Nano-Electronics Centre (NEC)

The Nano-Electronics Centre (NEC) explores nanoscale crystalline, amorphous and disordered materials for applications including large area electronics and displays

Research within the group comprises of five main themes. Nanotechnology (STM & FIB), Nanobiology, Carbon Based Electronics, Microwave Electronics and Devices, and, Large Area Electronics and Photonics. The group has strong links with industry and other academic institutes on an international scale with the research being largely experimental in practice and backed by a strong fundamental science base. The NEC was one of eight groups awarded a Portfolio Partnership in Engineering and Physical Scinces, this guarantees funding for the next 5 years.

Nanotechnology deals with the science and technology associated with dimensions in the range 0.1 nm to 100 nm. We have pioneered research into low temperature grown carbon nanotubes (CNT), right down to room temperature. This allows us to functionalise CNT with biological materials more easily. The possibilities of growing CNT on temperature sensitive substrates such as plastic and even paper have opened up many new applications. We have also patented a method that allows us to fabricate bespoke devices using 3D manipulation of nano-materials. Devices constructed on this basis has allowed current densities in excess of 109 A/cm2 through CNT circuits, which is a 1000 times better than copper!

Nature has developed biological nanotechnology for billions of years of evolution. The evolution has created diverse proteins and molecules that assemble, sense and cooperate with marvellous efficiency. Current technology intends to exploit these processes and molecules to develop biomolecular components and biocompatible surfaces integrated into devices. Our objective is to develop novel biosensors based on functionalised carbon nanotubes that boost the detection limits to improve the quality of our lives.

We have a long standing world-wide reputation as one of the leading groups in carbon based electronics. As a result we are playing a pivotal role in exploiting the advantageous properties of DLC, diamond, polymers and CNT for devices as part of the 10 member UK consortium in Carbon Based Electronics.

As part of the nanoelectronics centre, the Microwave Electronics and Devices group is engaged in a range of research activities including memory switching in amorphous silicon alloys, low temperature polysilicon active matrix field emission displays, characterisation of the new source gated transistor based on a-Si:H and polysilicon, RF response of Carbon Nanotubes for fabrication of active and passive devices and several projects on devices for microwave applications.

Renewable energy featured highly last year where we examined solar cells based on laser crystallised a-Si and also CNT-polymer composites. As part of large area electronics we developed techniques to grow room temperature nanocrystalline GaN for light sources and used a-Si alloys for programmable non-volatile memory cells. A state of the art deep reactive ion etch system has been developed for MEMS.

We currently have collaborative projects with Universities of Cambridge and Sussex as part of the EPSRC funded Carbon Based Electronics Project as well as Trinity College Dublin and other overseas universities. Industrial partners who have supported our work in LAE have included Philips, British Aerospace, Matsushita, GPS and MultiArc.

Further details on the group are at: http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/NEC/