Fabrication Of Nanostructures Research Articles

Analytical and Technological Research Center “High Technologies & Nanostructured Materials”: History, Formation and Achieved Results

The article provides information about the history of formation, development, main recent activities and achieved results of the Analytical and Technological Research Center of the Faculty of Physics of Novosibirsk State University (ATRC NSU) during its 15 years of operation. The main areas of physical research are: modern materials science, nanomaterials, nanotechnologies and technological processes, experimental diagnostics of structures and substances, development of methods for nanostructures fabrication, computer simulation of low-dimensional structures, improvement of the characteristics of solid-state semiconductor electronics, search for materials for storage and transfer of digital information, study of technological properties of low-dimensional semiconductors, catalysts, metamaterials and organic optoelectronics, study of materials and systems for terahertz electronics. Due to the organization of the Shared Research Facilities “High Technologies and Analytics of Nanosystems” (CCU “VTAN”) within the structure, ATRC successfully cooperates with scientific and educational organizations and with industrial companies of the real sector of the economy in the Siberian region, Russia and neighboring countries. The main part of scientific research is carried out by the staff of the youth Laboratory of Functional Diagnostics of Nanoscale Systems for Nanoelectronics (LabFDNS) that contributes to the involvement of students and young employees of NSU into the implementation of relevant in-demand research work, and thus provides them with a high level of training in their chosen specialty.

Controllable Fabrication of CuO Nanostructures on Nickel Foam by Electrodeposition Method for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Two kinds of CuO nanomaterials with different morphologies were grown directly on surface of nickel foam using electrochemical deposition technology, and their electrochemical properties were studied. The morphology of CuO at different deposition voltages (spherical and wheat spike) were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the deposition voltage is the main factor affecting the morphology of CuO. In addition, X-ray diffraction results showed that the prepared samples are CuO materials. The electrochemical properties of CuO nanostructures were studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. These test results showed that the specific capacitance of CuO nanomaterials was largely related to the morphology of the material. Compared with CuO nanospheres thin films, wheat spike CuO thin films had a more prominent specific capacitance. The wheat spike CuO array film has a specific capacitance of 120[Formula: see text]mF/cm2 at a current density of 1[Formula: see text]mA/cm2 in 1[Formula: see text]mol/L sodium sulfate electrolyte.

Controlled growth and fabrication of edge enriched SnS2 nanostructures for room temperature NO2 gas sensor applications

Nanostructured SnS2 with enhanced edge sites was prepared and investigated the impact on NO2 gas molecules detection at room temperature (RT). SnS2 flower-like structure with exposed active sites provides more interaction channels for the NO2 gas molecules. The crystal orientation along with the (011) plane exhibits more active edge sites, thus enhancing the sensing performance of the flower-like structure. The fabricated SnS2 gas sensor showed more selective towards NO2 gas molecules. SnS2 flower-like structure provides more stability of 81.22% and 32.63% increased sensing response compared to the platelet-like structure. This result provides a pathway for the development of a practical room temperature NO2 gas sensor.

Nanosphere Lithography-Based Fabrication of Spherical Nanostructures and Verification of Their Hexagonal Symmetries by Image Analysis

Nanosphere lithography (NSL) is a cost- and time-effective technique for the fabrication of well-ordered large-area arrays of nanostructures. This paper reviews technological challenges in NSL mask preparation, its modification, and quality control. Spin coating with various process parameters (substrate wettability, solution properties, spin coating operating parameters) are discussed to create a uniform monolayer from monodisperse polystyrene (PS) nanospheres with a diameter of 0.2–1.5 μm. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the PS nanospheres are ordered into a hexagonal close-packed monolayer. Verification of sphere ordering and symmetry is obtained using our open-source software HEXI, which can recognize and detect circles, and distinguish between hexagonal ordering and defect configurations. The created template is used to obtain a wide variety of tailor-made periodic structures by applying additional treatments, such as plasma etching (isotropic and anisotropic), deposition, evaporation, and lift-off. The prepared highly ordered nanopatterned arrays (from circular, triangular, pillar-shaped structures) are applicable in many different fields (plasmonics, photonics, sensorics, biomimetic surfaces, life science, etc.).

Negative Tone Metallic Organic Resists with Improved Sensitivity for Plasma Etching: Implications for Silicon Nanostructure Fabrication and Photomask Production.

