Controlled generation of luminescent centers in hexagonal boron nitride by irradiation engineering.

Luminescent centers in the two-dimensional material hexagonal boron nitride have the potential to enable quantum applications at room temperature. To be used for applications, it is crucial to generate these centers in a controlled manner and to identify their microscopic nature. Here, we present a method inspired by irradiation engineering with oxygen atoms. We systematically explore the influence of the kinetic energy and the irradiation fluence on the generation of luminescent centers. We find modifications of their density for both parameters, while a fivefold enhancement is observed with increasing fluence. Molecular dynamics simulations clarify the generation mechanism of these centers and their microscopic nature. We infer that VNCB and [Formula: see text] are the most likely centers formed. Ab initio calculations of their optical properties show excellent agreement with our experiments. Our methodology generates quantum emitters in a controlled manner and provides insights into their microscopic nature.

Real-time oxide evolution of copper protected by graphene and boron nitride barriers.

Applying protective or barrier layers to isolate a target item from the environment is a common approach to prevent or delay its degradation. The impermeability of two-dimensional materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has generated a great deal of interest in corrosion and material science. Owing to their different electronic properties (graphene is a semimetal, whereas hBN is a wide-bandgap insulator), their protection behaviour is distinctly different. Here we investigate the performance of graphene and hBN as barrier coatings applied on copper substrates through a real-time study in two different oxidative conditions. Our findings show that the evolution of the copper oxidation is remarkably different for the two coating materials.

Fast and direct measurements of the electrical properties of graphene using micro four-point probes.

We present measurements of the electronic properties of graphene using a repositionable micro four-point probe system, which we show here to have unique advantages over measurements made on lithographically defined devices; namely speed, simplicity and lack of a need to pattern graphene. Measurements are performed in ambient, vacuum and controlled environmental conditions using an environmental scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results are comparable to previous results for microcleaved graphene on silicon dioxide (SiO(2)). We observe a pronounced hysteresis of the charge neutrality point, dependent on the sweep rate of the gate voltage; and environmental measurements provide insight into the sensor application prospects of graphene. The method offers a fast, local and non-destructive technique for electronic measurements on graphene, which can be positioned freely on a graphene flake.

Nanobits: customizable scanning probe tips.

We present here a proof-of-principle study of scanning probe tips defined by planar nanolithography and integrated with AFM probes using nanomanipulation. The so-called 'nanobits' are 2-4 microm long and 120-150 nm thin flakes of Si(3)N(4) or SiO(2), fabricated by electron beam lithography and standard silicon processing. Using a microgripper they were detached from an array and fixed to a standard pyramidal AFM probe or alternatively inserted into a tipless cantilever equipped with a narrow slit. The nanobit-enhanced probes were used for imaging of deep trenches, without visible deformation, wear or dislocation of the tips of the nanobit after several scans. This approach allows an unprecedented freedom in adapting the shape and size of scanning probe tips to the surface topology or to the specific application.

Carbon nanotubes integrated in electrically insulated channels for lab-on-a-chip applications.

A fabrication process for monolithic integration of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes in electrically insulated microfluidic channels is presented. A 150 nm thick amorphous silicon layer could be used both for anodic bonding of a glass lid to hermetically seal the microfluidic glass channels and for de-charging of the wafer during plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of the carbon nanotubes. The possibility of operating the device with electroosmotic flow was shown by performing standard electrophoretic separations of 50 microM fluorescein and 50 microM 5-carboxyfluorescein in a 25 mm long column containing vertical aligned carbon nanotubes. This is the first demonstration of electroosmotic pumping and electrokinetic separations in microfluidic channels with a monolithically integrated carbon nanotube forest.

Rapid prototyping of nanotube-based devices using topology-optimized microgrippers.

Nanorobotic handling of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using microgrippers is one of the most promising approaches for the rapid characterization of the CNTs and also for the assembly of prototypic nanotube-based devices. In this paper, we present pick-and-place nanomanipulation of multi-walled CNTs in a rapid and a reproducible manner. We placed CNTs on copper TEM grids for structural analysis and on AFM probes for the assembly of AFM super-tips. We used electrothermally actuated polysilicon microgrippers designed using topology optimization in the experiments. The microgrippers are able to open as well as close. Topology optimization leads to a 10-100 times improvement of the gripping force compared to conventional designs of similar size. Furthermore, we improved our nanorobotic system to offer more degrees of freedom. TEM investigation of the CNTs shows that the multi-walled tubes are coated with an amorphous carbon layer, which is locally removed at the contact points with the microgripper. The assembled AFM super-tips are used for AFM measurements of microstructures with high aspect ratios.