Congratulations to the winners of the STS Elionix Scientific Image competition of Q3 2024!
The STS Elionix Scientific Image competition allows us to showcase the creative side of the researchers here at Tyndall. They share scientific images from their research which they have discovered to be visually striking or informative to the technically excellent.
The judges for the Q3 competition were Prof. William Scanlon, CEO; Dr Graeme Maxwell, Head of Specialty Products & Services, Dr Daniela Iacopino, Researcher, MNS, and Peter Smyth, Commercial Director.
The exceptional quality and creativity in the images led to the votes being cast for the following winners: Luca Colavecchi (Flowerbed of GaAs Roses), Sheshank Biradar, Nikolay Petkov, Giorgos Fagas & Ray Duffy (Stairway to Quantum Heaven), Sheshank Biradar, Nikolay Petkov, Giorgos Fagas & Ray Duffy (Mist on Nano-Alps).
The winners are each awarded a €100 Me2You Gift Card, kindly sponsored by STS Elionix.
Flowerbed of GaAs Roses
Luca Colavecchi, Epitaxy and Physics of Nanostructures (EPN) Group
This scientific image is an SEM picture of a 111B Gallium Arsenide surface after epitaxial growth has been left for too long.
Normally, decomposition of precursors on GaAs 111B is minimal and deposition of new crystal doesn’t occur.
In the EPN group, they exploited this characteristic behaviour of the 111B by patterning onto it an array of tetrahedral recesses, over which slanted 111A surfaces, decomposition and deposition of new crystal occurs, allowing them to design the Pyramidal Quantum Dots. However, the thicker the growth, the steeper the angle of the sidewalls becomes, until recesses close completely. From that moment onwards, precursors kept decomposing on surfaces vicinal to the 111B and ad-atoms wander on the flat surface eventually finding favourable bonds where they stick and form these beautiful (though useless) clusters.
Stairway to Quantum Heaven
Sheshank Biradar, Nikolay Petkov, Giorgos Fagas & Ray Duffy, Quantum Electronic Devices (QED) Group
This scientific image illustrates the germanium-tin (GeSn) nanowires of different lengths suspended across the structure.
This image was developed for the optimization of etch recipes and the length of the nanowires for fabrication of quantum devices.
An alloy of GeSn exhibits properties that can act as a Qubit.
These GeSn nanowires of different length are obtained after lithography and isotropic etching to etch away the underlying germanium.
This results in the suspended GeSn bridge, hence making way for further quantum device exploration.
Mist on Nano-Alps
Sheshank Biradar, Nikolay Petkov, Giorgos Fagas & Ray Duffy, Quantum Electronic Devices (QED) Group
This scientific image shows the effect of wet chemical mixture on a partially cleaned GeSn wafer.
Wet chemical cleaning is widely used for processing wafers to remove organic or inorganic contaminants prior to nanofabrication. This cleaning is carried out using several chemical compounds that include acids, bases, DI water or mixture of these solutions with varying compositions.
At elevated temperatures, these solutions can become unstable due to the faster decomposition of the cleaning agent. This change can occasionally lead to higher etching, increase in surface roughness and insufficient particle removal resulting in this image.