Metal-organic materials such as [NH2(CH2-CH=CH2)2][Cr7NiF8(Pivalate)16] can act as negative tone resists for electron beam lithography (EBL) with high-resolution patterning of sub-40 nanometer pitch while exhibiting ultrahigh dry etch selectivities >100:1 and giving line dose exposures >11,000 pC/cm. It is clear that the resist sensitivity is too low to be used to manufacture the latest nanoscale photomasks that are suitable for extreme ultraviolet lithography. Therefore, the focus of this work here is to improve the sensitivity of this resist while maintaining its resolution and dry etch selectivity. Using our latest Monte Carlo simulation called Excalibur, we predict that the sensitivity would increase by a factor of 1.4 when the nickel atom is substituted by a cadmium atom. EBL studies showed an excellent agreement with the simulation, and plasma etching studies demonstrated that this did not affect the dry etch performance of the resist which remains very good with a selectively of ca. 99:1 for the etching of silicon at these resolutions with a low sensitivity of 7995 pC/cm.

Fabrication of nanostructure on Au nano-film by nanosecond laser coupled with cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy probe

Diffraction limit has been the constraint of the nanostructure fabrication. Because the scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) can work in the evanescent near-field region, its application in nano-processing has received extensive attention from researchers globally. In this paper, we combined nanosecond laser with cantilevered SNOM probe. Utilizing the high precision of the confinement and enhancement effect of probe tip and the high instantaneous energy of the laser, we realized nanostructure fabrication and in situ detection on Au nano-film. Feature sizes down to 47 nm full width at half maximum were fabricated. We investigated the laser propagation through the SNOM tip aperture and the light field intensity distribution on the surface of substrate theoretically. The calculation results demonstrate that the laser is highly restricted within the SNOM aperture and enhanced on the exit plane at the rim of aperture. After the transmission, the light field intensity distribution on the surface of the Au nano-film was enhanced due to the localized surface plasmon resonance. The thermal distribution on the surface of Au nano-film indicates that the peak of the temperature distribution appeared at the surface right underneath the center of the aperture. It is proved that the simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.

Fabrication of anti-icing/de-icing surfaces by femtosecond laser.

In this minireview, we comprehensively reviewed recent progress on fabricating anti-icing/de-icing surfaces by femtosecond laser technologies. Typical bioinspired micro-/nano-structures fabrication strategies, superhydrophobic surfaces with anti-icing properties, and photothermal surfaces with de-icing properties are summarized. At last, we discussed challenges and prospects in anti-icing/de-icing surfaces fabricated by femtosecond laser technologies.

Ultra-high-Q resonances in terahertz all-silicon metasurfaces based on bound states in the continuum

High-Q metasurfaces have important applications in high-sensitivity sensing, low-threshold lasers, and nonlinear optics due to the strong local electromagnetic field enhancements. Although ultra-high-Q resonances of bound states in the continuum (BIC) metasurfaces have been rapidly developed in the optical regime, it is still a challenging task in the terahertz band for long years because of absorption loss of dielectric materials, design, and fabrication of nanostructures, and the need for high-signal-to-noise ratio and high-resolution spectral measurements. Here, a polarization-insensitive quasi-BIC resonance with a high-Q factor of 1049 in a terahertz all-silicon metasurface is experimentally achieved, exceeding the current highest record by 3 times of magnitude. And by using this ultra-high-Q metasurface, a terahertz intensity modulation with very low optical pump power is demonstrated. The proposed all-silicon metasurface can pave the way for the research and development of high-Q terahertz metasurfaces.

Electrospinning Technique for Fabrication of Coaxial Nanofibers of Semiconductive Polymers.

In this work, the electrospinning technique is used to fabricate a polymer-polymer coaxial structure nanofiber from the p-type regioregular polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and the n-type conjugated ladder polymer poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) of orthogonal solvents. Generally, the fabrication of polymeric coaxial nanostructures tends to be troublesome. Using the electrospinning technique, P3HT was successfully used as the core, and the BBL as the shell, thus conceptually forming a p-n junction that is cylindrical in form with diameters in a range from 280 nm to 2.8 µm. The UV-VIS of P3HT/PS blend solution showed no evidence of separation or precipitation, while the combined solutions of P3HT/PS and BBL were heterogeneous. TEM images show a well-formed coaxial structure that is normally not expected due to rapid reaction and solidification when mixed in vials in response to orthogonal solubility. For this reason, extruding it by using electrostatic forces promoted a quick elongation of the polymers while forming a concise interface. Single nanofiber electrical characterization demonstrated the conductivity of the coaxial surface of ~1.4 × 10-4 S/m. Furthermore, electrospinning has proven to be a viable method for the fabrication of pure semiconducting coaxial nanofibers that can lead to the desired fabrication of fiber-based electronic devices.

