Peter Bennett

Peter Bennett’s group studies the structure, growth kinetics and electron transport properties of self-assembled surface nanostructures using a variety of surface techniques, including Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM), UHV-Transmission Electron Microscopy (UHV-TEM), Atomic Force Microsco py (AFM), Magneto-transport and Electron Beam Lithography (EBL). Recent efforts have focused on metal/silicon systems that can form silicide nanowires (NWs), which are 10nm wide and have atomically perfect top (surface), bottom (interface), sides and ends. These structures are smaller and higher quality than can be made using "top-down" approaches, such as lithography and metal lift-off. Such structures have many potential applications. For example: low resistance nanoscale interconnects or cross-bar nanoelectrodes for switching elements or non-linear circuit elements, with rectifying or switching capability. They can form highly sensitive sensor elements, due to their high surface/volume ratio and the extreme sensitivity of 1D transport to gating fields or adsorbates. Silicide NWs are totally compatible with silicon, hence may readily be integrated into existing silicon technology. Thus, epitaxial silicide NWs comprise a materials system that is ripe for development, beginning with fundamental studies of their structure, growth kinetics and electron transport properties.