FURI | Spring 2019

Manipulation of Vibrational Modes by Nanostructuring in a SiO2 Thin-Film

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In ionic materials, the electron beam in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) can excite vibrational modes via long-range Coulomb interactions with the polarized electron cloud in a chemical bond, which can now be explored with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The team aims to manipulate surface-phonon-polariton vibrational modes in a SiO2 thin-film by nanoscale patterning, which can be simulated using the classical dielectric theory in COMSOL Multiphysics. In the vicinity of a 2×2 array of 100 nm holes in the thin-film, significant change in the energy and intensity of this vibrational mode is observed.

Student researcher

Sunny Situ

Materials science and engineering

Hometown: Tempe, AZ, United States

Graduation date: Spring 2019