Nanotechnology fabrication Commons^™

Investigation Of Cds Nanowires And Planar Films For Enhanced Performance As Window Layers In Cds-Cdte Solar Cell Devices, Jianhao Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are two leading semiconductor materials used in the fabrication of thin film solar cells of relatively high power conversion efficiency and low manufacturing cost. In this work, CdS/CdTe solar cells with a varying set of processing parameters and device designs were fabricated and characterized for comparative evaluation. Studies were undertaken to elucidate the effects of (i) each step in fabrication and (ii) parameters like thickness, sheet resistance, light absorptivity solution concentration, inert gas pressure etc. Best results were obtained when the thickness of CdS planar film for the window layer was in ...

Robust Design Techniques For Emerging Technologies Of Computing, Masoud Zamani

Computer Engineering Dissertations

Conventional CMOS technology used in implementation of computational circuits faces major challenges in continues downscaling. Therefore, researchers explore alternative emerging implementation technologies and alternative computational approaches to overcome these challenges. However, in nanoscale regimes due to atomic scale of devices and poor control in nanofabrication, reliability is a major challenge. In this thesis, we will study reliability issues in crossbar nano-architectures, as an example of alternative implementation, as well as reversible logic, as an example of alternative computational technology.

We study two approaches, namely logic mapping and architectural techniques, to incorporate variation and defect tolerance in crossbar nano-architectures. In the ...

Mems Resonant Magnetic Field Sensor Based On An Aln/Fegab Bilayer Nano-Plate Resonator, Yu Hui, Tianxiang Nan, Nian Sun, Matteo Rinaldi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper reports on the first demonstration of an ultra-miniaturized, high frequency (215 MHz) and high sensitivity MEMS resonant magnetic field sensor based on an AlN/FeGaB bilayer nano-plate resonator capable of detecting magnetic field at nano-Tesla level. Despite of the reduced volume and the high operating frequency of the sensor, high electromechanical performances were achieved (quality factor Q ≈ 511 and electromechanical coupling coefficient k_t² ≈ 1.63%). This first prototype was characterized for different magnetic field levels from 0 to 152 Oe showing a frequency sensitivity of ~ 1 Hz/nT and a limit of detection of ~ 10 nT.

Ultra-Fast And High Resolution Nems Thermal Detector Based On A Nano-Air-Gap Piezoelectric Resonant Structure, Yu Hui, Matteo Rinaldi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents the theoretical modeling and experimental verification of an innovative Nano Electro Mechanical System (NEMS) technology suitable for the implementation of ultra-fast and high resolution un-cooled thermal detectors. Fundamental challenges associated to the implementation of mechanically resonant thermal detectors are overcome with the introduction of an innovative technology platform in which a temperature sensitive Aluminum Nitride (AlN) nano-plate resonator and a monolithically integrated micromachined suspended heat absorbing element are perfectly overlapped but separated by a sub-micron air gap. By placing the absorbing element outside the body of the resonator (but suspended over it) the electromechanical performance of the ...

Multi-Mode Self-Referencing Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors, Jing Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) sensors are widely used in biological, chemical, medical, and environmental sensing. This dissertation describes the design and development of dual-mode, self-referencing SPR sensors supporting two surface-plasmon modes (long- and short-range) which can differentiate surface binding interactions from bulk index changes at a single sensing location. Dual-mode SPR sensors have been optimized for surface limit of detection (LOD). In a wavelength interrogated optical setup, both surface plasmons are simultaneously excited at the same location and incident angle but at different wavelengths. To improve the sensor performance, a new approach to dual-mode SPR sensing is presented that offers improved differentiation ...

Fabrication And Characterization Of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (Vacnf) As Amperometric Biosensors On A Silicon-Compatible Platform, Kimberly Caitlin Macarthur

Masters Theses

This thesis presents fabrication, characterization and initial results of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF)-based electrodes for use as electrochemical sensors. VACNFs are nanostructures that can be fabricated to the desired specifications using a plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition process and are ideal candidates for electrode material because of their excellent electrical and structural properties. The first step of the fabrication of VACNFs on silicon substrates involved photolithography to pattern the interconnects and the catalysts (nickel dots). VACNFs were then grown on silicon substrates from the nickel catalysts, whose size determines the growth of a single nanofiber or a forest of nanofibers ...

Role Of Self-Assembled Monolayer Passivation In Electrical Transport Properties And Flicker Noise Of Nanowire Transistors, Seongmin Kim, Patrick D. Carpenter, Rand K. Jean, Haitian Chen, Chongwu Zhou, Sanghyun Ju, David B. Janes

Birck and NCN Publications

Semiconductor nanowires have achieved great attention for integration in next-generation electronics. However, for nanowires with diameters comparable to the Debye length, which would generally be required for one-dimensional operation, surface states degrade the device performance and increase the low-frequency noise. In this study, single In₂O₃ nanowire transistors were fabricated and characterized before and after surface passivation with a self-assembled monolayer of 1-octadecanethiol (ODT). Electrical characterization of the transistors shows that device performance can be enhanced upon ODT-passivation, exhibiting steep subthreshold slope (~ 64 mV/dec), near zero threshold voltage (~ 0.6 V), high mobility (~ 624 cm²/V ...

Nanoscale Contacts Between Semiconducting Nanowires And Metallic Graphenes, Seongmin Kim, David B. Janes, Sung-Yool Choi, Sanghyun Ju

Birck and NCN Publications

Metal–semiconductor (M–S) junctions are important components in many semiconductor devices, and there is growing interest in realizing high quality M–S contacts that are optically transparent. In this paper, we present our investigations into the characteristics of M–S junction in a semiconducting ZnO nanowire that was directly grown on a multilayer graphene film (MGF). The synthesized nanowires were fabricated into two-terminal devices with MGF as one contact and Al as the other contact. By comparison with devices employing Al contacts at both ends, the nanowire resistivity and specific contact resistivity of the MGF–nanowire contact can be ...