This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 8725, including the Title Page, Copyright Information, Table of Contents, and the Conference Committee listing.

Carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene, a layered two-dimensional (2D) crystal, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers have been explored extensively by researchers as well as the semiconductor industry as viable alternatives to silicon-based complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor transistors. Besides nanoscale transistors, the exceptional properties of carbon-based nanomaterials has stirred intense interest in considering these materials for applications ranging from interconnects, field-emission displays, photo-voltaics and nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS). Recently, the emergence of other layered 2D crystals where the bonding between layers is held together by the weak van der Waals interaction, has opened up new avenues of research and exploration. Such material systems display a diverse array of properties ranging from insulating hexagonal-BN, metallic NbS₂ to semiconducting MoS₂. The ability to engineer the materials properties in these 2D layered materials provides promising prospects for their use in a wide variety of applications ranging from electronics, photonics, sensing, energy harvesting, flexible electronics and related applications over the coming years.

Single layer graphene has shown promising applications in fast and sensitive optoelectronic applications such as optical modulators and photodetectors. Twisted bilayer graphene has the potential to further improve the performances of such graphene devices due to its modified electronic band structure. However, the lack of synthesis method for large-area isolated twisted bilayer graphene has limited device applications. After a brief review of recent development in single layer graphene optoelectronic property and photodetectors, we discuss unique optical properties of twisted bilayer graphene. We then show two methods that we have developed to fabricate large-size twisted bilayer graphene islands. The first method uses chemical vapor deposition; the other method utilizes mechanical stacking of two large-size single layer graphene hexagons. The realization of such twisted bilayer graphene samples enables new development of novel graphene-based devices.

It is widely envisioned that graphene, an atomic sheet of carbon that has generated very broad interest has the largest prospects for flexible smart systems and for integrated graphene-silicon (G-Si) heterogeneous very large-scale integrated (VLSI) nanoelectronics. In this work, we focus on the latter and elucidate the research progress that has been achieved for integration of graphene with Si-CMOS including: wafer-scale graphene growth by chemical vapor deposition on Cu/SiO₂/Si substrates, wafer-scale graphene transfer that afforded the fabrication of over 10,000 devices, wafer-scalable mitigation strategies to restore graphene’s device characteristics via fluoropolymer interaction, and demonstrations of graphene integrated with commercial Si- CMOS chips for hybrid nanoelectronics and sensors. Metrology at the wafer-scale has led to the development of custom Raman processing software (GRISP) now available on the nanohub portal. The metrology reveals that graphene grown on 4-in substrates have monolayer quality comparable to exfoliated flakes. At room temperature, the high-performance passivated graphene devices on SiO₂/Si can afford average mobilities 3000cm2/V-s and gate modulation that exceeds an order of magnitude. The latest growth research has yielded graphene with high mobilities greater than 10,000cm²/V-s on oxidized silicon. Further progress requires track compatible graphene-Si integration via wafer bonding in order to translate graphene research from basic to applied research in commercial R and D laboratories to ultimately yield a viable nanotechnology.

The generation of e-h pairs in silicon by incident light is the underlying principle behind most silicon-based photodetection, imaging, photometry, spectroscopy and photovoltaic technologies. In this work, we show that graphene provides voltage-tunable ways in which the photogenerated carriers in Si can be captured. Combining the photoexcitation in Si with the carrier capturing abilities of graphene results in photodetectors which not only respond with high quantum efficiency values, but, more interestingly, devices whose photocurrent responsivity can be completely tuned using an external voltage. Such tunability is quite useful for detection in variable light conditions, which makes it attractive for imaging and videographic applications, especially because they respond within milliseconds of the incidence. Layer thickening and doping can further enhance the absolute responsivity values, and devices with a few hundred mA/W and quantum efficiency up to ~65% could be fabricated. Most importantly though, another mode of photodetection, using photovoltage, is found to be incredibly sensitive to ultra-low intensity light, with photovoltage responsivity as high as 10⁷ V/W and contrast sensitivity exceeding 10⁶ V/W. This current-free method of detection is able to detect extremely low-absorbing materials, and coupled with scanning-photovoltage measurements, can give rise promising new ways of photodetection and imaging.

Graphene and its few layer cousins are unique two-dimensional (2D) systems with extraordinary electrical, thermal, mechanical and optical properties, and they have become both fantastic platforms for exploring fundamental processes and some of the most promising material for next generation electronics. Here we present our transport studies of dual gated suspended bilayer and trilayer graphene devices. At the charge neutrality point, application of an electric field induces a gap in bilayer graphene’s band structure. For high mobility bilayer devices, we observe an intrinsic insulating state with a gap of 2-3 meV and a transition temperature ~5K, which arises from electronic interactions. In ABC-stacked trilayer devices, an insulating state with gap ~25 meV is observed. Our results underscore the rich interaction-induced collective states in few layer graphene and suggest a promising direction for THz technology and high speed low dissipation electronic devices.

The discovery of graphene opened the door to 2D crystal materials. The lack of a bandgap in 2D graphene makes it unsuitable for electronic switching transistors in the conventional field-effect sense, though possible techniques exploiting the unique bandstructure and nanostructures are being explored. The transition metal dichalcogenides have 2D crystal semiconductors, which are well-suited for electronic switching. We experimentally demonstrate field effect transistors with current saturation and carrier inversion made from layered 2D crystal semiconductors such as MoS₂, WS₂, and the related family. We also evaluate the feasibility of such semiconducting 2D crystals for tunneling field effect transistors for low-power digital logic. The article summarizes the current state of new generation transistor technologies either proposed, or demonstrated, with a commentary on the challenges and prospects moving forward.

Since the development of molecule-based sensors and the introduction of molecules mimicking the behavior of the AND gate in solution by de Silva in 1993, molecular (Boolean) Logic and Computing (MBLC) has become increasingly popular. The molecular approach toward Boolean logic resulted in intriguing proofs of concepts in solution including logic gates, half-adders, multiplexers, and flip-flop logic circuits. Molecular assemblies can perform diverse logic tasks by reconfiguring their inputs. Our recent research activities focus on MBLC with electrochromic polymers and immobilized polypyridyl complexes on solid support. We have designed a series of coordination-based thin films that are formed linearly by stepwise wet-chemical deposition or by self-propagating molecular assembly. The electrochromic properties of these films can be used for (i) detecting various analytes in solution and in the air, (ii) MBLC, (iii) electron-transfer studies, and (iv) interlayers for efficient inverted bulk-heterojunction solar cells. Our concept toward MBLC with functionalized surfaces is applicable to electrochemical and chemical inputs coupled with optical readout. Using this approach, we demonstrated various logic architectures with redox-active functionalized surfaces. Electrochemically operated sequential logic systems (e.g., flip-flops), multi-valued logic, and multi-state memory have been designed, which can improve computational power without increasing spatial requirements. Applying multi-valued digits in data storage and information processing could exponentially increase memory capacity. Our approach is applicable to highly diverse electrochromic thin films that operate at practical voltages (< 1.5 V).

