Formation and nature of InGaN quantum dots in GaN nanowires.

InGaN/GaN disk-in-nanowire heterostructures on silicon substrates have emerged as important gain media for the realization of visible light sources. The nature of quantum confinement in the disks is largely unknown. From the unique nature of the measured temperature dependence of the radiative lifetime and direct transmission electron microscopy, it is evident that such self-organized islands (disks) behave as quantum dots.

Selective arraying of complex particle patterns.

Procedures requiring precise and accurate positioning of particles and cells have impacted a broad range of research interests including molecular detection, self-assembly and tissue and cell engineering. These fields would be greatly aided by more advanced, yet straightforward, micro-object positioning methods that are precise, scalable, responsive and flexible. We have developed an arrayed, multilayer surface patterned microfluidic device which uses laminar convective flow to actively position particles into any desired, two-dimensional, predesigned pattern.

Programmable fluidic production of microparticles with configurable anisotropy.

We report a technique for continuous production of microparticles of variable size with new forms of anisotropy including alternating bond angles, configurable patchiness, and uniform roughness. The sequence and shape of the anisotropic particles are configured by exploiting a combination of confinement effects and microfluidics to pack precursor colloids with different properties into a narrow, terminal channel. The width and length of the channel relative to the particle size fully specify the configuration of the anisotropic particle that will be produced.