| 1. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Blinking Statistics of Silicon Quantum Dots
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nano letters (Print). - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 11:12, s. 5574-5580
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The blinking statistics of numerous single silicon quantum dots fabricated by electron-beam lithography, plasma etching, and oxidation have been analyzed. Purely exponential on- and off-time distributions were found consistent with the absence of statistical aging. This is in contrast to blinking reports in the literature where power-law distributions prevail as well as observations of statistical aging in nanocrystal ensembles. A linear increase of the switching frequency with excitation power density indicates a domination of single-photon absorption processes, possibly through a direct transfer of charges to trap states without the need for a bimolecular Auger mechanism. Photoluminescence saturation with increasing excitation is not observed; however, there is a threshold in excitation (coinciding with a mean occupation of one exciton per nanocrystal) where a change from linear to square-root increase occurs. Finally, the statistics of blinking of single quantum dots in terms of average on-time, blinking frequency and blinking amplitude reveal large variations (several orders) without any significant correlation demonstrating the individual microscopic character of each quantum dot.
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| 2. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Transition from silicon nanowires to isolated quantum dots : Optical and structural evolution
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - : American Physical Society. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 87:4, s. 045404-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evolution of the structural and optical properties of a silicon core in oxidized nanowalls is investigated as a function of oxidation time. The same individual nanostructures are characterized after every oxidation step in a scanning electron microscope and by low-temperature photoluminescence, while a representative sample is also imaged in a transmission electron microscope. Analysis of a large number of recorded single-dot spectra and micrographs allows to identify delocalized and localized exciton emission from a nanowire as well as confined exciton emission of a nanocrystal. It is shown how structural transitions from one-to zero-dimensional confinement affect single-nanostructure optical fingerprints.
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| 3. |
- Valenta, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Coexistence of 1D and Quasi-0D Photoluminescence from Single Silicon Nanowires
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nano letters (Print). - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 11:7, s. 3003-3009
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Single silicon nanowires (Si-NWs) prepared by electron-beam lithography and reactive-ion etching are investigated by imaging optical spectroscopy under variable temperatures and laser pumping intensities. Spectral images of individual Si-NWs reveal a large variability of photoluminescence (PL) along a single Si-NW. The weaker broad emission band asymmetrically extended to the high-energy side is interpreted to be due to recombination of quasi-free 1D excitons while the brighter localized emission features (with significantly variable peak position, width, and shape) are due to localization of electron hole pairs in surface protrusions acting like quasi-0D centers or quantum dots (QDs). Correlated PL and scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the efficiently emitting QDs are located at the Si-NW interface with completely oxidized neck of the initial Si wall. Theoretical fitting of the delocalized PL emission band explains its broad asymmetrical band to be due to the Gaussian size distribution of the Si-NW diameter and reveals also the presence of recombination from the Si-NW excited state which can facilitate a fast capture of excitons into QD centers.
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| 4. |
- Valenta, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Polarization of photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra of silicon nanorods within single Si/SiO2 nanowires
- 2011
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Ingår i: Physica Status Solidi. C, Current topics in solid state physics. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1610-1634 .- 1610-1642. ; 8:3, s. 1017-1020
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polarization properties of individual silicon nanowires are studied using an optical micro-spectroscopy setup equipped with a Fresnel rhomb to rotate the polarization of the exciting laser and the analyzer to characterize the polarization of emitted photoluminescence. The Si nanowire samples are prepared by electron-beam lithography, plasma etching and oxidation. The fabricated wires are embedded in SiO2 and oriented parallel to the Si substrate. Due to the fluctuating wire diameter (around 5 nm) the very long wires (several tens of μm) are effectively divided into an array of quantum rods (prolate ellipsoids). These structures have strong photoluminescence under UV-blue excitation at room temperature. The degree of photoluminescence linear polarization of both excitation and emission is very high, between 0.9-1, and reveals relatively low fluctuations at different spots of the wires. Experimental results are compared with available theoretical models leading to the conclusion that the high polarization degree is mostly due to surface charges (dielectric confinement) with smaller contribution of quantum confinement effects.