Split ring resonator arrays are investigated for use as active elements for the realization of voltage controllable frequency selective surfaces. Finite difference time domain simulations suggest the absorptive and reflective properties of such surfaces can be externally controlled through modifications of the split ring resonator gap impedance. In this work, such voltage-controlled resonance tuning is obtained through the addition of an appropriately designed high electron mobility transistor positioned across the split ring resonator gap. It is shown that a 0.5μm gate length high electron mobility transistor allows voltage controllable switching between the two resonant conditions associated with a split ring resonator and that of a closed loop geometry when the surface is illuminated with THz radiation. Partial switching between these two resonant conditions is observed at larger gate lengths. Such active frequency selective surfaces are proposed, for example, for use as modulators in THz detection schemes and as RF filters in radar applications when scaled to operate at GHz frequencies.

The adaptive multifunctional composite structure studied here is to address two issues remaining in lightweight structural composites required by many engineering applications. The first is to add additional functionality to multifunctional composites and the second is to provide adaptive damping in structures that cover a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. Because of its potential for practical payoffs, passive structural damping can find wide application through the use of high-damping viscoelastic polymers or elastomers. However, all passive damping using these damping materials suffer from failing at certain temperatures and in certain frequency ranges. The extreme environments often seen by engineering systems provide high temperature, which is exactly where damping levels in structures reduce causing unacceptable vibrations. In addition, as loading frequencies reduce damping levels also fall off, and many loads experienced by large structures are low frequency. The proposed research addresses increasing the range of effectiveness of damping by addressing the temperature and frequency dependence of material damping by using a multifunctional composite system containing an active element. Previous research has yielded a finite element model of linear viscoelastic material and structural behavior that captures characteristic frequency-dependent behavior, continuing research has addressed the accommodation of temperature dependence, and the examination of the new concept of ‘electronic damping’ or ‘e-damping’. The resulting modeling approach is validated through experimental validation.

Optoelectronic materials for advanced IR sensing should combine wide strong electron coupling to the IR radiation, spectral tunability, adjustable dynamic range, manageable trade-off parameters, such as the noise characteristics and the operating time. Modern nanomaterials based on quantum dots and quantum wells provide wide possibilities to manage photoelectron processes via tuning the charge of quantum dots and quantum wells by the electric field and/or optical pumping. Variations in charge built in dots and wells change spectral characteristics, photocarrier lifetimes, and noise processes. These effects are especially strong in nanomaterials with strong selective doping of dots and wells. Manageable built-in charge provides wide possibilities to control the spectra, detector responsivity, and recombination processes.

Self-assembled nanoscale systems that are robust yet adaptive and prone to facile fabrication and reversible disassembly are of primary importance for creating multifunctional adaptive nanomaterials. We introduce the emergent field of robust noncovalent nanomaterials and, using this context, present our work on water-based noncovalent materials, including membranes that can be used for size-selective separations of nanoparticles and biomolecules. We will also describe emerging rational design principles for creating highly ordered functional nanoarrays assembled from well-defined molecular units, enabling a general approach to photonic nanomaterials. These findings advance a paradigm of noncovalent nanomaterials as a versatile and environmentally friendly alternative to covalent systems.

This paper reviews recent advances in emission and detection of terahertz radiation using two dimensional (2D) plasmons in semiconductor nano-heterostructures for nondestructive evaluations. The 2D plasmon resonance is introduced as the operation principle for broadband emission and detection of terahertz radiation. The device structure is based on a high-electron mobility transistor and incorporates the authors’ original asymmetrically interdigitated dual grating gates. Excellent terahertz emission and detection performances are experimentally demonstrated by using InAlAs/InGaAs/InP and/or InGaP/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructure material systems. Their applications to nondestructive material evaluation based on terahertz imaging are also presented.

To create carbon-based nanoscale integrated electronic, photonic, and spintronic circuit one must demonstrate the three functionalities in a single material, graphene quantum dots (GQDs), by engineering lateral size, shape, edges, number of layers and carrier density. We show theoretically that spatial confinement in GQDs opens an energy gap tunable from UV to THz, making GQDs equivalent to semiconductor nanoparticles. When connected to leads, GQDs act as single-electron transistors. The energy gap and absorption spectrum can be tuned from UV to THz by size and edge engineering and by external electric and magnetic fields. The sublattice engineering in, e.g., triangular graphene quantum dots (TGQDs) with zigzag edges generates a finite magnetic moment. The magnetic moment can be controlled by charging, electrical field, and photons. Addition of a single electron to the charge-neutral system destroys the ferromagnetic order, which can be restored by absorption of a photon. This allows for an efficient spin-photon conversion. These results show that graphene quantum dots have potential to fulfill the three functionalities: electronic, photonic, and spintronic, realized with different materials in current integrated circuits, as well as offer new functionalities unique to graphene.

Highly efficient, low emission power systems have extreme conditions of high temperature, high pressure, and corrosivity that require monitoring. Sensing in these harsh environments can provide key information that directly impacts process control and system reliability. To achieve the goals and demands of clean energy, the conditions under which fossil fuels are converted into heat and power are harsh compared to traditional combustion/steam cycles. Temperatures can extend as high as 1600 Celsius (°C) in certain systems and pressures can reach as high as 5000 pounds per square inch (psi)/340 atmospheres (atm). The lack of suitable measurement technology serves as a driver for the innovations in harsh environment sensor development. Two major considerations in the development of harsh environments sensors are the materials used for sensing and the design of the sensing device. This paper will highlight the U.S. Department of Energy’s, Office of Fossil Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Program in advanced sensing concepts that are aimed at addressing the technology needs and drivers through the development of new sensor materials and designs capable of withstanding harsh environment conditions. Recent developments with harsh environment sensors will be highlighted and future directions towards in advanced sensing will be introduced.

