Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 14736

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: nanostructures and nanostructured materials; porous silicon and other semiconductors; optical properties; sensors; optical devices; interference filters; optical sensing; electronic properties; optoelectronics; memristors; oblique angle deposition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As technology approaches the limit of what can be achieved in terms of the speed of electronics and the integration level, there is an increasing interest in moving from electronics to photonics, where electrons and electrical currents are replaced by photons and light beams, which will result in higher processing speeds and lower power consumption. In the meantime, advanced optoelectronic devices fill the gap between these two technologies. While optoelectronics deals with the integration of optics into electronics, photonics considers fully optical devices.

In this new technology, nanostructures play a key role. In contrast to nanomaterials, whose properties are inherent, nanostructures can be engineered to present unique optical and photonic properties by taking advance of phenomena such as quantum confinement effects, localized plasmons, interference or effective media. Bottom-up nanostructures (epytaxial layers, quantum dots and wires, bidimensional materials) and up-bottom materials (meso- and nanoporous semiconductors, self-assembled structures) can be tailored to show the desired optical behavior for a given application.

This Special Issue will address all topics related to the design, fabrication and characterization (mainly optical) of any kind of nanostructures, and their potential and practical use in photonic or optoelectronic applications. Both original research and review papers are welcome for possible publication.

Dr. Vicente Torres-Costa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanostructures
  • optical properties
  • photonic applications

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research

2 pages, 170 KiB  
Editorial
Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics
by Vicente Torres-Costa
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(11), 1820; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12111820 - 26 May 2022
Viewed by 1131
Abstract
As microelectronic technology approaches the limit of what can be achieved in terms of speed and integration level, there is an increasing interest in moving from electronics to photonics, where photons and light beams replace electrons and electrical currents, which will result in [...] Read more.
As microelectronic technology approaches the limit of what can be achieved in terms of speed and integration level, there is an increasing interest in moving from electronics to photonics, where photons and light beams replace electrons and electrical currents, which will result in higher processing speeds and lower power consumption [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