Rapid Detection of Mercury Ions Using Sustainable Natural Gum-Based Silver Nanoparticles

Fabrication of metal nanostructures using natural products has attracted scientists and researchers due to its renewable and environmentally benign availability. This work has prepared an eco-friendly, low-cost, and rapid colorimetric sensor of silver nanoparticles using tree gum as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Several characterization techniques have been exploited to describe the synthesized nanosensor morphology and optical properties. Ultraviolet−Visible (UV−Vis) spectroscopy has been used for monitoring the localized plasmon surface area. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) illustrated the size and shape of silver nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction spectra showed the crystallography and purity of the product. Silver nanoparticles decorated with almond gum molecules (AgNPs@AG) demonstrated high sensitivity and colorimetric detection of mercury ions in water samples. The method is based on the aggregation of AgNPs and the disappearing yellow color of AgNPs via a spectrophotometer. The detection limit of this method was reported to be 0.5 mg/L. This work aimed to synthesize a rapid, easy-preparation, eco-friendly, and efficient naked-eye colorimetric sensor to detect toxic pollutants in aqueous samples.

Wet Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Au Coatings on Meso- and Macroporous Si for Molecular Analysis by SERS Spectroscopy

Porous silicon (PS) is a promising material for nanostructure fabrication providing a precise control over its size, shape, and spatial distribution. This makes it an excellent candidate for constructing highly sensitive, reproducible, and low-cost platforms for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. In this work, we connect the PS structural parameters with the morphology of the gold nanostructures fabricated on its surface, placing the emphasis on the SERS response. Two different types of PS are considered here, namely meso- and macro-PS. The former is prepared by Si electrochemical etching, applying three different current densities: 100 mA cm−2, 60 mA cm−2, and 30 mA cm−2, while the technological parameters for the latter are selected to mimic metal nanovoids’ (Me NVs) configuration. The gold-coated PS surfaces are produced via an electroless chemical deposition method for different time periods. By performing comprehensive structural, morphological, and optical characterization, we show the importance of the size and density of the PS pore openings, which govern the Au growth kinetics. The results presented in this work assure a simple yet flexible approach for the fabrication of large-area plasmonic gold nanostructures, which are not only suitable for advanced SERS spectroscopy studies but can also serve for a wider range of plasmonic applications.

Freestanding Metal Nanomembranes and Nanowires by Template Transfer with a Soluble Adhesive.

The fabrication of nanostructures usually involves chemical processes that have in certain steps. Especially, it is necessary to use the chemical etching method to release the as-patterned structures from the substrate in most of the transfer techniques. Here, a novel scheme of template transfer as developed for the fabrication of freestanding Au nanomembranes and nanowires by using a soluble PVP adhesive. The nanomembranes feature the periodic nanohole arrays with high uniformity. Without the substrates, these plasmonic nanohole arrays show symmetric and antisymmetric resonance modes with bright and dark spectral features, respectively, in transmission. Through the spectral analysis for reflection, we have disclosed that the usual dark mode in transmission is not really dark, but it reveals a distinct feature in reflection. Two coupling modes present distinct spectral features in transmission and reflection due to their different loss channels. To show their versatility, the freestanding nanomembranes were also employed as secondary templates to form Si nanowire arrays by the metal-assisted chemical etching method.

Mechanism of nanostructure processing on Au and Ag nano-film by a nanosecond laser illuminating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy tip.