Focusing on environment and health aspects, the importance of monitoring and controlling dangerous gases and particulate matter increases. For this purpose we present a new version of silicon carbide based gas sensors with improved properties and suitable for high temperature and harsh environments such as power plants or car exhausts. Development of sulfur dioxide sensors for a power plant application is described as well as sensors for detection of ammonia in connection with the SCR process where urea is converted to ammonia, which reduces nitric oxide components in the exhausts. We also describe progress on nanoparticle detection, especially related to detection of the content of adsorbed particles through heating and detection of emitted molecules by a sensor array. Some results are also presented from impedance spectroscopy for detection of the concentration of nanoparticles but with the potential to reveal more details about the particles such as shape and kind of particles.

Miniaturized active structures for operation temperatures between 500 and 1000 °C are presented. They base on langasite single crystals (La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄) which exhibit piezoelectrically excited bulk acoustic waves up to at least 1000 °C. Those devices enable new high-temperature sensing approaches. Resonant microbalances are of particular interest since they correlate very small gas composition-dependent mass changes of thin films already deposited onto the resonators with the resonance frequency shift of such devices. Thereby, high-temperature processes as occurring in combustion systems can be monitored in-situ. Miniaturization of those sensor devices improves the sensitivity due to higher operation frequencies. Arrays consisting preferably of miniaturized devices increase the selectivity. Miniaturization of high-temperature devices requires even more stable materials due to the increased effect of e. g. diffusion processes. Further, the resonator design, the arrangement of electrodes and sensor films, the vibration profiles etc. must be reviewed critically in order to take account for their miniaturization. Beside the characterization of the electromechanical properties such as temperature dependent resonance frequency and loss, the specific vibration profiles of devices like membranes of different shape, cantilevers and tuning forks are determined. For this purpose a novel measurement system based on a laser Doppler vibrometer is used to characterize different types of resonant sensor devices in-situ at high temperatures and in different atmospheres. Mapping of the sample surfaces provides the spatial distribution of the mechanical displacement and, thereby, the vibration modes.

The paper presents a novel concept for the realization of optochemical sensor systems which are capable of operating in harsh environments. Key components in such sensors are nanostructures formed from gallium nitride (GaN) and its alloys with aluminum (Al) and indium (In). Nanostructures of this kind emit an efficient, visible-light photoluminescence (PL) which can be excited with low-cost ultraviolet light sources and which extends up to temperatures in the order of 200°C. When exposed to various chemical environments, changes in the PL intensity occur which constitute valuable sensor signals. Due to the all-optical approach, the PL can be excited and its chemically induced changes be read out without requiring electrical wiring at the point of measurement. The present paper presents this innovative sensor concept, the nanostructures and optochemical transducer structures that form its material base, as well as several applications of such transducers in the fields of gas and fluid sensing. The applications addressed here range from the sensing of ppb concentrations of H₂, NO₂ and O₃ in gaseous environments to the pH monitoring in aqueous solutions.

We present performance results of SnO₂ and CuO nanowire gas sensor devices, where single and multi-nanowire device configurations have been employed in order to optimize sensor design. In particular the response to the target gases CO, H₂, and H₂S has been measured in dry and humid air; both the SnO₂ and CuO nanowire sensors are able to detect CO in the low ppm concentration range, which is important for environmental monitoring. The CuO multi-nanowire devices show an extraordinary high response to H₂S with sensitivity in the low ppb concentration. We present our developments of CMOS technology based micro-hotplates, which are employed as platform for gas sensitive thin films and nanowires. Potential heterogeneous integration of nanowires on the micro-hotplate chips as well as an approach towards gas sensor arrays is discussed. We conclude that CMOS integrated multi-nanowire gas sensors are highly promising candidates for the practical realization of multi-parameter sensor devices for indoor and outdoor environmental monitoring.

We present progress on fabricating silicon nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) using tip based nanofabrication (TBN). A heated atomic force microscope (AFM) probe deposits molten polymer on the substrate to form nanopatterned polymer masks, which are transferred to silicon by etching. In our first approach, the polymer nanopatterns were deposited onto a 25 nm thick aluminum film on a single crystal silicon substrate. A wet aluminum etch transferred the polymer features into aluminum feature, which served as a mask for subsequent Bosch silicon etching. This approach produced an array of vertical silicon nanowires with diameters as small as 200 nm and heights of 5 μm. Various other structures such as rings and curved fin arrays were also demonstrated. In our second approach, we employed metalassisted chemical etching (MacEtch) to transfer the polymer nanopatterns into silicon. This approach is capable of producing high aspect ratio silicon nanowires. Here, we deposited the polymer nanopatterns from a heated AFM tip and transferred the nanopatterns to a 35 nm thick gold film. In the next step, we used MacEtch to etch the silicon region that directly contacts the gold. Using this approach, we fabricated vertical silicon nanowires of height 18 μm and diameter 500 nm, achieving an aspect ratio of 36. The MacEtch process produced silicon nanostructures with smoother sidewalls compared with silicon nanostructures produced by Bosch etching.

While there are many theories and studies concerning the end of the Cold War, circa 1990, I postulate that one of the contributors to the result was the development of adaptive optics. The emergence of directed energy weapons, specifically space-based and ground-based high energy lasers made practicable with adaptive optics, showed that a successful defense against inter-continental ballistic missiles was not only possible, but achievable in a reasonable period of time.

Optical interferometry is a cost-effective means to extend the resolving power of astronomical instruments. Typically, the light from separate small and movable telescopes is brought through vacuum pipes to a central beam combiner. We are developing a new generation of AO systems to enhance the performance of interferometers in which the vacuum lines are replaced with optical fibers. The AO, included on each of the telescopes, concentrates light on the fiber inputs to achieve the greatest optical throughput. We describe the design approach to the AO systems, how their requirements differ from those of a traditional system, and how the addition of AO enables further enhancements to the design of optical interferometers.

Adaptive optics (AO) technology has enabled dramatic improvement in imaging performance for fields spanning astronomy, defense, microscopy, and retinal imaging. A critical component within the AO systems is the deformable mirror (DM) that implements the actual wavefront correction. This paper introduces the Iris AO segmented MEMS DM technology with an overview of the fabrication process and a description of the DM operation. The paper demonstrates correction capabilities of 111 and 489 actuator DMs and describes recent effort for scaling to 1000-actuator class DMs. Finally, the paper presents laser testing results of dielectric coated DMs and describes the development path for MEMS DMs capable of 2.8 kW/cm² average laser power.

