum dots (PbS QDs) have demonstrated recent improvements in both efficiency and stability…


Transparent Organic Photovoltaics for Window Applications
  • The low energy density of solar illumination necessitates deployment of solar technologies over large surface areas in order to capture…


Phosphor Sensitized Quantum-dot Light-emitting Diodes
  • Colloidal quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) combine the thin film processability of organic materials with the tunable optical properties conferred by…


Ultrahigh Resolution Fluorescence Microscope Utilizing a J-aggregate Critically Coupled Resonator
  • The non-destructive chemical mapping of surfaces with single-molecule sensitivity and sub-5-nm lateral resolution is an extraordinary challenge. Optical techniques such…


Nano-scale Metal Contacts for Future III-V CMOS
  • The scaling of MOSFETs in recent years has pushed the gate length down to less than 20 nanometers.  Further gate…


Transistors with Steep Subthreshold Characteristics Based on Impact Ionization on Narrow Bandgap Semiconductors
  • Achieving a sharp subthreshold swing is crucial to enable the supply voltage scaling that is necessary for reducing power consumption…


Design of Low-power FPGA using Integrated Graphene Interconnects
  • As process technology scales, the importance of material and architectural innovation for interconnect performance will continue to increase. Graphene has…


Toward Attogram Mass Measurements in Solution with Suspended Nanochannel Resonators
  • Using suspended nanochannel resonators (SNRs), we demonstrate measurements of mass in solution with a resolution of 27 ag in a…


Formation of Organic Molecular Nano-crystals on Engineered Surfaces
  • The formation of organic molecular nano-crystals is a topic of great interest in the pharmaceutical industry because of the potential…


Top-down Fabrication of N-face GaN/AlGaN Nanowire HEMTs
  • The high-frequency performance of Ga-face AlxGa1–xN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has rapidly increased in recent years, enabling use of…


Graphene-based Chemical and Biological Sensors
  • Thanks to its all-surface 2D structure combined with a very high carrier mobility, graphene is a very promising candidate for…


Graphene Ambipolar Electronics for RF Applications
  • Graphene is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice through sp2 bonding [1] . Considered for…


CNT-based Optoelectronic Device Packaging
  • Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are excellent heat spreaders for packaging electronic/photonic devices due to their high thermal conductivity and good mechanical…


Self-assembled Hetero-structured Oxides
  • We are studying BiFeO3/CoFe2O4 oxide composite thin films, which have the remarkable characteristic of self-assembling into vertical nanostructures during their…


Magnetic Domain Wall Logic
  • We are interested in using ferromagnetic materials to engineer more energy-efficient transistors and logic gates.  Transistors today are limited by…


Templated Self-assembly of Block Copolymers for Nanolithography
  • Self-organized macromolecular materials can provide an alternative pathway to conventional lithography for the fabrication of devices on the nanometer scale….


Modeling and Theoretical Design Methods for Self-assembly of Block Copolymers
  • Block copolymer self-assembly on nanolithographically-defined templates has great potential in fabricating patterned media and devices at the nanometer scale.  Current…


Nanoparticle Self-assembly
  • The success of nanoparticles (NPs)-based devices requires reliable fabrication methods for well-defined, defect-free self-assembled NP structures. NP self-assembly is a…


360-degree Magnetic Domain Walls
  • Many domain wall (DW) devices require the presence of multiple DWs, each of which may need to be independently controlled…


Templated Dewetting of Metal Films
  • Magnetic metal nanoparticle arrays have attracted considerable interest for applications in patterned magnetic recording media as well as catalyst arrays…


Silicon Nanowire Arrays for Energy Storage Devices
  • Material properties are defined not only by the composition, but by structure as well. Such materials are suited for use…


Templated Solid-State Dewetting for Pattern Formation
  • Vapor deposited thin films are rarely stable, so that when they are heated to temperatures at which atomic diffusivities are…


Growth and Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Carpets for Electrochemical Applications
  • Improvements in electrochemical devices for energy storage (Li-based batteries and ultracapacitors), and capacitive deionization are being aggressively investigated. There are…