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| 5. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Blinking Statistics and Excitation-Dependent Luminescence Yield in Si and CdSe Nanocrystals
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 118:4, s. 2202-2208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ON-OFF intermittency or blinking is a phenomenon observed in single quantum emitters, which reduces their overall light emission. Even though it seems to be a fundamental property of quantum dots (QDs), substantial differences can be found in the blinking statistics of different nanocrystals. This work compares the blinking of numerous single, oxide-capped Si nanocrystals with that of CdSe/ZnS core-shell nanocrystals, measured under the same conditions in the same experimental system and over a broad range of excitation power densities. We find that ON- and OFF-times can be described by exponential statistics in Si QDs, as opposed to power-law statistics for the CdSe nanocrystals. The type of blinking (power-law or monoexponential) does not depend on excitation but seems to be an intrinsic property of the material system. Upon increasing excitation power, the duty cycle of Si quantum dots remains constant, whereas it decreases for CdSe nanocrystals, which is readily explained by blinking statistics. Both ON-OFF and OFF-ON transitions can be regarded as light-induced in Si/SiO2 QDs, while the OFF-ON transition in CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals is not stimulated by photons. The differences in blinking behavior in these systems will be discussed.
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| 6. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Fabricating single silicon quantum rods for repeatable single dot photoluminescence measurements
- 2011
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Ingår i: Physica Status Solidi A-applications and materials science. - Malden : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1862-6319. ; 208:3, s. 631-634
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A fabrication method for a matrix pattern of laterally separated silicon quantum rods was developed, consisting of a three-step recipe utilizing electron beam lithography (EBL), reactive ion etching (RIE), and oxidation. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements -images, spectra, and blinking-verified that the presented method results in a high number of luminescing single silicon quantum rods in well defined positions on the sample. These are suitable for single dot spectroscopy and repeatable measurements, even using different measurement methods and instruments. [GRAPHICS] Colorized scanning electron microscope images of undulating silicon nanowalls for controlled single quantum rod fabrication.
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| 7. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, 1981-
(författare)
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Fabrication and characterization of single luminescing quantum dots from 1D silicon nanostructures
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Silicon as a mono-crystalline bulk semiconductor is today the predominant material in many integrated electronic and photovoltaic applications. This has not been the case in lighting technology, since due to its indirect bandgap nature bulk silicon is an inherently poor light emitter.With the discovery of efficient light emission from silicon nanostructures, great new interest arose and research in this area increased dramatically.However, despite more than two decades of research on silicon nanocrystals and nanowires, not all aspects of their light emission mechanisms and optical properties are well understood, yet.There is great potential for a range of applications, such as light conversion (phosphor substitute), emission (LEDs) and harvesting (solar cells), but for efficient implementation the underlying mechanisms have to be unveiled and understood.Investigation of single quantum emitters enable proper understanding and modeling of the nature and correlation of different optical, electrical and geometric properties.In large numbers, such sets of experiments ensure statistical significance. These two objectives can best be met when a large number of luminescing nanostructures are placed in a pattern that can easily be navigated with different measurement methods.This thesis presents a method for the (optional) simultaneous fabrication of luminescent zero- and one-dimensional silicon nanostructuresand deals with their structural and optical characterization.Nanometer-sized silicon walls are defined by electron beam lithography and plasma etching. Subsequent oxidation in the self-limiting regime reduces the size of the silicon core unevenly and passivates it with a thermal oxide layer.Depending on the oxidation time, nanowires, quantum dots or a mixture of both types of structures can be created.While electron microscopy yields structural information, different photoluminescence measurements, such as time-integrated and time-resolved imaging, spectral imaging, lifetime measurements and absorption and emission polarization measurements, are used to gain knowledge about optical properties and light emission mechanisms in single silicon nanocrystals.The fabrication method used in this thesis yields a large number of spatially separated luminescing quantum dots randomly distributed along a line, or a slightly smaller number that can be placed at well-defined coordinates. Single dot measurements can be performed even with an optical microscope and the pattern, in which the nanostructures are arranged, enables the experimenter to easily find the same individual dot in different measurements.Spectral measurements on the single dot level reveal information about processes that are involved in the photoluminescence of silicon nanoparticles and yield proof for the atomic-like quantized nature of energy levels in the conduction and valence band, as evidenced by narrow luminescence lines (~500 µeV) at low temperature. Analysis of the blinking sheds light on the charging mechanisms of oxide-capped Si-QDs and, by exposing exponential on- and off-time distributions instead of the frequently observed power law distributions, argues in favor of the absence of statistical aging. Experiments probing the emission intensity as a function of excitation power suggest that saturation is not achieved. Both absorption and emission of silicon nanocrystals contained in a one-dimensional silicon dioxide matrix are polarized to a high degree. Many of the results obtained in this work seem to strengthen the arguments that oxide-capped silicon quantum dots have universal properties, independently of the fabrication method, and that the greatest differences between individual nanocrystals are indeed caused by individual factors like local environment, shape and size (among others).
