Danish nanowires have great potential
November 2, 2009
A nanowire made of the two semiconductors gallium indium arsenide (GaInAs) and indium arsenide (InAs) with gold (Au) as a catalyst. To the right a schematic illustration of the new cultivation method, where the semiconductor materials can move both from the top of the gold droplet and from the underside.
Danish nanophysicists have developed a new method for manufacturing the cornerstone of nanotechnology research - nanowires. The discovery has great potential for the development of nanoelectronics and highly efficient solar cells.
It is PhD student Peter Krogstrup, Nano-Science Center, the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, who developed the method during his dissertation.
"We have changed the recipe for producing nanowires. This means that we can produce nanowires that contain two different semiconductors, namely gallium indium arsenide and indium arsenide. It is a big breakthrough, because for first time on a nanoscale, we can combine the good characteristics of the two materials, thus gaining new possibilities for the electronics of the future," explains Peter Krogstrup.
We can capture more of the sun’s light
Today only approximately 1 % of the world’s electricity comes from solar energy. This is because it is difficult to convert solar energy into electricity. It is a great advantage for the researchers to be able to combine different semiconductors in the same nanowire.
"Different materials capture energy from the sun in different and quite specific absorption areas. When we manufacture nanowires of gallium indium arsenide and indium arsenide, which each have their own absorption area, they can collectively capture energy from a much wider area. We can therefore utilize more solar energy, if we produce nanowires from the two superconductors and use them for solar cells," explains Peter Krogstrup
The nanowires of gallium indium arsenide and indium arsenide also have great potential in nanoelectronics. They can, for example, be used in the new OLED displays and LEDs. But it requires sharp transitions between the two materials in the nanowire.
No soft transitions
The cultivation of nanowires takes place in a vacuum chamber. The researchers lay a gold droplet on a thin disc comprising of the semiconductor and the nanowire grows up from below. In the transition between the two semiconductor materials in the gold droplet there was previously a mixing between the materials in the gold droplet and there was a soft transition between the materials. With the new method both of the materials can go from the top of the gold droplet or from the underside of the gold droplet. When the material comes from the underside, there is no mixing of the semiconductor materials. There is therefore a sharp transition on the atomic level between the gallium indium arsenide and indium arsenide.
"This sharp transition between the two semiconductors is necessary for the current - in the form of electrons, to be able to travel with high efficiency between the two materials. If the transition is soft, the electrons can easily get caught in the border area. The new mixed nanowire can be beneficial for many areas of nano research around the world," says Peter Krogstrup, who has been working at the Danish III-V Nanolab, operated in collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark.
The nanophysicists’ discovery has just been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nano Letters.
More information: Junctions in Axial III−V Heterostructure Nanowires Obtained via an Interchange of Group III Elements, Nano Letters, http://pubs.acs.or … 21/nl901348d
Provided by University of Copenhagen
-
GaAs self-assembled nanowires could make chips smaller and faster
Apr 20, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Sharp Develops Solar Cell with World's Highest Conversion Efficiency of 35.8%
Oct 22, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Findings suggest nanowires ideal for electronics manufacturing
Nov 13, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Integration of semiconductor and superconductor electronics on the nanoscale
Jul 08, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
NREL Solar Cell Sets World Efficiency Record at 40.8 Percent
Aug 13, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
gas leaks in space
3 hours ago
-
Weight required to balance a boom stand?
5 hours ago
-
Questions about Equivalence principle & Einstein Elevator?
6 hours ago
-
Kinetic energy of gas
8 hours ago
-
Understanding induced emfs
10 hours ago
-
What is the precise definition of a year?
11 hours ago
- More from Physics Forums - General Physics
More news stories
New kind of solar cell could capture significantly more energy than current cells
New solar cells could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25%, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge.
Feb 08, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (12) |
14
|
Nanoshell whispering galleries improve thin solar panels
Visitors to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building may have experienced a curious acoustic feature that allows a person to whisper softly at one side of the cavernous, half-domed room and for another on ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 07, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
6
|
'Dark plasmons' transmit energy
Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.
Feb 09, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
1
|
Revealing how a battery material works
Since its discovery 15 years ago, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) has become one of the most promising materials for rechargeable batteries because of its stability, durability, safety and ability to deliver ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 08, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Nanotube therapy takes aim at breast cancer stem cells
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers have again proven that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...
Latin America mining boom clashes with conservation
Latin America is experiencing a mining boom as prices rise fuelled by a hike in global demand, but the region is also being hit by a wave of violent protests, strikes and rallies by environmentalists.
Love a click away in Indonesia's Twitter Republic
He was a geeky kid from Yogyakarta, she a glamorous city girl in Jakarta. In a country with one of the world's most vibrant social networking scenes they fell in love on Twitter.
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.