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Synthesis and nanoscale characterisation of ultrathin and ultrasmooth Metal Films

• Project type: Ph.d project
• Project responsible: Mario Frederik Heinig
• Supervisors: Shima Kadkhodazadeh, Henri Jansen, Jakob Birkedal Wagner
• Partners involved: DTU Nanolab National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
• Thesis: link to the thesis in orbit

Project description

Deposition of thin metal films on dielectric or semiconductor substrates is central to many technological applications, including plasmonics and microelectronic devices. In this respect, good adhesion between the deposited metal and the underlying substrate is necessary, in order to ensure device integrity and optimal performance. For plasmonic applications, noble metals such as gold and silver are the most popular choices, due to their superior plasmonic properties in the visible light wavelength range. However, deposition of ultrathin and ultrasmooth layers of these metals on surfaces, required in applications such as plasmonic waveguides and hyperbolic metamaterials, is a challenge. Gold, while more chemically stable than silver, exhibits poor adhesion to underlying substrates, requiring the deposition of a second material in between (adhesion layer), in order to obtain uniform coverage. This, however, adversely affects the plasmonic properties of the structure. This project is dedicated to employing electron microscopy methods to understand the important three-fold relationship between fabrication, micro/nanostructure and plasmonic property in these structures. While certain recipes and processing steps are widely used in thin metal film deposition, a better knowledge of how/why these steps affect the micro/nanostructure, chemistry and in turn of optical and mechanical properties of the resulting structures is still needed.

The focus aspects of the project are: Using variety of deposition techniques for obtaining thin metallic films on dielectric substrates with various adhesion layers. The main interest is deposition of metals (gold in particular) and other plasmonic materials aiming at (but not limiting to) plasmonic waveguides and hyperbolic metamaterials. Electron diffraction methods to study changes in crystal structure, orientation and grain size, including in-situ investigations of thin film microstructure as a function of e.g. time or annealing temperature. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) to probe chemical composition, changes in oxidation state, coordination, bond lengths, etc., down to the atomic scale.

Publications

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• Process flow(s) relevant to this publication including links to Process development made in connection to this publication this is describes in either LabAdviser or Process2Share

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• Process flow(s) relevant to this publication including links to Process development made in connection to this publication this is describes in either LabAdviser or Process2Share