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| 8. |
- Bruhn, Benjamin, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal correlation of blinking events in CdSe/ZnS and Si/SiO2 nanocrystals
- 2014
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Ingår i: Physica. B, Condensed matter. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-4526 .- 1873-2135. ; 453, s. 63-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Well passivated single Si/SiO2 nanoparticles obey mono exponential blinking statistics, whereas CdSe/ZnS quantum dots follow an apparent (truncated) power-law. Log-normal distributions are found to describe the interval length histograms at least as well as power-laws, while at the same time being more physically feasible and significantly easing the determination of the exponential cutoff in the ON-time distribution. The correlation of an ON- (OFF-)interval with its temporally displaced ON (OFF) neighbors, as well as that of intermixed intervals (ON with OFF and OFF with ON neighbors) has been studied. As expected from purely random processes, the correlation coefficients for events in silicon nanocrystals equal zero, whereas positive correlations between the pure and negative correlations between the mixed states in CdSe quantum dots hint at a switching process between two distinct blinking regimes that are slower than the blinking itself.
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| 9. |
- Chen, Si, et al.
(författare)
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Current Instability for Silicon Nanowire Field-Effect Sensors Operating in Electrolyte with Platinum Gate Electrodes
- 2011
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Ingår i: Electrochemical and solid-state letters. - : The Electrochemical Society. - 1099-0062 .- 1944-8775. ; 14:7, s. J34-J37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current instability is observed for silicon nanowire field-effect transistors operating in electrolytes with Pt gate electrodes. A comparative study involving an Ag/AgCl-reference gate electrode reveals that the effect results from a drift in the potential at the Pt-electrode/electrolyte interface. In a phosphate buffer saline of pH 7.4, the stabilization of the potential of the Pt electrode was found to require approximately 1000 s. A concurrent potential drift, with a comparable time constant, occurring at the electrolyte/oxidized-nanowire interface rendered a complex device current response which complicated the interpretation of the results.