19 pages, 6671 KiB  
Article
Effect of Substrate Temperature on Morphological, Structural, and Optical Properties of Doped Layer on SiO2-on-Silicon and Si3N4-on-Silicon Substrate
by Suraya Ahmad Kamil and Gin Jose
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(6), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12060919 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2499
Abstract
A high concentration of Er3+ without clustering issues is essential in an Er-doped waveguide amplifier as it is needed to produce a high gain and low noise signal. Ultrafast laser plasma doping is a technique that facilitates the blending of femtosecond laser-produced [...] Read more.
A high concentration of Er3+ without clustering issues is essential in an Er-doped waveguide amplifier as it is needed to produce a high gain and low noise signal. Ultrafast laser plasma doping is a technique that facilitates the blending of femtosecond laser-produced plasma from an Er-doped TeO2 glass with a substrate to form a high Er3+ concentration layer. The influence of substrate temperature on the morphological, structural, and optical properties was studied and reported in this paper. Analysis of the doped substrates using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that temperatures up to approximately 400 °C are insufficient for the incoming plasma plume to modify the strong covalent bonds of silica (SiO2), and the doping process could not take place. The higher temperature used caused the materials from Er-doped tellurite glass to diffuse deeper (except Te with smaller concentration) into silica, which created a thicker film. SEM images showed that Er-doped tellurite glass was successfully diffused in the Si3N4. However, the doping was not as homogeneous as in silica. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 4634 KiB  
Article
The Infiltration of Silver Nanoparticles into Porous Silicon for Improving the Performance of Photonic Devices
by Rehab Ramadan and Raúl J. Martín-Palma
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(2), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12020271 - 15 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2398
Abstract
Hybrid nanostructures have a great potential to improve the overall properties of photonic devices. In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were infiltrated into nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) layers, aiming at enhancing the optoelectronic performance of Si-based devices. More specifically, Schottky diodes with [...] Read more.
Hybrid nanostructures have a great potential to improve the overall properties of photonic devices. In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were infiltrated into nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) layers, aiming at enhancing the optoelectronic performance of Si-based devices. More specifically, Schottky diodes with three different configurations were fabricated, using Al/Si/Au as the basic structure. This structure was modified by adding PSi and PSi + AgNPs layers. Their characteristic electrical parameters were accurately determined by fitting the current–voltage curves to the non-ideal diode equation. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to determine the electrical parameters of the diodes in a wide frequency range by fitting the Nyquist plots to the appropriate equivalent circuit model. The experimental results show a remarkable enhancement in electrical conduction after the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles. Moreover, the spectral photoresponse was examined for various devices. An approximately 10-fold increment in photoresponse was observed after the addition of Ag nanoparticles to the porous structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 36444 KiB  
Article
Gold Nanostars with Reduced Fouling Facilitate Small Molecule Detection in the Presence of Protein
by Anastasiia Tukova, Inga Christine Kuschnerus, Alfonso Garcia-Bennett, Yuling Wang and Alison Rodger
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(10), 2565; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11102565 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2930
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles have the potential to be used in biomedical applications from diagnostics to drug delivery. However, interactions of gold nanoparticles with different biomolecules in the cellular environment result in the formation of a “protein corona”—a layer of protein formed around a nanoparticle, [...] Read more.
Gold nanoparticles have the potential to be used in biomedical applications from diagnostics to drug delivery. However, interactions of gold nanoparticles with different biomolecules in the cellular environment result in the formation of a “protein corona”—a layer of protein formed around a nanoparticle, which induces changes in the properties of nanoparticles. In this work we developed methods to reproducibly synthesize spheroidal and star-shaped gold nanoparticles, and carried out a physico-chemical characterization of synthesized anionic gold nanospheroids and gold nanostars through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ZP), nanoparticles tracking analysis (NTA), ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy and estimates of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signal enhancement ability. We analyzed how they interact with proteins after pre-incubation with bovine serum albumin (BSA) via UV–Vis, DLS, ZP, NTA, SERS, cryogenic TEM (cryo-TEM) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The tests demonstrated that the protein adsorption on the particles’ surfaces was different for spheroidal and star shaped particles. In our experiments, star shaped particles limited the protein corona formation at SERS “hot spots”. This benefits the small-molecule sensing of nanostars in biological media. This work adds more understanding about protein corona formation on gold nanoparticles of different shapes in biological media, and therefore guides design of particles for studies in vitro and in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 1631 KiB  
Article
Broadband Absorption Based on Thin Refractory Titanium Nitride Patterned Film Metasurface
by Dewang Huo, Xinyan Ma, Hang Su, Chao Wang and Hua Zhao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1092; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051092 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2701
Abstract
In this paper, a thin metasurface perfect absorber based on refractory titanium nitride (TiN) is proposed. The size parameter of the metasurface is investigated based on the finite difference time domain method and transfer matrix method. With only a 15-nm-thick TiN layer inside [...] Read more.
In this paper, a thin metasurface perfect absorber based on refractory titanium nitride (TiN) is proposed. The size parameter of the metasurface is investigated based on the finite difference time domain method and transfer matrix method. With only a 15-nm-thick TiN layer inside the silica/TiN/silica stacks standing on the TiN substrate, the near-perfect absorption throughout the visible regime is realized. The cross-talk between the upper and lower dielectric layers enables the broadening of the absorption peak. After patterning the thin film into a nanodisk array, the resonances from the nanodisk array emerge to broaden the high absorption bandwidth. As a result, the proposed metasurface achieves perfect absorption in the waveband from 400 to 2000 nm with an average absorption of 95% and polarization-insensitivity under the normal incidence. The proposed metasurface maintains average absorbance of 90% up to 50-degree oblique incidence for unpolarized light. Our work shows promising potential in the application of solar energy harvesting and other applications requiring refractory metasurfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 7120 KiB  
Article
Crystal Growth and Design of Disk/Filament ZnO-Decorated 1D TiO2 Composite Ceramics for Photoexcited Device Applications
by Yuan-Chang Liang and Wei-Cheng Zhao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030667 - 8 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2110
Abstract
Disk- and filament-like ZnO crystals were decorated on one-dimensional TiO2 nanostructures (TiO2–ZnO) through various integrated physical and chemical synthesis methods. The morphology of the ZnO crystals on TiO2 varied with the chemical synthesis method used. ZnO nanodisks decorated with [...] Read more.
Disk- and filament-like ZnO crystals were decorated on one-dimensional TiO2 nanostructures (TiO2–ZnO) through various integrated physical and chemical synthesis methods. The morphology of the ZnO crystals on TiO2 varied with the chemical synthesis method used. ZnO nanodisks decorated with TiO2 nanorods (TiO2–ZnO–C) were synthesized using the chemical bath deposition method, and ZnO filament-like crystals decorated with TiO2 nanorods (TiO2–ZnO–H) were synthesized through the hydrothermal method. Compared with the pristine TiO2 nanorods, the as-synthesized TiO2–ZnO composites exhibited enhanced photophysiochemical performance. Furthermore, because of their fast electron transportation and abundant surface active sites, the ZnO nanodisks in the TiO2–ZnO–C composite exhibited a higher photoactivity than those in the TiO2–ZnO–H composite. The morphology and crystal quality of the ZnO decoration layer were manipulated using different synthesis methods to realize disk- or filament-like ZnO-decorated TiO2 composites with various photoactive performance levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Photonics and Optoelectronics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop