Search
Menu
PI Physik Instrumente - Revolution In Photonics Align LW LB 3/24

Nanodevice Emits Light

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
ITHACA, N.Y., Oct. 12, 2007 -- Nanotechnologists have discovered some of the fundamental physics of a material that holds promise for producing light-emitting, flexible semiconductors.

The discovery by an interdisciplinary team of Cornell nanotechnology researchers involved years of perfecting a technique for building a specific type of light-emitting device.

The interdisciplinary team had long studied the molecular semiconductor ruthenium tris-bipyridine. For many reasons, including its ability to allow electrons and holes (spaces where electrons were before they moved) to pass through it easily, the material has the potential to be used for flexible light-emitting devices. Sensing, microscopy and flat-panel displays are among its possible applications.
nanodevice.jpg
Top view of the ruthenium tris-bipyridine light-emitting device created by Cornell University researchers. The ruthenium metal complex is represented by red spheres, and counter ions are represented by green spheres. The material is sandwiched between two gold electrodes. Also visible is the probe of the electron force microscope used to measure the electric field of the device. (Image courtesy Cornell University)
The researchers set out to understand the fundamental physics of the material -- that is, what happens when it encounters an electric field, both at the interfaces and inside the film. By fabricating a device out of the ruthenium metal complex that was spin-coated onto an insulating substrate with prepatterned gold electrodes, the scientists were able to use electron force microscopy to measure directly the electric field of the device.

A long-standing question, according to George G. Malliaras, associate professor of materials science and engineering, director of the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility and one of the co-principal investigators, was whether an electric field, when applied to the material, is concentrated at the interfaces or in the bulk of the film.

Rocky Mountain Instruments - Custom Assemblies MR

The researchers discovered that it was at the interfaces -- two gold metal electrodes sandwiching the ruthenium complex film -- which was a huge step forward in knowing how to build and engineer future devices.

"So when you apply the electric field, ions in the material move about, and that creates the electric fields at the interfaces," Malliaras said.

Essential to the effort was the ability to pattern the ruthenium complex using photolithography, a technique not normally used with such materials and one that took the researchers more than three years to perfect, using the knowledge of experts in nanofabrication, materials and chemistry.

The patterning worked by laying down a gold electrode and a polymer called parylene. By depositing the ruthenium complex on top of the parylene layer and filling in an etched gap between the gold electrodes, the researchers were then able to peel the parylene material off mechanically, leaving a perfect device.

Ruthenium tris-bipyridine has energy levels well suited for efficient light emission of about 600 nanometers, said Héctor D. Abruña, the E.M. Chamot Professor of Chemistry and a principal co-investigator. The material, which has interested scientists for many years, is ideal for its stability in multiple states of oxidation, which, in turn, allows it to serve as a good electron and hole transporter. This means that a single-layer device can be made, simplifying the manufacturing process.

"It's not fabulous, but it has a reasonable emission efficiency," Abruña said. "One of the drawbacks is it has certain instabilities, but we have managed to mitigate most of them."

The research was reported in the Sept. 30 online publication of the journal Nature Materials. Among the other authors were co-principal investigators Harold G. Craighead, the C.W. Lake Jr. Professor of Engineering, and John A. Marohn, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology.

For more information, visit: www.cornell.edu

Published: October 2007
Glossary
light
Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications light can be considered to cover the nonvisible portion of the spectrum which includes the ultraviolet and the infrared.
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
nanotechnology
The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and devices. The goal of this technology is to manipulate atomic and molecular particles to create devices that are thousands of times smaller and faster than those of the current microtechnologies.
photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). It is a photomechanical process used to transfer geometric patterns from a photomask or reticle to a photosensitive chemical photoresist on a substrate, typically a silicon wafer. The basic steps of photolithography include: Cleaning the substrate: The substrate, often a silicon wafer, is cleaned to remove any contaminants from its surface. ...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
Basic ScienceBiophotonicsConsumerCornellelectrodeselectron force microscopeflat-panel displaysGeorge G. Malliarasindustriallightlight-emitting deviceMicroscopynanonanofabricationnanotechnologyNews & Featuresphotolithographyphotonicsruthenium complex filmruthenium metal complexruthenium tris-bipyridinesemiconductorssensing

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.