Physics Colloquium: Cooking with the Periodic Table: Vapor Phase Nanowire Growth

Please join the Physics Department for a colloquium by Chris Hawley, Lawrence University, on "Cooking with the Periodic Table: Vapor Phase Nanowire Growth"  There will be tea at 3:10 in the lobby of the Hugel Science Center, followed by the talk at 3:30.

Abstract:

The continued push for miniaturization of electronics fuels massive research and development efforts in semiconductor physics.  Extending Moore’s law demands a shift toward devices based on new materials, synthesis techniques, and fabrication methods that progress beyond the capabilities of traditional silicon-based devices.  Significant advances in recent years have come from improvements to technology through the implementation of various nanoscale morphologies including 2D films and 1D nanowires.  Beyond the obvious analog to electric circuitry, the 1D nature of nanowires makes them attractive for use in photovoltaics, sensors, actuators, non-volatile memory, thermoelectrics, and many more areas.  Research into growth methods of alternative materials and various stable nanoscale morphologies is necessary to continue to identify new materials of interest, confirm predicted advantageous properties, and tailor the electrical, optical, or other properties of existing materials for new scientific and industrial applications.

In this talk, I will discuss some unconventional growth techniques and their unique potentials for nanowire synthesis, including modified chemical vapor deposition and vapor transport.  The controlled addition of highly reactive oxygen to the traditional method of chemical vapor deposition for the synthesis of group IV nanowires enables precise morphological design as well as switching between various surface chemistries, compositions, and crystalline structures, resulting in nanowires with varying electronic, optical, and chemical properties.  Vapor transport growth methods for various chalcogenide and group V-VI nanowires allows for the ability to tailor the nanowire dimensions, composition, and further enables the formation of both axial and radial heterojunctions.