Nanolayer Growth on 3-Dimensional Micro-Objects by Pulsed Laser Deposition.

Pulsed laser deposition on 3-dimensional micro-objects of complex morphology is demonstrated by the paradigmatic growth of cellulose and polymer/YAlO:Ce phosphor composite nanolayers. Congruent materials transfer is a result of multicomponent ablation performed by relatively low fluence (<200 mJ cm) ArF excimer laser pulses (λ = 193 nm). Films grown on optical and engineering components, having a thickness from ~50 nm to more than ~300 nm, are durable, well adherent and maintain the structural and functional properties of the parent solids.

A Study of Quantum Confinement Effects in Ultrathin NiO Films Performed by Experiment and Theory.

Ultrathin NiO films in the thickness range between 1 and 27 nm have been deposited on high-quality quartz substrates by direct magnetron sputtering under a rough vacuum with a base pressure of 2 × 10 mbar. The sputtering target was metallic Ni; however, due to the rough vacuum a precursor material was grown in which most of Ni was already oxidized. Subsequent short annealing at temperatures of about 600 °C in a furnace in air resulted in NiO with high crystallinity quality, as atomic force microscopy revealed.

Micro-fabrication by laser radiation forces: a direct route to reversible free-standing three-dimensional structures.

The origins and first demonstration of structurally stable solids formed by use of radiation forces are presented. By experimentally proving that radiation forces can indeed produce stable solid material forms, a novel method enabling two- and three-dimensional (2d and 3d) microfabrication is introduced: An optical, non-contact single-step physical operation, reversible with respect to materials nature, based on the sole use of radiation forces. The present innovation is elucidated by the formation of polyisoprene and polybutadiene micro-solids, as well as plasmonic and fluorescent hybrids, respectively comprising Au nanoparticles and CdS quantum dots, together with novel concepts of polymeric fiber-drawing by radiation forces.

Scanning probe microscopy: instrumentation and applications on thin films and magnetic multilayers.

In this article we present a review on instrumentation and the modes of operation of a scanning probe microscope. In detail, we review the main techniques of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), which are Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), focusing our attention on the latter one. The AFM instrument provides information on the roughness and grain size of thin films.