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| 10. |
- Chen, Si, 1982-
(författare)
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Electronic Sensors Based on Nanostructured Field-Effect Devices
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics presents a giant market opportunity with profound societal impact. In particular, specific detection of DNA and protein markers can be essential for early diagnosis of e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disease, infections or allergies. Today, identification of these markers often requires extensive laboratory work and hence is expensive and time consuming. Current methods for recognition and detection of specific biomolecules are mostly optics based and thus impose severe limitations as to convenience, specificity, sensitivity, parallel processing and cost reduction.Electronic sensors based on silicon nanowire field-effect transistors have been reported to be able to detect biomolecules with concentrations down to femtomolar (fM) level with high specificity. Although the reported capability needs further confirmation, the CMOS-compatible fabrication process of such sensors allows for low cost production and high density integration, which are favorable for POC applications. This thesis mainly focuses on the development of a multiplex detection platform based on silicon nanowire field-effect sensors integrated with a microfluidic system for liquid sample delivery. Extensive work was dedicated to developing a top-down fabrication process of the sensors as well as an effective passivation scheme. The operation mechanism and coupling efficiencies of different gate configurations were studied experimentally with the assistance of numerical simulation and equivalent circuits. Using pH sensing as a model system, large effort was devoted to identifying sources for false responses resulting from the instability of the inert-metal gate electrode. In addition, the drift mechanism of the sensor operating in electrolyte was addressed and a calibration model was proposed. Furthermore, protein detection experiments were performed using small-sized Affibody molecules as receptors on the gate insulator to tackle the Debye screening issue. Preliminary results showed that the directionality of the current changes in the sensors was in good agreement with the charge polarities of the proteins. Finally, a graphene-based capacitor was examined as an alternative to the nanowire device for field-effect ion sensing. Our initial attempts showed some attractive features of the capacitor sensor.
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| 11. |
- Grivickas, V., et al.
(författare)
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Fundamental band edge absorption in 3C-SiC : Phonon absorption assisted transitions
- 2010
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Ingår i: Silicon Carbide and Related Materials 2009, Pts 1 and 2. - : Trans Tech Publications Inc.. - 0878492798 - 9780878492794 ; , s. 231-234
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- An alternative approach based on non-equilibrium free-carrier density measurements was used to characterize the fundamental absorption edge of 3C-SiC at room and 77 K temperatures. At 77 K temperature the extracted absorption edge compared well to the previous literature data revealing characteristic thresholds due to the phonon emission assisted transitions. At room temperature the absorption tail due to the phonon absorption assisted transition was revealed up to the value of 0.01cm-1 exceeding the previous 5 cm -1 limit induced by unintentional sample doping.
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| 12. |
- Grivickas, V., et al.
(författare)
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Internal stress in freestanding 3C-SiC grown on Si and relation to carrier lifetime
- 2010
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Ingår i: 2010 Wide Bandgap Cubic Semiconductors. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 9780735408470 ; , s. 91-94
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Residual stress and carrier lifetime variation have been measured in free-standing n-type 3C-SiC wafer grown on undulated Si substrate. We identify extended regions of residual stress that lie parallel to epilayer surfaces. The opposite polarity of stress is identified toward the interface and toward the top surface. Integrated carrier lifetime has been determined by random defect density distribution which is enhanced in the areas of double-positioning boundary defects. It is shown that carrier lifetimes are severely reduced by the presence of residual stress towards epilayer surfaces. In this way lifetime depth-distribution can be mistakenly attributed to enhanced surface recombination.
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| 13. |
- Gulbinas, K., et al.
(författare)
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Conversion of laser pulse optical energy to photo-acoustic wave in nm-scale layered tlgase2 crystals
- 2014
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Ingår i: IOP Conference Series.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experiments are presented that reveal an efficient optical energy conversion from the visible to the infrared wavelengths range as a result of photo-acoustic response (PAR) after light pulse incites onto the free surface of Tlgase2 crystal. Excitation was carried out with a tunable wavelength of ns-pulse laser and the PAR was detected laterally with a focused cw- probe. The observed properties can be related to variety of successive factors: high electron- hole-phonon deformation potential, a high factor of refraction coefficient dependency on pressure, the absence of surface recombination and the band filling effect, in relation with low absorption coefficient due to the forbidden direct-band optical transition in Tlgase2. All these ensure that the acoustic energy remain well confined under a wide pulse power and energy range suggesting that Tlgase2 is a promising material for dynamic optical energy conversion.
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| 14. |
- Hansson, Petra M., et al.