Nanostructure processing by a laser illuminating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) tip is a novel technology that has received extensive attention from researchers. In this paper, theoretical investigations of the mechanism for nanostructure fabrication on Au and Ag nano-film by this technology are realized by the finite element method. The light field intensity and temperature distribution on Au and Ag surfaces at the near-field of the SNOM tip apex after illumination is simulated. The results reveal that the laser is restricted and enhanced within the SNOM tip aperture during illumination. Locally excited surface plasmon polaritons, which induce near-field enhancement on the Au and Ag nano-film at the vicinity of the aperture, are significant for nanostructure fabrication. The impacts of several parameters such as aperture width w, gap between the apex and substrate g, and the initial electric field intensity |E0| of the laser on the temperature of the Au and Ag substrate surfaces during fabrication are deeply studied. It reveals that the surface temperature depends on both the enhancement of the light field intensity and the transmitted laser. The enhancement is dominant in affecting temperature when the gap is small, while the transmittance becomes the main factor influencing the surface temperature with the increase of the gap.

Fabrication of three-dimensional opal nanolattices using template-directed colloidal assembly

Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures play a crucial role in nanophotonics, lasers, and optical systems. This article reports on the fabrication of 3D nanostructures consisting of opal structures that are spatially aligned to an array of holes defined in the photoresist. The proposed method uses colloidal lithography to pattern a hexagonal array of holes, which are then used to direct the subsequent 3D assembly of colloidal particles. This approach allows the 3D opal structures to be aligned with the 2D array of holes, which can enhance spatial-phase coherence and reduce defects. The polymer patterns can be used as a sacrificial template for atomic layer deposition and create free-standing nanolattices. The final structure consists of a combination of nanolattice, upon which controlled deposition of opal structures is achieved. These structures result in nanostructured materials with high porosity, which is essential to create low-index materials for nanophotonics. A thick layer of titanium oxide with high refractive index is deposited over nanolattices to demonstrate the mechanical stability of underlying structures. These nanolattice structures with precisely controlled height can serve as a low-index layer and can find applications in Bragg reflectors, nanophotonics, and optical multilayers.

4D nanoprinted sensor for facile organo-arsenic detection: A two-photon lithography-based approach

Engineered 3Dnanostructures have played a crucial role in the development of modern electronic devices. However, the demand for higher dimensional nanostructures have become a necessity for the development of superior next generation miniaturized devices. Traditional two-photon femtosecond laser-based fabrication techniques have enabled fabrication of 3D nanostructures. Carbon quantum dots have recently emerged as a new alternative for achieving subwavelength 3D optical lithography. Here, we report sensing of organo-arsenic(V) species at ppb levels using multimodal carbon quantum dots based 4D miniaturized ultrasensitive nanosensor and development of a device thereof using two-photon lithography. Manganese, nitrogen, and sulphur-doped carbon quantum dots have been used for development of this two-component, two-photon active functional resin for 3D printing of optically active 4D nanostructures. These have sub-wavelength resolved features, and are selectively sensitive to organo-arsenic species. The doped-carbon quantum dots initiate two-photon polymerization in the functional resin and induce emissive attributes to the polymerized nanostructures that impart selectivity towards dimethylarsinate ions (DAI) even at the ppb concentration levels. The miniaturized sensor strip shows a change in fluorescence of the nanostructures when subjected to the analyte. The emission intensities increases with increase in the concentration of DAI. The sensor can detect concentrations of the analyte as low as 1 ppb. This work opens new avenues to meet the demand for multi-dimensional nanostructures for development of superior next-generation of multifunctional miniaturized devices.

Revealing the nanogeometry of WS2 nanoflowers by polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy

Recent studies of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have revealed exciting optical properties, such as stable excitons and chiral light–matter interactions. Chemical vapor deposition techniques provide a platform for the fabrication of nanostructures with diverse geometries, ranging from horizontal flakes to flower-like structures. Raman spectroscopy is commonly used to characterize TMDs and their properties. Here, we use polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy to probe the nanogeometry and orientation of WS2 nanoflower petals. Exciting the nanoflowers with linearly polarized light, we observe an enhanced Raman response from flower petals oriented along the excitation polarization direction. Furthermore, the helicity-resolved Raman response of vertically oriented wall-like flower petals exhibits clear differences with horizontally oriented flakes. Although the photoluminescence from the nanoflowers is strongly reduced, the Raman response upon excitation in resonance with the WS2 excitonic transition does reveal the presence of the exciton, which results in a distinct temperature dependence of the Raman response.

