PRECISE-NANO · Atomically precise nanoelectronic materials

The current devices used in electronics have reached nanometre dimensions where the precise nature and location of every atom matters. To further drive the development of existing technologies and to test proposals for next generation nanoelectronics, we need tools that allow structural and electronic characterization of materials down to the atomic scale. We need to be able to measure the position and nature of the atoms, as well as the local density of electronic states at a specific energy, the charge distribution, and atomic scale magnetic properties. In addition, we need methods that allow controlled manipulation of the relevant atomic-scale details of the active region of the material, where we could pick and place atoms or molecules and create vacancies at pre-defined locations.The goal of this project is to develop such tools and apply them to three different materials systems of enormous current interest: nanostructured graphene, molecular networks and topological insulators. Progress towards using these materials in real life electronic applications is currently limited by the restricted experimental handle of their structure at the atomic scale: for example, edge structure in graphene nanostructures and contacts in molecular devices. I will use scanning probe techniques to fabricate nanoelectronic devices of atomically precise structure and explore the possibilities offered by well-defined nanostructures and spatially controlled charge and spin-doping.""