(författare)
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Effect of surface depressions on wetting and interactions between hydrophobic pore array surfaces
- 2012
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 28:30, s. 11121-11130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The surface structure is known to significantly affect the long-range capillary forces between hydrophobic surfaces in aqueous solutions. It is, however, not clear how small depressions in the surface will affect the interaction. To clarify this, we have used the AFM colloidal probe technique to measure interactions between hydrophobic microstructured pore array surfaces and a hydrophobic colloidal probe. The pore array surfaces were designed to display two different pore spacings, 1.4 and 4.0 ÎŒm, each with four different pore depths ranging from 0.2 to 12.0 ÎŒm. Water contact angles measured on the pore array surfaces are lower than expected from the Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel models and not affected by the pore depth. This suggests that the position of the three-phase contact line, and not the interactions underneath the droplet, determines the contact angle. Confocal Raman microscopy was used to investigate whether water penetrates into the pores. This is of importance for capillary forces where both the movement of the three-phase contact line and the situation at the solid/liquid interface influence the stability of bridging cavities. By analyzing the shape of the force curves, we distinguish whether the cavity between the probe and the surfaces was formed on a flat part of the surface or in close proximity to a pore. The pore depth and pore spacing were both found to statistically influence the distance at which cavities form as surfaces approach each other and the distance at which cavities rupture during retraction.
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| 15. |
- Hansson, Petra M., 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Hydrophobic pore array surfaces : Wetting and interaction forces in water/ethanol mixtures
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 396, s. 278-286
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interactions between and wetting behavior of structured hydrophobic surfaces using different concentrations of water/ethanol mixtures have been investigated. Silica surfaces consisting of pore arrays with different pore spacings and pore depths were made hydrophobic by silanization. Their static and dynamic contact angles were found to be independent of the pore depth while fewer pores on the surface, i.e. a closer resemblance to a flat surface, gave a lower contact angle. As expected, a higher amount of ethanol facilitated wetting on all the surfaces tested. Confocal Raman microscopy measurements proved both water and ethanol to penetrate into the pores. AFM colloidal probe force measurements clearly showed that formation of air cavitation was hindered between the hydrophobic surfaces in presence of ethanol, and an increase in ethanol concentration was followed by a smaller jump-in distance and a weaker adhesion force. On separation, an immediate jump-out of contact occurred. The measured forces were interpreted as being due to capillary condensation of ethanol between the surfaces giving rise to very unstable cavities immediately rupturing on surface separation.
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| 16. |
- Hormozan, Yashar, et al.
(författare)
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Towards High-Resolution X-Ray Imaging Using a Structured Scintillator
- 2012
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Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. - 0018-9499 .- 1558-1578. ; 59:1, s. 19-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structured scintillators, by light-guiding secondary emitted visible photons to a pixel in a CCD or CMOS image sensor, improve the lateral resolution of X-ray imaging detectors. In this work we have fabricated pore arrays in a silicon wafer and subsequently filled them with CsI(Tl) by a melting process. The goal was to down-scale the pore geometry for increased resolution. The results show that although pore depth must be reduced to comply with achievable aspect ratio of the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etching, melting into the pores is possible. The time and temperature has, however, to be optimized to prevent thallium loss during the melting. By correlating light yield measurements with the X-ray absorption in samples of various geometries, we find that the efficiency is slightly reduced for pore diameters approaching one micron. Nevertheless, the increased absorption in deep pores will lead to a significantly improved quantum efficiency compared to thin films currently used to achieve the same lateral resolution.
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| 17. |
- Rutishauser, Simon, et al.
(författare)
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Structured scintillator for hard x-ray grating interferometry
- 2011
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 98:17, s. 171107-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Grating interferometry at conventional x-ray tubes improves the quality of radiographies and tomograms by providing phase and scattering contrast data. The main challenge encountered when applying this technique at high photon energies, as required by many applications to obtain sufficient penetration depth, is to maintain a high fringe visibility. In this letter, we report on a substantial improvement in fringe visibility and according improvements in image quality achieved by replacing the absorbing analyzer grating of the interferometer with a structured scintillator grating. This development represents a significant step toward the implementation of this technique in industrial testing and medical applications.
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| 18. |
- Sangghaleh, Fatemeh, et al.