Fabrication of Si Nanowire-Based Capacitors for Power Management
  • Capacitors have attracted considerable attention due to their potential as an energy buffer in a hybrid energy system.  Improvement of…


Microsphere Templated Nanostructured Gas Sensors
  • Gas sensors are essential in the monitoring, control, and reduction of harmful emissions in the environment [1] .  Conductometric gas…


Scaling of High Aspect Ratio Current Limiters for the Individual Ballasting of Large Arrays of Field Emitters
  • Field Emitter Arrays (FEAs) are excellent cold cathodes, but they have not found widespread adoption in demanding device applications because…


CNT–based Field Ionization Micro Vacuum Pumps
  • This project aims to develop the technology for field-enabled low-power portable vacuum sources that can be made cheaply and reliably,…


Electron-impact-ionization Pump Using Double-gated Isolated Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays
  • There is a need for microscale vacuum pumps that can be readily integrated with other MEMS and electronic components at…


Near-ultraviolet Sensor Based on Horizontal Low-Temperature Solution-Grown Zinc Oxide Nanowires
  • A near-ultraviolet (UV) sensor based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) that is sensitive to photo excitation at or below…


Electrospray Nanodeposition of Liquids on Electrospun Nanofiber Mats for Low-cost Biochemical Sensing
  • An electrospray emitter ionizes polar liquids using high electrostatic fields. The electric field produces suction on the free surface (meniscus)…


High-flux Pool Boiling with Micro-engineered Surfaces
  • The mechanism of critical heat flux (CHF) is commonly attributed to two limits during boiling behavior: 1) the hydrodynamic limit…


Single-Photon Detection with Ultranarrow Superconducting Nanowires
  • Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) [1] perform single-photon counting in the near‑infrared with outstanding performance. The main limitations of standard…


Dielectric Aperiodic Nanostructured Luneburg Lens at Optical Frequencies
  • Luneburg lens is a gradient index (GRIN) element [1] known to produce diffraction-limited focus at the lens edge opposite to…


Templated Self-assembly of Block Copolymer for High Throughput Sub-10-nm Fabrication
  • Templated self-assembly of block copolymer, based on topographic templates defined by electron-beam lithography (EBL), is an attractive candidate for next…


Templated Placement of Colloidal Quantum Dots
  • Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are electronically-quantized systems with promising applications in optoelectronic devices [1] . A key aspect of such…


Nanostructured Gradient-Index Antireflection Diffractive Optics
  • In recent years there has been significant interest in broadband, omnidirectional antireflection (AR) nanostructures that minimize Fresnel reflection due to…


Nano Line Fracture Sensor for Explosive Detection
  • Selective detection of explosive compounds is critical for national defense and homeland security. Nitroaromatic compounds pose a particular threat; 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene…


Aligned CNT-based Microstructures and Nano-engineered Composite Macrostructures
  • Carbon nanotube (CNT) composites are promising new materials for structural applications thanks to their mechanical and multifunctional properties. We have…


Nanoporous Elements in MEMS with a Focus on Microfluidic Bioparticle Separation
  • We integrated ultra-porous (99% porous) elements composed of nanoporous forests of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) in MEMS, demonstrating their…


Characterization of the Complete Stress State in Thin-film CMOS Layered Materials via Postbuckling
  • Characterization of thin film layered materials is critical for many MEMS devices. Residual stresses from production determine both final shape…


Model-based Design of MEMS Vibration Energy Harvesters for Wireless Sensors
  • The recent development of “low power” (10s-100s of μW) sensing and data transmission devices, as well as protocols with which…


Growth of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes on a Continuously Moving Substrate
  • Vertically-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays are grown on a moving substrate, demonstrating continuous growth of nanoscale materials with long-range order….


Preventing Catastrophic Failures: Nano-engineered Multi-physics Structural Damage Detection
  • Catastrophic structural failures are the cause of many physical and personal losses, with prevention estimated at billions of dollars in…


Nanoscale Zirconia and Other Oxides as Non-metallic Catalysts for Graphitization of Carbon and Growth of Single- and Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes
  • This work focuses on development of non-metallic substances that can catalyze carbon nanotube (CNT) growth while remaining in a non-metallic…