An active reflective component can change its focal length by physically deforming its reflecting surface. Such elements exist at small apertures, but have yet to be fully realized at larger apertures. This paper presents the design and initial results of a large-aperture active mirror constructed of a composite material called carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The active CFRP mirror uses a novel actuation method to change radius of curvature, where actuators press against two annular rings placed on the mirror’s back. This method enables the radius of curvature to increase from 2000mm to 2010mm. Closed-loop control maintains good optical performance of 1.05 waves peak-to-valley (with respect to a HeNe laser) when the active CFRP mirror is used in conjunction with a commercial deformable mirror.

GaAs is an attractive material for thin-film photovoltaic applications, but is not widely used for terrestrial power generation due to the high cost of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques typically used for growth. Close space vapor transport is an alternative that allows for rapid growth rates of III-V materials, and does not rely on the toxic and pyrophoric precursors used in MOCVD. We characterize CSVT films of GaAs using photoelectrochemical current-voltage and quantum efficiency measurements. Hole diffusion lengths which exceed 1.5 μm are extracted from internal quantum efficiency measurements using the Gärtner model. Device physics simulations suggest that solar cells based on these films could reach efficiencies exceeding 24%. To reach this goal, a more complete understanding of the electrical properties and characterization of defects will be necessary, including measurements on complete solid-state devices. Doping of films is achieved by using source material containing the desired impurity (e.g., Te or Zn). We discuss strategies for growing III-V materials on inexpensive substrates that are not lattice-matched to GaAs.

In this work, we present next-generation solar cells based on GaAs 3-D nanostructures compared to conventional 2-D approaches as a path to low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaics. Arrays of GaAs nanopillars are capable of waveguiding light into the absorbing semiconductor, reaching broadband absorption values close to unity, with only a fraction of material utilized in planar solar cells. Furthermore, GaAs is a direct-bandgap compound semiconductor thus requiring only ~ 1μm of material to absorb most of the above-bandgap photons. In-situ surface passivation to limit non-radiative recombination and optical management are both exploited in the practical devices presented. Optical focusing phenomena arising from the dome-shaped morphology of the top transparent contact are discussed and modeled through finite-difference time-domain numerical simulations. Comparisons are made in terms of photocurrent density-voltage (JV) characteristics (1sun, AM 1.5 conditions) and external quantum efficiency.

The goal of this study was to develop an innovative approach to image gene expression in intact 3D tissues. Imaging gene expression of individual cells in 3D tissues is expected to have a significant impact on both clinical diagnostic applications and fundamental biological science and engineering applications in a laboratory setting. To achieve this goal, we have developed an integrated approach that combines: 1) microneedle-based minimally invasive intra-tissue delivery of oligonucleotide probes and Streptolysin O (SLO) or CPP; 2) SLO as a pore forming permeation enhancer to enable intracellular delivery of oligonucleotide probes and CPP peptides can also transport conjugated cargo in cells; and 3) fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) pair of ON probes to improve specificity and sensitivity of RNA detection in tissue models. The results of this study demonstrate uniform coating and rapid release of ON probes from microneedles in a tissue environment. Microneedle assisted delivery of ON probes in 3D tissue does not result in cell damage and the ON probes are uniformly delivered in the tissue. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of FRET imaging of ON probes in 3D tissue and highlight the potential for imaging 28-s rRNA in individual living cells.

Research and development of radiation resistant semiconductor devices have been performed at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for their application to electronic system used in harsh environments like space, accelerator and nuclear facilities. Such devices are also indispensable for robots and equipment necessary for decommissioning of the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants. For this purpose, we have fabricated transistors based on a wide band-gap semiconductor SiC and examined their radiation degradation. As a result, SiC-based transistors exhibited no significant degradation up to 1MGy, indicating their excellent radiation resistance. Recent our R&Ds of radiation resistant devices based on SiC are summarized and reviewed.

Two types of space solar cells, silicon single-junction and InGaP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction (3J) solar cells, have been primarily adopted for spacecraft. The conversion efficiencies of the solar cells under AM0, 1 sun condition are ~17% for silicon and ~30% for 3J cells. Radiation degradation occurs in space due to high-energy electrons and protons existing in space environment. The degradation is caused by radiation induced crystal defects which act as minority-carrier recombination centers and majority-carrier trap centers. The 3J cells are superior radiation resistant to the silicon cells, and this is mainly because the InGaP top-subcell has property of very high radiation resistance.

Ion beam of the MeV energy range focused in the nuclear microprobe facility has been used to induce localized regions with elevated defect concentrations in silicon and diamond detectors. Another ion microbeam technique - IBIC (ion beam induced charge), that employs single ions as a probe for the measurement of charge transport properties, was used to compare effects that different irradiation conditions (ion species, ion energy, fluence and rate) have on both materials. As it is explained in this work, simultaneous irradiation and IBIC probing can be used to study different properties of irradiated detectors, including those relevant to evolution of radiation defects. Results of comparison show that, for the exposure by MeV energy ions, diamond cannot be considered as more radiation tolerant than silicon. However, increased defect concentration in highly irradiated diamond, does not exclude possibility of using it as a thin (several micrometers) transmission detector for heavy ions of the MeV energy range. In such a case, even significantly reduced charge carrier drift lengths in highly irradiated detectors will not affect their main triggering purpose. One such example that is described here is a membrane diamond detector that acts both as a trigger and as a vacuum window for single heavy ion irradiation in air.

Development of semiconductor devices not only for harsh radiation environments such as space but also for ground-based applications now faces a major hurdle of radiation problems. Necessary is protecting chips from malfunctions due to sub-nanosecond transient noises induced by radiation. As a protection technique using the silicon-on-insulator structure is often suggested, but the use in fact requires devices and circuits carefully optimized for maximizing its benefits. Mainly describing theoretical and experimental characterization of the transient effects, this paper presents a comprehensive study on radiation responses of commercial silicon-on- insulator technologies, which study results in a space-use low-power system-on-chip with a 100-MIPS RISC-based core.

