Project Details
Projekt
Charge Transport, Plasmon Properties in the Infrared and Thermal Stability of Metal Nanowires
Applicant
Dr. Gerhard Fahsold
Subject Area
Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
Term
from 2004 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5429295
The transport of free electrons in metal nanowires (MNW) is of interest for microelectronic applications as the resistive generation of heat consumes electrical energy and can cause overheating in future integrated-circuit architectures. Any engineering of MNW interconnects needs specific knowledge on the influence of temperature, size and crystalline structure on the charge transport. We want to generate such specific knowledge by performing infrared-spectroscopic experiments. Resonant excitation of free charge carriers in metal nanoparticles has numerous applications in technology and life science. MNW of few micron lengths should show plasmon resonances in the infrared range. These resonances promise near-future applications in position-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy and a pathway to a tailoring and a metrology of MNW. We aim at giving experimental evidence for MNW plasmons in the infrared range and at a demonstation how sharpness and frequency of these plasmons can be adjusted for a specific functionalization of MNW. A thermal instability of a MNW is of high technological relevance. It can cause device failure, but on the other hand, it can be utilized for a nanostructure tailoring. We intend to investigate the time and temperature dependence of such instabilities under various conditions to open pathways for their controlled utilization.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
