Autumn semester

Components of Assessment	Method(s)	Percentage Weighting
2 hours unseen examination	Written	60%
2000 word assignment.		40%
Part-time Students:	N/A

Qualifying Condition(s) 

None

To provide students with:

• examples and case studies of the information that can be obtained from different measurement techniques and how they can be applied in solving problems in nanoelectronics,
• practical experience of using a variety of experimental techniques,
• good laboratory practice and an ability to critically assess experimental data and the limitations on the data.

At the end of this module students would be expected to:

• understand and apply the fundamental theory associated with basic experimental characterisation of the optical, electrical, surface material properties of nanomaterials and devices,
• demonstrate the ability to critically analyse experimental data and present in a journal quality format,
• be able to form strategies or work plans for different experiments employing good laboratory practice,
• have gained practical experience of available experimental methods.

1. Introduction to Laboratory Safety [2 lectures]

(i) Introduction to general laboratory safety and standard operating procedures.
(ii) Chemical laboratory safety, CoSHH forms, risk assessments, chemical storage and disposal.
(iii) Optical and electrical laboratory safety, classes of laser, laser safety.
(iv) Cleanroom operating procedures.

2. Data analysis [4 lectures]

(i) Experimental and statistical errors.

(ii) Introduction to image processing and particle analysis.

(iii) Introduction to data processing and analysis.

(iv) Introduction to Origin Lab Data Analysis and Displaying software.

3. Optical Spectroscopy [2 lectures]

(i) UV-Vis-NIR absorption and related spectroscopies.
(ii) Excitation, Fluorescence, and luminescence lifetime spectroscopy.
(iii) FTIR and related spectroscopy.

4. Electrical characterisation Methods [2 lectures]

(i) Electrical properties of conducting and semiconducting thin films and nanostructures.
(ii) Measuring conduction and understanding conduction mechanisms.

5. Nanostructure growth and deposition [2 lectures]

(i) Nano-electrodeposition.
(ii) Nanoimprint technology.
(iii) Laser writing methods.

(iv) Chemical Vapour Deposition growth of carbon nanotubes and nanofibres.

6. Electrophotonics [2 lectures]

(i) L-V laser diode characterisation.
(ii) Photovoltaic and solar cell device characterisation.
(iii) Electro- and acousto-optic devices.

7. Surface and structural characterisation [4 lectures]

(i) SEM and EDX analysis.

(ii) TEM and EELS analysis.
(iii) STM/AFM techniques.

(iv) UPS/XPS energy level characterisation.

Four three-hour practical lab sessions will run in parallel with the taught material, each session covering one or more of the seven areas addressed in the lectures.

Lectures: 18 hours

Practical: Four 3-hour practical lab sessions.

Module handouts

30th July 2009