Nanolayers Characterisation Research Group

Overview of Research

The preparation of nanomaterials and the manufacture of nanoscale devices rely on a feedback between preparation and characterisation and indeed the same techniques can sometimes be used for both purposes. Therefore, nanoscale characterisation is not established but constantly evolving. The group’s activity focuses mainly on using nanomechanical probes to evaluate ultra-thin carbon films, although other techniquesand materials are also examined. In the main, there are four interrelated areas of activity;

  1. The nano-mechanical characterisation of ultra-thin carbon layers, searching for the intrinsic film’s properties using a combination of techniques,
  2. The nano-viscomechanical analysis of energy dissipation in carbon films and proteins,
  3. The comparative nanometrology of ultra-thin steps,
  4. The preparation of hard carbon nanostructures and nanotemplates using ion beams, e beams and probe microscopy.
Key Projects

These activities feed into a number of projects, in collaboration with industry and other academic institutions;

  • Intrinsic film’s hardness of sub-50nm thick layers with blunt indenters,
  • Thin film interfaces studied with nano-scratching, X-ray reflectometry (XRR) and Secondary Ion Mass spectroscopy (SIMS),
  • Topographic artefacts from contact and non-contact metrologies,
  • Visco-mechanical detection of protein aggregation for medical diagnostics applications,
  • Visco-mechanical study of composite interfaces,
  • Study of carbon nanotube interactions for enhanced dispersion,
  • Defects and secondary bounds in amorphous carbons,
  • Ion and electron beam methods for making new SPM super-tips (wear resistant and high aspect ratio, conducting tips for liquid environments etc),
  • Preparation and characterisation of nano-templates for data storage, nano-sensing and cell adhesion studies.
Collaboration

Northeastern University (USA), Ajou University (Korea), Universite d’Amiens (France), INSA Lyon (France), Queen’s University Belfast (UK), Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland), National University of Galway (Ireland), FORTH Laser Facility (Greece).

Industrial Partners

Seagate Technology (UK), Schrader Electronics (UK), Micro Materials (UK).

For further information please contact the Group Leader: Dr Patrick Lemoine

E: p.lemoine@ulster.ac.uk

T: +44 (0) 28 9036 8054