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Brandon Aldinger
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Using a combination of experimental and computational techniques, I am trying to develop new chemical solutions (etchants) that can control the chemistry and morphology of silicon surfaces down to the atomic scale. This control is important to the microelectronics industry, as even atomic-scale interfacial roughness in transistors has been shown to degrade performance. We have shown that some solutions can selectively eat away this roughness, producing a near-perfect surface. Other solutions produce very interesting (although not particularly useful) structures, such as the array of triangular pits shown below. |
Faculty Advisor:
Melissa A. Hines
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AFM image of an etched silicon surface showing development of triangular etch pits. |
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Jonathan Alden
Applied and Engineering Physics
I am interested in studying and building new devices out of the ultimate interfacial material — one-atom-thick films of graphite (i.e. carbon). These films are mechanically robust, impermeable to atoms, electrically conducting, chemically stable, and hole-free over square microns, which makes them an idealized — yet experimentally realizable — platform for a wide-range of interesting interface-related experiments. From nanoscale pressure sensing to advanced microscopy experiments, graphene membranes promise to open many new avenues for research and yield new insights into difficult-to-access nanoscale systems. |
Faculty Advisor:
Paul McEuen |
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Artist’s rendering of a suspended graphene sheet being probed by a laser beam. |
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Rebecca Cantrell
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
I am using advanced molecular modeling techniques to understand and design materials for a new class of electronic devices — so-called organic or "plastic" electronics. These materials may potentially open the door to interesting applications, such as flexible and/or inexpensive displays. Like conventional electronics, organic electronics are based on charge transport between two materials, and the interface or junction between the two materials is very important in determining their electrical performance. In recent experiments, we have been modeling interfaces between C60 molecules and thin films of pentacene to understand, and hopefully improve, this process. |
Faculty Advisor:
Paulette Clancy |
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Molecular model of C60 molecules adsorbed onto a thin film of pentacene. |
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Darren Southworth
Materials Science and Engineering
I am designing and building ultraminiaturized vibrating mechanical devices —nanoresonators -- that may form the basis of inexpensive but highly sensitive chemical and biological detectors. Because of their small size, we have shown that these devices are sensitive to the sticking of even a small amount of chemical or biological material to their surfaces. The challenge now lies in integration of these devices into conventional electronics.
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Faculty Advisor:
Keith Schwab |
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Brian Bryce
Applied and Engineering Physics
I am interested in applying the physics of semiconductors to new and novel devices such as optimized light detectors and sources. My current focus is on ultrasmall devices made from tiny pieces of material, such as the nanowires pictured below. Because of their small size, high surface to volume and aspect ratios, nanowires have many unique properties. To take advantage of these properties and make practical devices, we must understand and control the surfaces of these wires and their interfaces with other materials. |
Faculty Advisor:
Sandip Tiwari |
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SEM image of gallium nitride nanowires |
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Robert Rodriguez
Materials Science and Engineering
I am developing and characterizing of a new class of materials -- nanoparticle ionic materials (NIMS) -- that are formed by attaching a thin layer of organic molecules to the surface of nanoscale inorganic particles. These hybrid materials have very unusual properties that we can selectively tune. For example, we can turn nanoscale pieces of sand (i.e. silica) into a liquid by putting the correct organic molecules on their surfaces. Excitingly, this liquid never evaporates, making it potentially useful as a "green" solvent replacement or lubricant. |
Faculty Advisor:
Emmanuel Giannelis |
