Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NANO TECH
Nano-dunes with the ion beam
by Staff Writers
Dresden, Germany (SPX) Sep 09, 2015


With the ion beam as a tool, the scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany, have succeeded in creating self-organized crystalline structures at the nanoscale. Image courtesy SIMIT, Chinese Academy of Science. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Many semiconductor devices in modern technology - from integrated circuits to solar cells and LEDs - are based on nanostructures. Producing arrays of regular nanostructures usually requires substantial effort. If they were self-organized, the production of such devices would be considerably faster and the costs would therefore sink.

Dr. Stefan Facsko from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Dr. Xin Ou from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, have now demonstrated a method for self-organization of nanostructured arrays via broad ion beam irradiation. The results have been published in the scientific journal Nanoscale.

In their astounding method, the researchers use ion beams, which are fast, electrically charged atoms. They direct a broad beam of noble gas ions onto a gallium arsenide wafer, which, for example, is used in producing high-speed and high-frequency transistors, photocells or light-emitting diodes. "One could compare ion bombardment with sand blasting. This means that the ions mill off the surface of the target. There, the desired nanostructures are created all by themselves," explains Dr. Facsko.

The finely chiselled and regular structure is reminiscent of sand dunes, natural structures created by wind. It all occurs, however, in a nano-realm, with a mere distance of fifty nanometers between two dunes - strands of human hair are two thousand times thicker.

Ion Bombardment at Elevated Temperature
At room temperature, however, the ion beam destroys the crystal structure of the gallium arsenide and thus its semiconducting properties. Dr. Facsko's group at the HZDR's Ion Beam Center therefore uses the opportunity to heat the sample during ion bombardment. At about four hundred degrees Celsius, the destroyed structures recover rapidly.

A further effect ensures that the nano-dunes on the semiconductor surface develop. The colliding ions not only shift the atoms they hit, but also knock individual atoms entirely out of the crystal structure. Since the volatile arsenic does not remain bound on the surface, the surface soon consists only of gallium atoms. In order to compensate for the missing arsenic atom bonds, pairs of two gallium atoms form, which arrange themselves in long rows.

If the ion beam knocks out further atoms next to them, the gallium pairs cannot slip down the step that has been created because the temperatures are too low for this to happen. This is how the long rows of gallium pairs form nano-dunes after a period of time, in which several long pairs of lines lie next to each other.

Many experiments at different temperatures and comprehensive computations were necessary to both preserve the crystalline state of the semiconducting material as well to produce the well-defined structures at the nanoscale. Dr. Facsko from the HZDR says, "The method of inverse epitaxy works for various materials but is still in its basic research phase.

Because we use particularly low energy ions - under 1 kilovolt -, which can be generated using simple methods, we hope that we can point the way for industrial implementation. The manufacturing of similar structures with current state of the art methods needs considerably more effort."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





NANO TECH
Realizing carbon nanotube integrated circuits
Chicago IL (SPX) Sep 09, 2015
Individual transistors made from carbon nanotubes are faster and more energy efficient than those made from other materials. Going from a single transistor to an integrated circuit full of transistors, however, is a giant leap. "A single microprocessor has a billion transistors in it," said Northwestern Engineering's Mark Hersam. "All billion of them work. And not only do they work, but th ... read more


NANO TECH
Russia Eyes Moon for Hi-Tech Lunar Base

Russia Gets Ready for New Moon Landing

ASU chosen to lead lunar CubeSat mission

Russia's moon landing plan hindered by financial distress

NANO TECH
ASU instruments help scientists probe ancient Mars atmosphere

What Happened to Early Mars' Atmosphere

Opportunity brushes a rock and conducts in-situ studies

Destination Red Planet: Will Billionaires Fund a Private Mars Colony

NANO TECH
New Life for Old Buddy: Russia Tests Renewed Soyuz-MS Spacecraft

Opportunity found in lack of diversity in US tech sector

Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights

In Virginia, TechShop lets 'makers' tinker, innovate

NANO TECH
Progress for Tiangong 2

China rocket parts hit villager's home: police, media

China's "sky eyes" help protect world heritage Angkor Wat

China's space exploration potential has US chasing its own tail

NANO TECH
Russian ISS Crew's Next Spacewalk Planned for February 2016

Mogensen begins busy ISS tour

Soyuz rocket with three astronauts launches towards ISS

Soyuz Heads to Space Station with New Crew

NANO TECH
US Navy to Launch Folding-Fin Ground Attack Rocket on Scientific Mission

US Launches Atlas V Rocket With Navy Communications Satellite After Delay

FCube facility enters operations with fueling of Soyuz Fregat upper stage

SpaceX delays next launch after blast

NANO TECH
Earth observations show how nitrogen may be detected on exoplanets, aiding search for life

Distant planet's interior chemistry may differ from our own

Earth's mineralogy unique in the cosmos

A new model of gas giant planet formation

NANO TECH
Billie Holiday to return to New York stage -- by hologram

Half diamond, half cubic boron, all cutting business

Customizing 3-D printing

DNA-guided 3-D printing of human tissue is unveiled




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.