Semiconductor Nanoparticles
for Quantum Devices
El.B.A.
Foundation, Rome (Italy) and
Institute of Biophysics,
University of Genoa (Italy)
This is an abstract
for a poster to be presented at the
Fifth
Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology.
The
full paper is available here.
Semiconductor nanoparticles were produced by exposing fatty
acid salt Langmuir-Blodgett films to the atmosphere of H2S
[1]. Particles of different materials, such as CdS, PbS, MgS etc.
were formed and studied by various experimental techniques.
Single electron conductivity was observed in structures, based on
these particles [2]. It was also shown the possibility to form
thin polycrystalline semiconductor layers, performing
self-aggregation of these particles by selective removal of fatty
acid molecules in organic solvents [3]. In the present work the
approach was developed for making superlattices. Initially, the
particle size distribution function was calculated from the
small-angle X-ray scattering in solution using the new
synchrotron radiation facility at Trieste (Italy). Alternating LB
films of fatty acid salts with different metals were deposited,
varying their thickness, followed by the reaction and selective
removal of the fatty acid matrix. Structure of the film was then
investigated with X-ray diffraction and STM microscopy. The
measurements revealed that the approach allows to form
semiconductor superlattices with sharp boundaries between
adjacent layers. Work is in progress towards the implementation
of quantum devices based on the above nanoparticles.
References
[1] E.S. Smotkin, C. Lee, A.J. Bard, A. Campion, M.A. Fox, T.E.
Mallouk, S.I. Webber, and J.M. White. Chem. Phys. Lett., 152,
265-270 (1988).
[2] P. Facci, V. Erokhin, S. Carrara, and C. Nicolini. Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 10556-10559 (1996)
[3] P. Facci, V. Erokhin, A. Tronin, and C. Nicolini. J. Phys
Chem. 98, 13323-13327 (1994).
*Corresponding Address:
Claudio Nicolini, Fondazione EL.B.A., Via Medaglie d'Oro 305 -
00136 Rome, Italy, ph: +39 6 35410728, fax: +39 6 35451637,
email: [email protected]
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