This work presents an approach to predict the error rates due to Single Event Upsets (SEU) occurring in programmable circuits as a consequence of the impact or energetic particles present in the environment the circuits operate. For a chosen application, the error-rate is predicted by combining the results obtained from radiation ground testing and the results of fault injection campaigns performed off-beam during which huge numbers of SEUs are injected during the execution of the studied application. The goal of this strategy is to obtain accurate results about different applications’ error rates, without using particle accelerator facilities, thus significantly reducing the cost of the sensitivity evaluation. As a case study, this methodology was applied a complex processor, the Power PC 7448 executing a program issued from a real space application and a crypto-processor application implemented in an SRAM-based FPGA and accepted to be embedded in the payload of a scientific satellite of NASA. The accuracy of predicted error rates was confirmed by comparing, for the same circuit and application, predictions with measures issued from radiation ground testing performed at the cyclotron Cyclone cyclotron of HIF (Heavy Ion Facility) of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

The ion beam induced charge (IBIC) technique is a valuable technique to study the degradation of the charge collection efficiency (CCE) induced by radiation damage in semiconductor devices. It offers the advantage of providing a wide range of damage levels generated by ions with different masses and energies in different regions of the same sample, and of using the same or different ions to probe the CCE degradation. This paper describes an experimental protocol based on IBIC and the relevant interpretative model, which includes the displacement damage dose approach as a special case and provides a general method to evaluate the effective radiation hardness of a material.

The study of terrestrial locomotion has compelling applications ranging from design of legged robots to development of novel prosthetic devices. From a first-principles perspective, the dynamics of legged locomotion seem overwhelmingly complex as nonlinear rigid body dynamics couple to a granular substrate through viscoelastic limbs. However, a surfeit of empirical data demonstrates that animals use a small fraction of their available degrees-of-freedom during locomotion on regular terrain, suggesting that a reduced-order model can accurately describe the dynamical variation observed during steady-state locomotion. Exploiting this emergent phenomena has the potential to dramatically simplify design and control of micro-scale legged robots. We propose a paradigm for studying dynamic terrestrial locomotion using empirically-validated reduced{order models.

Miniature autonomous systems are being developed under ARL's Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST). These systems can only be fitted with a small-size processor, and their motion behavior is inherently uncertain due to manufacturing and platform-ground interactions. One way to capture this uncertainty is through a stochastic model. This paper deals with stochastic motion control design and implementation for MAST- specific eight-legged miniature crawling robots, which have been kinematically modeled as systems exhibiting the behavior of a Dubin's car with stochastic noise. The control design takes the form of stochastic receding horizon control, and is implemented on a Gumstix Overo Fire COM with 720 MHz processor and 512 MB RAM, weighing 5.5 g. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this control law for miniature autonomous systems perturbed by stochastic noise.

Monitoring wide-field surrounding information is essential for vision-based autonomous navigation in micro-air-vehicles (MAV). Our image-cube (iCube) module, which consists of multiple sensors that are facing different angles in 3-D space, can be applied to the wide-field of view optic flows estimation (μ-Compound eyes) and to attitude control (μ- Ocelli) in the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) platforms. In this paper, we report an analog/digital (A/D) mixed-mode optic-flow sensor, which generates both optic flows and normal images in different modes for μ- Compound eyes and μ-Ocelli applications. The sensor employs a time-stamp based optic flow algorithm which is modified from the conventional EMD (Elementary Motion Detector) algorithm to give an optimum partitioning of hardware blocks in analog and digital domains as well as adequate allocation of pixel-level, column-parallel, and chip-level signal processing. Temporal filtering, which may require huge hardware resources if implemented in digital domain, is remained in a pixel-level analog processing unit. The rest of the blocks, including feature detection and timestamp latching, are implemented using digital circuits in a column-parallel processing unit. Finally, time-stamp information is decoded into velocity from look-up tables, multiplications, and simple subtraction circuits in a chip-level processing unit, thus significantly reducing core digital processing power consumption. In the normal image mode, the sensor generates 8-b digital images using single slope ADCs in the column unit. In the optic flow mode, the sensor estimates 8-b 1-D optic flows from the integrated mixed-mode algorithm core and 2-D optic flows with an external timestamp processing, respectively.

Visual sensing is an attractive method to allow small, palm-sized flying vehicles to navigate complex environments without collisions. Visual processing for unmanned vehicles, however, is typically computationally intense. Insects are able to extract structural information about the environment by appropriate control of self-motion and efficient processing of the visual field. This paper presents a methodology that attempts to capture the insect’s ability to do this by constructing a nonlinear observer with provable stability via a Lyapunov analysis. Furthermore, the persistency of excitation condition for the observer illustrates the need for a zig-zagging flight style exhibited by certain insects.

Miniature robots present a number of challenging problems in controls, as they often exhibit nonlinear dynamics and have strict power and size constraints. These constraints limit the sensing and processing capabilities drastically. Many control techniques require knowledge of the robot’s position, so the position must be estimated when it cannot be sensed directly. We report a mixed signal odometry circuit that maps motor commands to estimated and predicted changes in position in Euclidean space (x, y, θ). We compare the mixed-signal implementation with other approaches and find that the mixed-signal implementation offers significant reductions in power consumption at an acceptable loss of precision.

Skin-mounted epidermal electronics, a strategy for bio-integrated electronics, provide an avenue to non-invasive monitoring of clinically relevant physiological signals for healthcare applications. Current conventional systems consist of single-point sensors fastened to the skin with adhesives, and sometimes with conducting gels, which limits their use outside of clinical settings due to loss of adhesion and irritation to the user. In order to facilitate extended use of skin-mounted healthcare sensors without disrupting everyday life, we envision electronic monitoring systems that integrate seamlessly with the skin below the notice of the user. This manuscript reviews recent significant results towards our goal of wearable electronic sensor systems for long-term monitoring of physiological signals. Ultra-thin epidermal electronic systems (EES) are demonstrated for extended use on the skin, in a conformal manner, including during everyday bathing and sleeping activities. We describe the assessment of clinically relevant physiological parameters, such as electrocardiograms (ECG), electromyograms (EMG), electroencephalograms (EEG), temperature, mechanical strain and thermal conductivity, using examples of multifunctional EES devices. Additionally, we demonstrate capability for real life application of EES by monitoring the system functionality, which has no discernible change, during cyclic fatigue testing.