(författare)
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Exciton lifetime measurements on single silicon quantum dots
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 24:22, s. 225204-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We measured the exciton lifetime of single silicon quantum dots, fabricated by electron beam lithography, reactive ion etching and oxidation. The observed photoluminescence decays are of mono-exponential character with a large variation (5-45 mu s) from dot to dot, even for the same emission energy. We show that this lifetime variation may be the origin of the heavily debated non-exponential (stretched) decays typically observed for ensemble measurements.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Sangghaleh, Fatemeh, et al.
(författare)
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Optical absorption cross section and quantum efficiency of a single silicon quantum dot
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology VI. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9780819495631 ; , s. 876607-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Direct measurements of the optical absorption cross section (sigma) and exciton lifetime are performed on a single silicon quantum dot fabricated by electron beam lithography (EBL), reactive ion etching (RIE) and oxidation. For this aim, single photon counting using, an avalanche photodiode detector (APD) is applied to record photoluminescence (PL) intensity traces under pulsed excitation. The PL decay is found to be of a mono-exponential character with a lifetime of 6.5 mu s. By recording the photoluminescence rise time at different photon fluxes the absorption cross could be extracted yielding a value of 1.46x10(-14)cm(2) under 405 nm excitation wavelength. The PL quantum efficiency is found to be about 9% for the specified single silicon quantum dot.
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| 21. |
- Schmidt, Torsten, et al.
(författare)
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Fabrication of ultra-high aspect ratio silicon nanopores by electrochemical etching
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 105:12, s. 123111-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the formation of ultra-high aspect ratio nanopores in silicon bulk material using photo-assisted electrochemical etching. Here, n-type silicon is used as anode in contact with hydrofluoric acid. Based on the local dissolution of surface atoms in pre-defined etching pits, pore growth and pore diameter are, respectively, driven and controlled by the supply of minority charge carriers generated by backside illumination. Thus, arrays with sub-100 nm wide pores were fabricated. Similar to macropore etching, it was found that the pore diameter is proportional to the etching current, i.e., smaller etching currents result in smaller pore diameters. To find the limits under which nanopores with controllable diameter still can be obtained, etching was performed at very low current densities (several mu A cm(-2)). By local etching, straight nanopores with aspect ratios above 1000 (similar to 19 mu m deep and similar to 15 nm pore tip diameter) were achieved. However, inherent to the formation of such narrow pores is a radius of curvature of a few nanometers at the pore tip, which favors electrical breakdown resulting in rough pore wall morphologies. Lowering the applied bias is adequate to reduce spiking pores but in most cases also causes etch stop. Our findings on bulk silicon provide a realistic chance towards sub-10 nm pore arrays on silicon membranes, which are of great interest for molecular filtering and possibly DNA sequencing.
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| 22. |
- Sinno, Hiam, 1983-
(författare)
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Polyelectrolyte-Gated Organic Field Effect Transistors – Printing and Electrical Stability
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The progress in materials science during recent decades along with the steadily growing desire to accomplish novel functionalities in electronic devices and the continuous strive to achieve a more efficient manufacturing process such as low‐cost robust high‐volume printing techniques, has brought the organic electronics field to light. For example, organic field effect transistors (OFETs) are the fundamental building blocks of flexible electronics. OFETs present several potential advantages, such as solution processability of organic materials enabling their deposition by various printing methods at low processing temperatures, the possibility to coat large areas, and the mechanical flexibility of polymers that is compatible with plastic substrates. Employing polyelectrolytes as gate insulators in OFETs allows low‐voltage operation in the range of 1 V, suppresses unintended electrochemical doping of the semiconductor bulk, and provides tolerance to thicker gate insulator layers and to the gate electrode alignment over the channel which eases the design and manufacturing requirements. These features place polyelectrolyte‐gated OFETs (EGOFETs) as promising candidates to be realized in lowcost, large‐area, light‐weight, flexible electronic applications.The work in this thesis focuses on EGOFETs and their manufacturing using the inkjet printing technology. EGOFETs have been previously