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Bene Poelsema

Publications and source records attributed to Bene Poelsema.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Oxidized gold as an ultrathin etch resist applied in microcontact printing.

In this report it is described how a gold surface can be treated with an oxygen plasma to become an effective etch mask, with its etch resistive properties based upon electrostatic repulsion. Such a treated gold layer is only temporarily stable and may therefore be employed as a temporary etch barrier that introduces no contaminating species. Deterioration of the barrier properties can be locally expedited in a scheme that is compatible with microcontact printing. This has been achieved by the microcontact printing of a reductant on a fully oxidized gold substrate.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Seeded-growth approach to selective metallization of microcontact-printed patterns.

We report on a versatile nanocolloidal route to obtain large-scale conducting metal microstructures on a silicon oxide substrate. By using microcontact printing of an aminosilane, we create functionalized regions on the silicon oxide surface onto which gold nanoparticles selectively adhere. By using an established electroless, seeded-growth process, the individual, isolated gold nanocrystals are enlarged past the percolation threshold to form conducting metal structures. Quantitative characterization of metal coverage, thickness, and roughness has been performed with scanning electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Ink dependence of poly(dimethylsiloxane) contamination in microcontact printing.

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is the most widely used stamp material in microcontact printing. It has excellent properties with respect to versatility, chemical inertness, and mechanical stability. However, it has an inclination to contaminate printed substrates with low molecular weight siloxane fragments. In this study, it is shown, by a combination of lateral force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, that the extent of the PDMS-induced contamination is dependent on the nature of the ink used. The highest degree of contamination was found for relatively polar inks, whereas apolar alkanethiol inks were found to shield the substrate from contamination. This is interpreted in terms of the contaminating species being polar in nature.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Ellipsometric identification of collective optical properties of silver nanocrystal arrays.

The optical properties of silver nanocrystal arrays are investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry in combination with polarized reflection measurements. Analysis of the ellipsometry and reflectometry spectra in terms of the "thin island film" theory enables a transparent identification of the contribution of collective effects to the optical response. Negligible image charge effects imply that only dipole contributions have to be considered. The interactions between the hexagonally ordered silver nanocrystals give rise to an effective modification of the spherical response to oblate entities with different polarizabilities parallel and perpendicular to the substrate, expressed in terms of corresponding depolarization factors. The effect of nanocrystal ordering, nearest-neighbor distance, size distribution, surrounding ambient, and the optical properties of the single nanocrystals on the optical response are analyzed. The extent of plasmon resonance peak splitting as a function of surface coverage is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Shape and size effects in the optical properties of metallic nanorods.

The influence of size and geometrical shape on the optical properties of randomly oriented metallic nanorods is investigated using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). Our calculations provide a benchmark for an accurate characterisation of nanorod suspensions by frequently used optical spectroscopic techniques. Our DDA results confirm the longitudinal plasmon resonance to be primarily affected by the nanorod aspect ratio, and also verify that the quasi-static (dipole) approximation for ellipsoidal particles is only valid for very small sizes. For prolate ellipsoidal and cylindrical nanorods with an identical aspect ratio, the latter exhibit a longitudinal resonance at significantly longer wavelengths. The importance of phase retardation and multipole contributions for larger nanorod dimensions is discussed. Also, we investigate the influence on the optical spectra of electron surface scattering, which arises from the limited size of the nanorods in comparison to the electron mean free path.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2006

Spatial mapping of the electronic states of a one-dimensional system.

Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we have recorded spatial maps of confined electronic states in the troughs between self-organized Pt nanowires on Ge(001) that are spaced 2.4 nm apart. Two sub-bands are resolved, which correspond to the lowest energy levels of a quantum mechanical particle in a box. As expected, the spatial dI/dV maps exhibit a maximum and a minimum in the middle of the troughs for the n = 1 and n = 2 states, respectively.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed2006

Edge transfer lithography using alkanethiol inks.

Edge lithographic patterning techniques are based on the utilization of the edges of micrometer-sized template features for the reproduction of submicrometer structures. Edge transfer lithography (ETL) permits local surface modification in a single step by depositing self-assembled monolayers onto a metal substrate selectively along the feature edges of an elastomeric stamp. In this report two stamp designs are described that now allow for the use of alkanethiol inks in ETL and their use as etch resists to reproduce submicrometer structures in gold. Anisotropically modified stamps are shown to combine the potential for very high-resolution patterning with the versatility and simplicity of microcontact printing.

Alkanes↗
PubMed2005

Quantum confinement between self-organized Pt nanowires on Ge(001).

The existence of one-dimensional (1D) electronic states between self-organized Pt nanowires spaced 1.6 or 2.4 nm apart on a Ge(001) surface is revealed by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. These perfectly straight Pt nanowires act as barriers for a surface state (located just below the Fermi level) of the underlying terrace. The energy positions of the 1D electronic states are in good agreement with the energy levels of a quantum particle in a well. Spatial maps of the differential conductivity of the 1D electronic states conclusively reveal that these states are exclusively present in the troughs between the Pt nanowires.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Chemically patterned flat stamps for microcontact printing.

