Abstract:

ZnO is one of the most important materials with a wide-bandgap corresponding to the ultraviolet UV spectral range, which makes possible development of a wide diversity of devises for the UV and visible spectral region.

A modern technological infrastructure has been created during the last years at the Laboratory of Nanotechnologies of the IEEN for the production of semiconductor layers, including nanostructured layers of wide bandgap materials.

The main goal of this project is to develop advanced technologies for obtaining nanometric layers on the basis of wide bandgap semiconductors, production of device structures for optoelectronics and plasmonics (electromagnetic radiation sensors, chemical sensors and biosensors, light emitting diodes, and plasmonic substrates for the surface enhanced Raman scattering).

To attain this goal, cost-effective technologies will be developed (magnetron sputtering, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and spin coating) for obtaining planar layers from ZnO and other wide bandgap semiconductors, their combining with nanostructured layers, and their integration in new device structures. UV radiation sensors, gas sensors, chemical and biological substances sensors will be developed on the basis of conductometric structures, metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) diodes, Schottky diodes, p-n junctions, and surface acoustic waves (SAW) structures. Technologies for the production of high quality MgxZn1-xO films and structures on their basis will be developed for the realization of selectivity in different ranges of the UV spectrum for biomedical applications. To enhance the sensitivity to biological objects and to explore the possibility of measuring signals from a single molecule by means of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), plasmonic substrates will be developed on the basis of composite nanomaterials. Light emitting devices with high performance parameters will be developed by using the elaborated advanced technologies for the production of high quality films and the concept of blocking layers in light emitting diode structures.

The technological infrastructure with be strengthened, two PhD thesis and two project application for the HORIZON 2020 will be prepared as a result of project implementation.