The judicious application of stress fields is a demonstrated
method of controlling the location of nanoscale aggregates of
dopant atoms embedded in a crystalline host material. Precise
position control is needed to drive advances in
nanofabrication capability, for example in optoelectronic
nanostructures and in high density patterned media for data
storage. As part of an effort to quantify the dynamics and
energetics of stress-induced nanoparticles, we are developing
experimental techniques to create nanostructured materials in
desired arrangements. The basic experimental principle is to
apply patterned external stresses to a heated thin film
sample supersaturated with another species, cool the alloy
film, and characterize the resultant film structure. The
dopant atoms and precipitate clusters are expected to migrate
to and aggregate in regions of low stress, and upon cooling
clusters will be frozen in desired locations.
|