Locally oxidized patterns on flat poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamps for microcontact printing were used as a platform for the transfer of a hydrophilic fluorescent ink to a glass substrate. The contrast was found to be limited. These locally oxidized patterns were conversely used as barriers for the transfer of hydrophobic n-octadecanethiol. In this case a good contrast was obtained, but the pattern was found to be susceptible to defects (cracks) in the barrier layer. Local stamp surface oxidation and subsequent modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane, for use as a barrier in the transfer of n-octadecanethiol, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid, and octanethiol, resulted in remarkably good contrast and stable patterns. The improved ink transfer control is ascribed to the reduction of undesired surface spreading and a superior mechanical stability of the stamp pattern. This new approach substantially expands the applicability of microcontact printing and provides a tool for the faithful reproduction of even extremely low filling ratio patterns.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Coulomb blockade of small Pd clusters.

Single-electron tunneling through Au substrate-alkanethiol-Pd cluster-tip junctions is investigated with scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The measured I(V) curves reveal several characteristic features of the Coulomb blockade, namely, the presence of a Coulomb gap and a Coulomb staircase. By using the orthodox theory of single-electron tunneling, the capacitances and resistances of the double junction system as well as the fractional charge are extracted from the experimental data.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Noble metal nanoparticles deposited on self-assembled monolayers by pulsed laser deposition show coulomb blockade at room temperature.

Nanometer-sized noble-metal clusters are fabricated on top of alkylthiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on annealed gold by pulsed laser deposition at elevated pressures. The size distribution of the clusters depends on the metal and on the pressure during the deposition. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and conductive probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) showed that the metal clusters are insulated from the substrate on top of the SAM. Coulomb blockades could be measured at room temperature by STM for palladium clusters on decanethiol SAMs.

Electric Conductivity↗
PubMed2004

Spreading of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid in microcontact printing.

Spreading in microcontact printing refers to the process or processes by which the ink molecules end up in the parts of the substrate that are adjacent to the contacted areas but which are not contacted themselves. This has been investigated for different inking concentrations of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA). Spreading of MHDA takes place with retention of a well-defined demarcation. Feature sizes can be controlled by varying the contact times. Spreading, however, only takes place beyond a certain threshold concentration. For low ink concentrations the edges of stamp features dominate the ink transfer. For these low concentrations the extent of this edge dominance depends strongly on ink concentration rather than on contact time. These observations indicate a dominant role of the stamp surface in the processes of pattern formation and spreading.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Novel local free energy minimum on the Cu(001) surface.

High-resolution LEED (low-energy electron diffraction) data of Cu(001) reveal an uniaxial in-plane lattice reconstruction by 1%. One-dimensional nanogrooves induced by ion bombardment involve the creation of steps that enable this reconstruction. This is the first verification of van der Merwe's prediction of step facilitated reconstruction. We confirm the predicted dependence on step orientation: <100> steps allow stress-relief and <110> steps do not, consistent with the known elastic anisotropy. Similar behavior is predicted for other nonreconstructed (001) surfaces of 3d and 4d metals.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Electronic properties of (2 x 1) and c(4 x 2) domains on Ge(001) studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy.

The surface electronic structure of Ge(001) was studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The measured surface densities of states unequivocally reveal the presence of a metallic state on the (2 x 1) domains, which is absent on the c(4 x 2) domains. This metallic state, so far observed only in integral measurements, is attributed to the flip-flopping dimers that constitute the (2 x 1) domains. Our data also reveal a set of previously unresolved surface states, in perfect agreement with published theoretical predictions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

(2 x 1)-(1 x 1) phase transition on Ge(001): dimer breakup and surface roughening.

Using low energy electron microscopy, we have investigated the (2 x 1)-(1 x 1) phase transition occurring above 925 K on Ge(001). Dimer breakup has been identified as the physical origin of this transition. A quantitative description of the dimer concentration during the transition involves configuration entropy of random monomers within the dimer matrix. The dimer formation energy amounts to 1.2+/-0.3 eV. Dimer breakup promotes reversible surface disorder by step proliferation and irreversible surface roughening above 1130 K.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Step edge selection during ion erosion of Cu(001).

Upon Ar+ ion erosion of a Cu(001) surface, we observed with HR-LEED faceted structures on the surface oriented preferentially along <100> at 200 K and along <110> at 330 K. These results are evaluated with a geometric rule, relating under kinetic conditions the orientation of the surviving steps to their advance rates. Application of this generic rule demonstrates that the <100> steps advance slowest. This reveals enhanced interlayer mass transport across these steps. We also show that a transition from kinetically favored step orientation into the thermodynamically favored one occurs at very short time scales even near room temperature.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Surface stress anisotropy of Ge(001).

By analyzing the equilibrium shape of vacancy islands on the Ge(001) surface we have determined the surface stress anisotropy, i.e., the difference between the compressive stress component along the substrate dimer rows and the tensile stress component perpendicular to the substrate dimer rows. In order to extract the surface stress anisotropy we have used a model recently put forward by Li et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1922 (2000)]. The surface stress anisotropy of the clean Ge(001) surface is found to be 80+/-30 meV/A(2). This value is comparable to the surface stress anisotropy of the closely related Si(001) surface.

Journal Article↗