We report solution-based processing of high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotube networks that has led to low-cost fabrication of large quantity of thin-film transistors (TFTs) with excellent yield and highly uniform, respectable performance on mechanically flexible substrates. Based on the semiconducting carbon nanotube TFTs, a wide range of macro-scale system-level electronics have been demonstrated including flexible integrated circuits, flexible full-color active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display, and smart interactive skin sensor that can simultaneously map and respond to the outside stimulus. Our work shows carbon nanotubes’ immense promise as a low-cost and scalable TFT technology for nonconventional electronic systems with excellent performances.

Today’s information age is driven by silicon based electronics. For nearly four decades semiconductor industry has perfected the fabrication process of continuingly scaled transistor – heart of modern day electronics. In future, silicon industry will be more pervasive, whose application will range from ultra-mobile computation to bio-integrated medical electronics. Emergence of flexible electronics opens up interesting opportunities to expand the horizon of electronics industry. However, silicon – industry’s darling material is rigid and brittle. Therefore, we report a generic batch fabrication process to convert nearly any silicon electronics into a flexible one without compromising its (i) performance; (ii) ultra-large-scale-integration complexity to integrate billions of transistors within small areas; (iii) state-of-the-art process compatibility, (iv) advanced materials used in modern semiconductor technology; (v) the most widely used and well-studied low-cost substrate mono-crystalline bulk silicon (100). In our process, we make trenches using anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE) in the inactive areas (in between the devices) of a silicon substrate (after the devices have been fabricated following the regular CMOS process), followed by a dielectric based spacer formation to protect the sidewall of the trench and then performing an isotropic etch to create caves in silicon. When these caves meet with each other the top portion of the silicon with the devices is ready to be peeled off from the bottom silicon substrate. Release process does not need to use any external support. Released silicon fabric (25 m thick) is mechanically flexible (5 mm bending radius) and the trenches make it semi-transparent (transparency of 7%).

Single walled carbon nanotubes have garnered substantial interest in the electronic materials research community due to their unparalleled intrinsic electrical properties. In addition, their mechanical robustness and thin geometries make SWNTs ideal candidates for transparent electronics. Aligned arrays of SWNTs grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on quartz enable device uniformity and wafer scale integration with existing commercial semiconductor processing methods. A crucial roadblock in incorporation of SWNTs in commercial electronics has been the co-existence of metallic and semiconducting SWNTs. Demanding device metrics in high performance and complex integrated electrical devices, sensors, and other applications dictate the necessity of pristine, purely semiconducting arrays of SWNTs. By exploiting a novel process in nanoscale flow of thin film organic coatings, we have demonstrated a method to purify as-grown aligned arrays to produce such as result. Comparison with single nanotube statistics, characterization using a novel thermal scanning probe microscopy technique, as well as corroboration with thermal modeling validated the result. Thin film field effect transistors exhibiting mobilities exceeding ~1000cm²/Vs and on/off ratios exceeding 10,000 were fabricated using the purified semiconducting SWNTs. This manuscript reviews some of these results, which represent the first successful demonstration of purification of aligned arrays of SWNTs, in a robust and scalable scheme that allows integration of aligned arrays into complex, high performance electrical devices. We separately also describe new results on the advanced development of soft lithography techniques with the ability to transfer print aligned arrays of SWNTs onto transparent substrates after synthesis and processing, thereby completing a direct pathway to achieve complex, high performance, and highly integrated transparent SWNTs electronics, sensors, or other devices.

Graphene films grown by chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbon gases on metal surfaces have been integrated with single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films. Using simple thin film fabrication methods and the sequential deposition of these two components we obtained graphene/SWNT hybrid films with good structural quality. Obtained graphene/SWNT films possess opto-electrical properties better than that of pure graphene or SWNT films, making them promising for transparent conductive film (TCF) applications. The hybrid films have been tested as a transparent electrode in electrochromic (EC) devices to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) TCFs.

Radiation detection demands new scintillators with high quantum efficiency, high energy resolution, and short luminescence lifetimes. Herein, we report the enhancement in the photoluminescence and x-ray luminescence from CdTe quantum dots in LaPO₄:Ce/CdTe nanocomposites and their potential applications for radiation detection. The luminescence enhancement is attributed to energy transfer from LaPO₄:Ce to CdTe quantum dots in the nanocomposites. LaPO₄:Ce nanoparticles have a high stopping power for radiation but their emission is in the ultraviolet range that is reabsorbed in most polymer host materials. CdTe quantum dots have strong photoluminescence and size-tunable emissions but very weak scintillation emission due to their low stopping power. The combination of LaPO₄:Ce nanoparticles and CdTe quantum dots takes the advantages of both materials to make a promising nanocomposite scintillator for radiation detection.

While the production, transport and refining of oils from the oilsands of Alberta, and comparable resources elsewhere is performed at industrial scales, numerous technical and technological challenges and opportunities persist due to the ill defined nature of the resource. For example, bitumen and heavy oil comprise multiple bulk phases, self-organizing constituents at the microscale (liquid crystals) and the nano scale. There are no quantitative measures available at the molecular level. Non-intrusive telemetry is providing promising paths toward solutions, be they enabling technologies targeting process design, development or optimization, or more prosaic process control or process monitoring applications. Operation examples include automated large object and poor quality ore during mining, and monitoring the thickness and location of oil water interfacial zones within separation vessels. These applications involve real-time video image processing. X-ray transmission video imaging is used to enumerate organic phases present within a vessel, and to detect individual phase volumes, densities and elemental compositions. This is an enabling technology that provides phase equilibrium and phase composition data for production and refining process development, and fluid property myth debunking. A high-resolution two-dimensional acoustic mapping technique now at the proof of concept stage is expected to provide simultaneous fluid flow and fluid composition data within porous inorganic media. Again this is an enabling technology targeting visualization of diverse oil production process fundamentals at the pore scale. Far infrared spectroscopy coupled with detailed quantum mechanical calculations, may provide characteristic molecular motifs and intermolecular association data required for fluid characterization and process modeling. X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS/USAXS) provides characteristic supramolecular structure information that impacts fluid rheology and process fouling. The intent of this contribution is to present some of the challenges and to provide an introduction grounded in current work on non-intrusive telemetry applications - from a mine or reservoir to a refinery!

