Institute of Microelectronics - Research Projects

Project leader: Dr A. G. Nassiopoulou
Key researchers: Dr A. G. Nassiopoulou, Dr N. Papanikolaou and Dr S. Gardelis
Phd students: M. Kokonou, A. Olziersky, A. Salonidou, A. Zoy

Main external collaborators in 2005: Dr A. Travlos and Dr K. Giannakopoulos (IMS-NCSR Demokritos), Dr I. Berbezier and A. Karmous (L2MP-CNRS France), Dr T. Stoica (ISGI-Juelich-Germany), Prof. A. Nazarov (Kiev)

Funding:

Research orientation:

Fabrication and characterization of semiconductor nanostructures (quantum wires, quantum dots, optical properties, charging effects, self-assembling, ordering) and theirs applications in non-volatile memories and photonic devices
Fabrication and characterization of anodic porous alumina on silicon and its use in nanofabrication
Self-assembled building blocks for nanoelectronics (self-assembly of nanoparticles, application in nanoelectronic devices, transport properties)
Thermal transport in nanostructures

The activity on semiconductor nanostructures started at IMEL at the early nineties, within the framework of the Esprit project EOLIS (1992-1996) (pioneering work at IMEL on silicon nanopillars) and continued within the EU projects IST FET SMILE, contract No 28741, IST FORUM FIB, contract No 29573, and continues at present within the EU projects IST NoE SINANO and IST NoE MINA-EAST. The focus is on quantum dots and wires and their use in emerging electronic (e.g. nanocrystal memories) and photonic devices.

The activity on self assembly started at IMEL within the EU project IST FET Escher, contract No 33 287. In general, the concept of self-assembly has become very popular the last years, because it offers a possible way for creating potentially useful structures of the size of few nanometers or tens of nanometers. Self-assembly is seen as a good candidate for a new fabrication technology for the future information processing devices. IMEL is involved in the investigation of Au nanoparticles self-assembled between electrodes by dielectrophoresis and their use in bio-sensing.

Another interesting activity concerns anodic porous alumina thin films on silicon. A lot of work has been devoted in the literature to anodic porous alumina on bulk aluminum. Free standing porous alumina membranes with very regular pores vertical to the surface are fabricated and used in diverse applications, as for example in nanoparticle filters. More recently, porous alumina thin films are fabricated on a silicon substrate by anodization of Al thin films. They are used either as templates for the growth of different nanostructures through the pores (nanowires, quantum dots), or as matrices for the fabrication of composite materials. Very thin alumina films were fabricated on silicon at IMEL, with very regular vertical pores, which are very appropriate for the development of different nanopatterning and self-assembly techniques.

Thermal transport in nanostructures is a theoretical activity with important impact on applications in sensors. It is carried out in collaboration with research scientists of programme III.