Controlling the etch selectivity of silicon using low-RF power HBr reactive ion etching

Silicon nanostructures with high aspect-ratio (AR) features have played an important role in many fields. In this study, we report the fabrication of high AR silicon nanostructures using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) process by controlling the voltage bias at the substrate. The results show that by reducing the radio frequency (RF) bias power to 10 W, the etch selectivity of silicon to photoresist can be enhanced up to 36 times. Using the photoresist as a mask, this process can fabricate 300 nm-period one-dimensional (1D) grating structures with a height up to 807 nm, an improvement of 3.75-fold compared with structures fabricated by normal bias power. Furthermore, the analysis of the etch rate shows that the etch rate decreases over time in 1D gratings but remains constant in 2D pillar arrays, which can be attributed to the removal of the sidewall passivation. By including an O2 ICP-RIE step to remove the remaining polymer mask, the highest AR of 2D pillar structures that can be achieved is 8.8. The optical characterization of the fabricated structures demonstrates effective antireflection properties, where the measurements show that the reflectivity can be suppressed from 35% to 0.01% near normal incidence and 35% to 2.4% at 65° incident angle. The demonstrated low-RF power ICP-RIE process can create high AR nanostructures without the need for an inorganic mask and can find applications in integrated circuits, photonics, and functional nanostructures.

Sub-40 nm nanogratings self-organized in PVP-based polymer composite film by photoexcitation and two sequent splitting under femtosecond laser irradiation

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) on various materials have been extensively investigated because of their wide applications. The combination of different materials allows for greater freedom in tailoring their functions and achieving responses not possible in a homogeneous material. By utilizing a femtosecond (fs) laser to irradiate the Fe-doped Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) composite film, highly regular ultrafine nanogratings (U-nanogratings) with a period as small as 35.0 (±2.0) nm can be self-organized on the surface with extremely high efficiency. The period of the U-nanogratings can be controlled by varying the scanning speed of the laser beam (deposited energy) and the thickness of the composite film. Based on the experimental, theoretical, and simulation results, we propose a two-step formation mechanism: composite film excitation and two sequent grating-splitting. The high photosensitivity and low glass transition temperature of the composite film facilitate the fabrication of the ultrafine nanostructures. The proposed design method for the composite material and fabrication process could not only provide a strategy for obtaining highly regular U-nanogratings, but also offer a platform to explore the interaction physics between ultra-short pulses and matter under extreme conditions.

Transfer-printing-based integration of silicon nitride grating structure on single-crystal diamond toward sensitive magnetometers

Negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have emerged as promising candidates for a wide range of quantum applications, especially quantum sensing of magnetic field. Implementation of nanostructure into diamond is powerful for efficient photon collection of NV centers and chip-scale miniaturization of the device, which is crucial for sensitive and practical diamond magnetometers. However, fabrication of the diamond nanostructure involves technical limitations and can degrade the spin coherence of the NV centers. In this study, we demonstrate the hybrid integration of a silicon nitride grating structure on a single-crystal diamond by utilizing transfer printing. This approach allows the implementation of the nanostructure in diamond using a simple pick-and-place assembly, facilitating diamond-based quantum applications without any complicated diamond nanofabrication. We observed the intensity enhancement in the collected NV emissions both theoretically and experimentally using the integrated grating structure. By applying the increased photon intensity, we demonstrate the improved magnetic sensitivity of the fabricated device. The proposed hybrid integration approach will offer a promising route toward a compact and sensitive diamond NV-based magnetometer.

Metal-doped zinc oxide nanostructures for nanogenerator applications: A review

Nanogenerators have been widely discussed and investigated in the literature due to their excellent development in various sectors and applications. There are two typical electricity generating mechanisms involved in nanogenerators, that include piezoelectric and triboelectric processes. The selection of materials in developing nanogenerator applications is vital in guaranteeing that the produced devices have decent output performance. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor material with a large bandgap that significantly influences numerous technological sectors, including nanogenerator fabrications. Besides, numerous methods have been used to synthesize ZnO nanostructures for various applications. The improvement and alterations need to be performed based on the produced ZnO nanostructures for better device performance. Previous studies have reported the effect of metal-doped ZnO nanostructures on the properties and characteristics of the nanogenerator applications. Hence, the brief review of the different techniques used in the fabrication of ZnO nanostructures and the performance enhancement of the ZnO-based nanogenerator, which consists of the doping process and the development of nanogenerator applications, have been presented in this paper.