Energy and climate change represent significant factors in global security. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, while global in scope, are influenced by pore-scale phenomena in the subsurface. We are developing tools to visualize and investigate processes in pore network microfluidic structures that serve as representations of normally-opaque porous media. These structures enable, for example, visualization of water displacement from pore spaces by hydrophobic fluids, including carbon dioxide, in studies related to carbon sequestration. In situ fluorescent oxygen sensing methods and fluorescent cellulosic materials are being used to investigate processes related to terrestrial carbon cycling involving cellulolytic respiring microorganisms.

The impact of micro and nano technology on millimetre wave imaging from the post war years to the present day is reviewed. In the 1950s whisker contacted diodes in mixers and vacuum tubes were used to realise both radiometers and radars but required considerable skill to realise the performance needed. Development of planar semiconductor devices such as Gunn and Schottky diodes revolutionised mixer performance and provided considerable improvement. The next major breakthrough was high frequency transistors based on gallium arsenide which were initially used at intermediate frequencies but later after further development at millimeter wave frequencies. More recently Monolithic Microwave Integrated circuits(MMICs) offer exceptional performance and the opportunity for innovative design in passive imaging systems. In the future the use of micro and nano technology will continue to drive system performance and we can expect to see integration of antennae, millimetre wave and sub millimetre wave circuits and signal processing.

Airborne nanoparticles can cause severe harm when inhaled. Therefore, small and cheap portable airborne nanoparticle monitors are highly demanded by authorities and the nanoparticle producing industry. We propose to use nanomechanical resonators to build the next generation cheap and portable airborne nanoparticle sensors. Recently, nanomechanical mass spectrometry was established. One of the biggest challenges of nanomechanical sensors is the low efficiency of diffusion-based sampling. We developed an inertial-based sampling method that enables the efficient sampling of airborne nanoparticles on a nanomechanical sensor operating directly in air. We measured a sampling rate of over 1000 particles per second, for 28 nm silica nanoparticles with a concentration of 380000 #/cm³, collected on a 500 nm wide nanomechanical string resonator. We show that it is possible to reach a saturated sampling regime in which 100% of all nanoparticles are captured that are owing in the projection of the nanostring. We further show that it is possible to detect single airborne nanoparticles by detecting 50 nm Au particles with a 250 nm wide string resonator. Our resonators are currently operating in the first bending mode. Mass spectrometry of airborne nanoparticles requires the simultaneous operation in the first and second mode, which can be implemented in the transduction scheme of the resonator. The presented results lay the cornerstone for the realization of a portable airborne nanoparticle mass spectrometer.

Millimeter-wave (mmW)/sub-mmW/THz region of the electro-magnetic spectrum enables imaging thru clothing and other obscurants such as fog, clouds, smoke, sand, and dust. Therefore considerable interest exists in developing low cost millimeter-wave imaging (MMWI) systems. Previous MMWI systems have evolved from crude mechanically scanned, single element receiver systems into very complex multiple receiver camera systems. Initial systems required many expensive mmW integrated-circuit low-noise amplifiers. In order to reduce the cost and complexity of the existing systems, attempts have been made to develop new mmW imaging sensors employing direct detection arrays. In this paper, we report on Raytheon’s recent development of a unique focal plane array technology, which operates broadly from the mmW through the sub-mmW/THz region. Raytheon’s innovative nano-antenna based detector enables low cost production of 2D staring mmW focal plane arrays (mmW FPA), which not only have equivalent sensitivity and performance to existing MMWI systems, but require no mechanical scanning.

Current state-of-the-art pixel dimensions for both visible and long-wave infrared (LWIR) imagers are approaching the wavelength of measurement. It is expected that technological advances will continue and that sub-wavelength pixels for these wavebands will become a reality. In light of the diffraction limit, scientists and engineers in the visible and infrared domains have now begun pose the question as to whether it is worth having a focal plane array (FPA) with pixel dimensions smaller than the imaging wavelength. Meanwhile, in the terahertz domain, FPAs have already been fabricated and cameras designed around them with sub-wavelength pixels. INO has developed THz cameras with 160x120 pixels with pixel pitch of 52 μm and with 388 x 284 pixels with pixel pitch of 35 μm. The THz wavelength range is from 40 μm to 1000 μm and thus the focal plane array has pixel dimensions below that of the imaging wavelength. This paper discusses experimental results of diffraction limit investigation using sub-wavelength pixel THz cameras.

Detection of explosive residues using portable devices for locating landmine and terrorist weapons must sat- isfy the application criteria of high reproducibility, specificity, sensitivity and fast response time. Vibrational spectroscopies such as Raman and infrared spectroscopies have demonstrated their potential to distinguish the members of the chemical family of more than 30 explosive materials. The characteristic chemical fingerprints in the spectra of these explosives stem from the unique bond structure of each compound. However, these spectroscopies, developed in the early sixties, suffer from a poor sensitivity. On the contrary, MEMS-based chemical sensors have shown to have very high sensitivity lowering the detection limit down to less than 1 picogram, (namely 10 part per trillion) using sensor platforms based on microcantilevers, plasmonics, or surface acoustic waves. The minimum amount of molecules that can be detected depends actually on the transducer size. The selectivity in MEMS sensors is usually realized using chemical modification of the active surface. However, the lack of sufficiently selective receptors that can be immobilized on MEMS sensors remains one of the most critical issues. Microcantilever based sensors offer an excellent opportunity to combine both the infrared photothermal spectroscopy in their static mode and the unique mass sensitivity in their dynamic mode. Optical sensors based on localized plasmon resonance can also take up the challenge of addressing the selectivity by monitoring the Surface Enhanced Raman spectrum down to few molecules. The operating conditions of these promising localized spectroscopies will be discussed in terms of reliability, compactness, data analysis and potential for mass deployment.

With the availability of tunable broadband coherent sources that emit mid-infrared radiation with well-defined beam characteristics, spectroscopies that were traditionally not practical for standoff detection¹ or for development of miniaturized infrared detectors^{2, 3} have renewed interest. While obtaining compositional information for objects from a distance remains a major challenge in chemical and biological sensing, recently we demonstrated that capitalizing on mid-infrared excitation of target molecules by using quantum cascade lasers and invoking a pump probe scheme can provide spectral fingerprints of substances from a variable standoff distance.³ However, the standoff data is typically associated with random fluctuations that can corrupt the fine spectral features and useful data. To process the data from standoff experiments toward better recognition we consider and apply two types of denoising techniques, namely, spectral analysis and Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT). Using these techniques, infrared spectral data have been effectively improved. The result of the analysis illustrates that KLT can be adapted as a powerful data denoising tool for the presented pump-probe infrared standoff spectroscopy.

