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Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 9407

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tito Busani

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Guest Editor

1. Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM), University of New Mexico, MSC01 04-2710, 1313 Godard St. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106-4343, USA
2. Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of New Mexico, MSC01 11001, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
Interests: nanostructured materials; wide bandgap semiconductors; nano and quantum lithography; mechanical and optoelectronic characterization; tip pattern lithography and tip metrology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructured and quantum materials have become the standard for modern electro-mechanic-optics devices due to their remarkable properties, such as their ability to alter their electronic or magnetic state. They present phenomenal magnetic, electrical, optical, mechanical, and catalytic properties, which usually differ significantly from their bulk properties, and their physical properties and response to external stimuli can be fine-tuned. However, this poses immense challenges both experimentally and theoretically. Indeed, a strong effort is required to manufacture a large variety of materials with defined submicron features and integrate them either on Si or another platform to fabricate novel electronic photonics and phonics devices.

The properties of these nanostructured materials usually depend on their chemical composition, crystal structure, and dimensions. Size effects, in general, take two forms: the quantum size effect, which originates from the variation in electronic density of states in nanostructures and can derive from a drastic change in the transport and thermodynamic properties compared to their bulk counterparts; and the non-quantum size effect, which originates from a change in physical properties due to vast surface atoms, grain boundaries, and structural deficiency.

Nanomaterial fabrication is usually divided into three categories. The first refers to their growth, in the form of an amorphous, crystalline, or polycrystalline phase. The second refers to the method used to process them—lithography or etching—to fabricate devices exploiting the nanomaterial’s physical properties. The third category refers to the transfer of those materials to a different substrate for integration, for example, on a Si platform. This last category is essential for industrial applications and heterogeneous integrations such as Si photonics, LEDs, or filters.

For this Special Issue, we invite the submission of novel research on materials applied most commonly in the form of thin films or nanostructures. We welcome manuscripts that pay particular attention to: (1) etching, either dry or wet; (2) improving devices performance through a novel process; (3) heterogeneous integration, especially considering Si integration; (4) demonstration of a novel device in otpo-electronics, such as optical ring resonators of frequency combs; (5) and demonstration of a novel device in opto-photonics, such as modulators, F-bars, and photon-to-phonon coupling.

Dr. Tito Busani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nanostructures
photonic material performance
electronic material performance
electronic device
optical device
optoelectronic device
photovoltaic device

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 2496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vertical Etching of Scandium Aluminum Nitride Thin Films Using TMAH Solution

by A. S. M. Zadid Shifat, Isaac Stricklin, Ravi Kiran Chityala, Arjun Aryal, Giovanni Esteves, Aleem Siddiqui and Tito Busani

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(2), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13020274 - 09 Jan 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2741

Abstract

A wide bandgap, an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient, and low dielectric permittivity are some of the outstanding properties that have made

{Sc}_{x} {Al}_{1 - x} N

a promising material in numerous MEMS and optoelectronics applications. One of the substantial challenges of fabricating [...] Read more.

A wide bandgap, an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient, and low dielectric permittivity are some of the outstanding properties that have made

{Sc}_{x} {Al}_{1 - x} N

a promising material in numerous MEMS and optoelectronics applications. One of the substantial challenges of fabricating

{Sc}_{x} {Al}_{1 - x} N

devices is its difficulty in etching, specifically with higher scandium concentration. In this work, we have developed an experimental approach with high temperature annealing followed by a wet etching process using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), which maintains etching uniformity across various Sc compositions. The experimental results of etching approximately 730 nm of

{Sc}_{x} {Al}_{1 - x} N

(x = 0.125, 0.20, 0.40) thin films show that the etch rate decreases with increasing scandium content. Nevertheless, sidewall verticality of 85°~90° (±0.2°) was maintained for all Sc compositions. Based on these experimental outcomes, it is anticipated that this etching procedure will be advantageous in the fabrication of acoustic, photonic, and piezoelectric devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics)

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Figure 1

9 pages, 3062 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

High-Quality Dry Etching of LiNbO₃ Assisted by Proton Substitution through H₂-Plasma Surface Treatment

by Arjun Aryal, Isaac Stricklin, Mahmoud Behzadirad, Darren W. Branch, Aleem Siddiqui and Tito Busani

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(16), 2836; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12162836 - 18 Aug 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4481

Abstract

The exceptional material properties of Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) make it an excellent material platform for a wide range of RF, MEMS, phononic and photonic applications; however, nano-micro scale device concepts require high fidelity processing of LN films. Here, we reported a highly optimized processing methodology that achieves a deep etch with nearly vertical and smooth sidewalls. We demonstrated that Ti/Al/Cr stack works perfectly as a hard mask material during long plasma dry etching, where periodically pausing the etching and chemical cleaning between cycles were leveraged to avoid thermal effects and byproduct redeposition. To improve mask quality on X- and Y-cut substrates, a H₂-plasma treatment was implemented to relieve surface tension by modifying the top surface atoms. Structures with etch depths as deep as 3.4 µm were obtained in our process across a range of crystallographic orientations with a smooth sidewall and perfect verticality on several crystallographic facets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics)