demonstrated using conventional manufacturing techniques. Several challenges have to be overcome when attempting to achieve a fully printed EGOFET, with the incompatible wetting characteristics of the semiconductor/polyelectrolyte interface being one of the main problems. This issue is addressed in paper I and paper II. Paper I presents a surface modification treatment where an amphiphilic diblock copolymer is deposited on the surface to enable the printability of the semiconductor on top of the polyelectrolyte. Paper II introduces an amphiphilic semiconducting copolymer that can switch its surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, when spread as thin film, upon exposure to water. Moreover, characterization of the reliability and stability of EGOFETs in terms of bias stress is reported. Bias stress is an undesired operational instability, usually manifested as a decay in the drain current, triggered by the gradual shift of the threshold voltage of the transistor under prolonged operation. This effect has been extensively studied in different OFET structures, but a proper understanding of how it is manifested in EGOFETs is still lacking. Bias stress depends strongly on the material, how it is processed, and on the transistor operating conditions. Papers III and IV report bias stress effects in EGOFET devices and inverters, respectively. The proposed mechanism involves an electron transfer reaction between adsorbed water and the charged semiconductor channel, which promotes the generation of extra protons that subsequently diffuse into the polyelectrolyte. Understanding and controlling the mechanism of bias stress in EGOFETs is crucial for further advancements and development towards commercially viable organic transistor circuits.
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| 23. |
- Sychugov, Ilya, et al.
(författare)
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Exciton localization in doped Si nanocrystals from single dot spectroscopy studies
- 2012
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - : American Physical Society. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 86:7, s. 075311-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The results of low-temperature photoluminescence characterization of single silicon nanocrystals prepared from highly doped silicon-on-insulatorwafers are presented. The effect of B, P, As, and Sb impurities on ensemble as well as individual emission spectra are determined by comparison with the line shapes of undoped nanocrystals. From the statistical analysis of the luminescence spectra, the donor ionization energies for nanocrystals emitting in the range of 1.5-2.0 eV are estimated to be 140-200 meV, while the exciton-impurity binding energy for As- and Sb-doped nanocrystals is found to be about 40-45 meV.
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| 24. |
- Sychugov, Ilya, et al.
(författare)
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Photoluminescence measurements of zero-phonon optical transitions in silicon nanocrystals
- 2011
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - : American Physical Society. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 84:12, s. 125326-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical transitions in silicon nanocrystals with different surface passivations were probed at low temperatures on a single-particle level. A type of quasidirect recombination process, different from the quantum-confined exciton transition, is identified. The luminescence spectra have different emission energies, but the contribution of a no-phonon transition is significantly higher than expected from the quantum-confinement model. Its relative strength was found to be temperature dependent, suggesting spatial localization of excitons as a possible origin.
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| 25. |
- Sychugov, Ilya, et al.
(författare)
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Ultranarrow Luminescence Linewidth of Silicon Nanocrystals and Influence of Matrix
- 2014
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Ingår i: ACS Photonics. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2330-4022. ; 1:10, s. 998-1005
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The luminescence linewidth of individual silicon nanocrystals was characterized by single-dot spectroscopy, and an ultranarrow linewidth of similar to 200 mu eV at 10 K was found. This value is, in fact, limited by system resolution and represents only the upper limit of the homogeneous linewidth. In addition, the effect of the matrix was investigated for nanocrystals coated with organic ligands, embedded in silicon dioxide, as well as for nanocrystals with only a thin passivating layer. It was found that, depending on the matrix, the room-temperature bandwidth may vary by an order of magnitude, where values as small as similar to 12 meV (similar to 5 nm) at 300 K were detected for nanocrystals with a thin passivation. The observed values for silicon nanocrystals are similar and even surpass some of those for direct-band-gap quantum dots. The narrow linewidth at room temperature enables the use of silicon nanocrystals for nontoxic narrow-band labeling of biomolecules and for application as phosphors in white-light-emitting devices.
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