Change in the dominant electronic conduction mechanism of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films from the band transport to the hopping transport due to ion irradiation is investigated. The change is clarified by the experimental study of electric conductivity of a-Si:H irradiated with energetic protons. Dark electric conductivity (DC) and photoconductivity (PC) variations as a function of 100 keV proton fluence, and variations of temperature dependence of DC due to 100 keV proton irradiation are investigated in detail. As a result, the decrease in DC and PC due to reduction of the band transport is observed at the fluence of less than 10¹⁴ cm^-2, and the drastic increase in DC and the loss of photoconduction due to enhancement of the hopping transport are observed in the high fluence regime. However, the hopping transport induced by proton irradiation easily disappears at above 300 K and after that, the band transport dominates the electric conduction again. The conductivity based on the band transport after irradiation is not completely restored even after thermal annealing, indicating that thermally stable dangling bonds remain. It is concluded that these electronic transport changes originated from ion irradiation and thermal annealing are caused by the increase or decrease in dangling bond density (localized density of states).

The effects of X-ray and gamma irradiation on the optical properties of CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) immobilized in a functionalized porous silicon film have been investigated via continuous wave and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Carrier lifetimes of the QDs and photoluminescence intensities decrease with increasing exposure dose from 500 krad(SiO₂) to 16 Mrad(SiO₂).

A concept of a family of unique backward-wave photonic devices, such as frequency up and down converting nonlinear-optical mirrors, sensors, modulators, filters and amplifiers is proposed. Novel materials are considered, which support coexistence of ordinary and backward waves and thus enable enhanced nonlinear-optical frequency conversion processes. Particular properties of short-pulse regime are investigated.

Radiation hardness of 6H silicon carbide (SiC) p⁺n diode particle detectors has been studied. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) of the detectors decreases with the increased fluence of electrons with energies of 0.2 MeV and higher. Defect X₂ with an activation energy of 0.5 eV was found in all detectors which showed the decreased CCE. The decreased CCE was restored to the initial value by thermal annealing of defect X₂. It is concluded that defect X₂ is responsible for the decreased CCE of 6H-SiC p⁺n diode particle detectors.

We present a novel subwavelength nanostructure architecture that may be utilized for optical standoff sensing applications. The subwavelength structures are fabricated via a combination of nanoimprint lithography and metal sputtering to create metallic nanostructured films encased within a transparent media. The structures are based on the open ring resonator (ORR) architecture which has a characteristic resonance frequency. Any perturbation of the nanostructured films due to chemical or environmental effects can shift the resonant frequency and provide an indication of the external stimulus. This shift in resonance can be interrogated remotely either actively using either laser illumination or passively using hyperspectral or multispectral sensing. These structures may be designed to be either anisotropic or isotropic, which can also provide polarization-sensitive interrogation. Due to the nanometer scale of the structures, they can be tailored to be optically responsive in the visible or near infrared spectrum with a highly reflective resonant peak that is dependent solely on structural dimensions and material characteristics. We present experimental measurements of the optical response of these structures as a function of wavelength, polarization, and incident angle demonstrating the resonant effect in the near infrared region. Numerical modeling data showing the effect of different fabrication parameters such as structure parameters are also discussed.

The ability to integrate complete assays on a microfluidic chip helps to greatly simplify instrument requirements and allows the use of lab-on-a-chip technology in the field. A core application for such field-portable systems is the detection of pathogens in a CBRNE scenario such as permanent monitoring of airborne pathogens, e.g. in metro stations or hospitals etc. As one assay methodology for the pathogen identification, enzymatic assays were chosen. In order evaluate different detection strategies, the realized on-chip enzyme assay module has been designed as a general platform chip. In all application cases, the assays are based on immobilized probes located in microfluidic channels. Therefore a microfluidic chip was realized containing a set of three individually addressable channels, not only for detection of the sample itself also to have a set of references for a quantitative analysis. It furthermore includes two turning valves and a waste container for clear and sealed storage of potential pathogenic liquids to avoid contamination of the environment. All liquids remain in the chip and can be disposed of in proper way subsequently to the analysis. The chip design includes four inlet ports consisting of one sample port (Luer interface) and three mini Luer interfaces for fluidic support of e.g. washing buffer, substrate and enzyme solution. The sample can be applied via a special, sealable sampling vessel with integrated female Luer interface. Thereby also pre-anaytical contamination of the environment can be provided. Other reagents that are required for analysis will be stored off chip.

Optically based radiation detectors in various fields of science still suffer from low resolution, sensitivity and efficiency that restrict their overall performance. Quantum dots (QD) are well-suited for such detectors due to their unique optical properties. CdTe QDs show fast luminescence decay times, high conversion efficiencies, and have band gaps strongly dependent on the particle radius. Since QD particle sizes are well below the wavelengths of their emissions, they remain optically transparent when incorporated in both polymer and sol-gel based silica glass due to negligible optical scattering. In addition, as these composite materials can greatly improve the mechanical robustness of alpha-particle detectors, conventionally known to have delicate components, CdTe QDs show high promise for radiation sensing applications. These properties are especially advantageous for alpha-particle and potentially neutron detection. In this work, CdTe QD-based glass or polymer matrix nanocomposites were synthesized for use as alpha-particle detection scintillators.. The fast photo-response and decay times provide excellent time resolution. The radiation responses of such nanocomposites in polymer or glass matrices were investigated.

In this work, PbS Colloidal Quantum Dots (CQD) based photodiodes are realized on both silicon substrates and on the replicas of the ROICs in order to demonstrate fully integrated FPAs. Careful optimization of PbS CQD film formation and ligand exchange process, together with optimization of IC integrable process steps resulted in high performance, monolithically integrable photodiodes. High quantum efficiencies such as 32% is achieved for photodiodes on Si substrates and high responsivities up to 5,73 A/W is achieved for photodiodes on ROIC replicas. Also these detectors achieved very high normalized detectivities such as; 1.36 x 10¹¹ Jones and 1.42 x 10¹² Jones under 1V and 2V reverse bias respectively, which is close to conventional InGaAS SWIR detectors.