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Figure 1

19 pages, 6582 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Dynamics of Quasi-One-Dimensional Structures under Roughening Transition Stimulated by External Irradiation

by Vyacheslav N. Gorshkov, Volodymyr V. Tereshchuk, Oleksii V. Bereznykov, Gernot K. Boiger and Arash S. Fallah

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(9), 1411; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091411 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1606

Abstract

We studied the striking effect of external irradiation of nanowires on the dynamics of their surface morphology at elevated temperatures that do not destroy their crystal lattice. Numerical experiments performed on the basis of the Monte Carlo model revealed new possibilities for controlled periodic modulation of the cross-section of quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures for opto- and nanoelectronic elements. These are related to the fact that external irradiation stimulates the surface diffusion of atoms. On the one hand, such stimulation should accelerate the development of the well-known spontaneous thermal instability of nanowires (Rayleigh instability), which leads to their disintegration into nanoclusters. On the other hand, this leads to the forced development of the well-known roughening transition (RT) effect. Under normal circumstances, this manifests itself on selected crystal faces at a temperature above the critical one. The artificial stimulation of this effect on the lateral surface of quasi-one-dimensional structures determines many unpredictable scenarios of their surface dynamics, which essentially depend on the orientation of the nanowire axis relative to its internal crystal structure. In particular, the long-wave Rayleigh breakup observed in absence of external irradiation transforms into strongly pronounced short-wave metastable modulations of the cross-section (a chain of unduloids). The effect of the self-consistent relationship between the Rayleigh instability and RT is dimensional and can be observed only at relatively small nanowire radii. The fact is analyzed that, for the manifestation of this effect, it is very important to prevent significant heating of the nanowire when surface diffusion is stimulated. A number of developed theoretical concepts have already found confirmation in real experiments with Au and Ag nanowires irradiated by electrons and Ag⁺ ions, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics)

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11 pages, 5775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexible Transparent Electrode Characteristics of Graphene Oxide/Cysteamine/AgNP/AgNW Structure

by Junhwan Jang, Ju-Young Choi, Jihyun Jeon, Jeongjun Lee, Jaehyuk Im, Jaegun Lee, Seung-Won Jin, Hyeong-Joo Park, Seung-Hyun Lee, Dam-Bi Kim, Chan-Moon Chung and Soohaeng Cho

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2352; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122352 - 27 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2526

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO)–cysteamine–Ag nanoparticles (GCA)–silver nanowire (AgNW) fabricated by depositing GCA over sprayed AgNWs on PET films were proposed for transparent and flexible electrodes, and their optical, electrical, and mechanical properties were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, current-voltage measurements, and bending test. GCA–AgNW electrodes show optical transmittance of >80% at 550 nm and exhibit a high figure-of-merit value of up to 116.13 in the samples with sheet resistances of 20–40 Ω/◻. It was observed that the detrimental oxidation of bare AgNWs over time was considerably decreased, and the mechanical robustness was improved. To apply the layer as an actual electrode in working devices, a Pt/GO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate/GCA–AgNW/polyethylene terephthalate structure was fabricated, and resistive switching memory was demonstrated. On the basis of these results, we confirm that the proposed GCA–AgNW layer can be used as transparent and flexible electrode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics)

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Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

37 pages, 17665 KiB

Open AccessReview

Structural Designs of Transparent Polyimide Films with Low Dielectric Properties and Low Water Absorption: A Review

by Sivagangi Reddy Nagella and Chang-Sik Ha

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(14), 2090; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13142090 - 17 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1942

Abstract

The rapid development of communication networks (5G and 6G) that rely on high-speed devices requiring fast and high-quality intra- and inter-terminal signal transmission media has led to a steady increase in the need for high-performance, low-dielectric-constant (D_k) (<2.5) materials. Consequently, low-dielectric polymeric materials, particularly polyimides (PIs), are very attractive materials that are capable of meeting the requirements of high-performance terminal devices that transmit broadband high-frequency signals. However, such a PI needs to be properly designed with appropriate properties, including a low D_k, low dielectric loss (D_f), and low water absorptivity. PI materials are broadly used in various fields owing to their superior property/processibility combinations. This review summarizes the structural designs of PIs with low D_k and D_f values, low water-absorbing capacity, and high optical transparency intended for communication applications. Furthermore, we characterize structure–property relationships for various PI types and finally propose structural modifications required to obtain useful values of the abovementioned parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials Synthesis and Their Application in Integrated Photonic, Phononic and Electronics)

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