Student of NanoEngineering is awarded VDI-Förderpreis

[22.03.2018] Alexander Schmitz was awarded the Förderpreis 2018 by the Ruhrbezirksverein of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) for his master thesis in the NanoEngineering study course. His thesis was written at the institute for Electronic Materials and Nanostructures under supervision of Prof. Gerd Bacher in corporation with the group of Prof. David S. Ginger at the University of Washington. Currently, Alexander Schmitz is working on his PhD thesis on novel optoelectronic materials at the institute for Electronic Materials and Nanostructures in the context of the International Max Planck Research School for Interface Controlled Materials for Energy Conversion (IMPRS-SurMat).

CENIDE Awards for WET Scientists

[16.11.2017] During the annual CENIDE-Meeting several scientists from the chair of Electronic Materials and Nanostructures were awarded with a Best Paper Award and Best Poster Awards. Out of 25 nominees Franziska Muckel and Alexander Schmitz were awarded with the Best Paper Award for their publication Current-Induced Magnetic Polarons in a Colloidal Quantum-Dot Device, a joint publication together with Daniel Gamelin’s group from the University of Washington, Seattle. Bilge Bekdüz and Dominik Andrzejewski were awarded with a Best Poster Award for their posters Graphene growth at low temperatures via chemical vapor deposition and Impact of MOCVD parameters on crystallinity and photoluminescence efficiency in MoS₂ monolayers.

UDE researchers win LED Professional Science Award for their “Large-area white light-emission”

[28.09.2017] Dr. Ekaterina Nannen and Julia Frohleiks, who work in the junior research group “Solid State Lighting” at the “Electronic Materials and Nanostructures” group at the University of Duisburg-Essen, combined for the first time yellow LECs with blue light-emitting quantum dots. Quantum dots are colloidal nanostructures with a size of only 5 nanometers, which have exceptional physical and optical properties. The hybrid QD-LEC devices show stable white light emission while maintaining all benefits which are typical for LECs.

For this “remarkable degree of novelty”, the group was awarded with the “LED Professional Science Award” at the leading international lighting technologies event in Bregenz (Austria). The selection committee certifies the results to have a “significant impact on future research and development”.

Nanostructures for innovative lighting

[25.10.2016] Lighting-up a bag‘s interior or illuminating joggers from the darkness: Light-emitting electrochemical cells, LECs, provide significant benefits compared to the well-known LEDs, although appropriate light is still lacking. Up to now, only yellow light-emitting LECs are suitable for application, for white light at least one more color component is necessary. Researchers from the Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE) at University Duisburg-Essen (UDE) were for the first time able to modify specifically the emission color and improve the device performance of the LEC at the same time.

Julia Frohleiks, PHD student in the junior research group of Dr. Ekaterina Nannen, based her idea on semiconducting quantum dots, tiny structures which allow for quantum effects.

Digital Doping of tiny Nanocluster consisting of only 26 atoms

[2016] Doping of semiconductors (i.e. the intentional incorporation of impurity atoms) allows the precise tuning of the electrical and optical properties, representing the basis of the entire field of micro- and optoelectronics. Upon further reduction of the dimensions approaching the nanometer scale, doping becomes more and more challenging. Reaching the ultimate limit the question occurs, weather single dopants can generate new functionalities – the cutting-edge research area called “Solotronic”.  Recently, scientists from the “Electronic Materials and Nanostructures”-group at the University of Duisburg-Essen together with Co-workers from the Soul National University have successfully proven that a single magnetic dopant in tiny nanoclusters – built up of only 26 atoms – generates a pronounced magneto- optical response.

Uni DUE is partner in the research network „HEA2D – Fabrication, properties and applications of 2D nanomaterials”

[01.04.2016]  New materials of atomic thickness have become popular as so-called “2D materials”. The semimetal graphene or the semiconducting MoS2 are the most prominent examples. If they are incorporated into large-scale fabrication processes, they will provide integrated and sustainable solutions for new products and production strategies. Up to now, innovative devices on 2D base are still retarded by the fragmented production chain. In the framework of the joint project HEA2D a continuous production chain is explored, encompassing deposition techniques for 2D materials, procedures for transfer to foil, large-scale integration into plastic components and eventually the development of demonstrator applications.

The research at the UDE focusses on two points: First, the growth of graphene at reduced temperatures, second, the development of innovative device concepts for light emitters based on 2D semiconductors. Partners in the research network are AIXTRON SE, the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, the Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid, the Coating Machinery GmbH, and the University Siegen.

„HEA2D“ is financially supported by the European Fund for regional development (EFRE) 2014-2020.

Research project funded by the DFG for additional 3 years

[20.11.2015]  With a total volume of 320.000 EURO, the German Research Society supports the research project „Optical and electrical control of magnetism and magneto-optical functionality in semiconductor nanocrystals and nanocrystal devices“ for another 3 years. Goal of the project is to work out a fundamental understanding of magnetically doped semiconductor nanocrystals and to develop schemes for achieving electrical and optical control of magneto-optical functionality. Unique nanomaterials will be prepared by our key partners, Prof. Hyeon, U Seoul, and Prof. Gamelin, U Washington.

Collaboration between Uni-DuE and University of Washington awarded with CENIDE Best Paper Award

[17.11.2015] At the CENIDE (Center for Nanointegration Duisburg Essen) general meeting on 10th November 2015 the publication "Valence-Band Mixing Effects in the Upper-Excited-State Magneto-Optical Responses of Colloidal Mn2+-Doped CdSe Quantum Dots" was awarded with the CENIDE Best Paper Award 2015. In collaboration with Prof. Daniel Gamelin´s group (University of Washington, Seattle, USA), Rachel Fainblat and Franziska Muckel (Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik – Prof. Gerd Bacher) achieved the first experimental observation of a long known effect: the valence band mixing in quantum dots.

Dr. rer. nat. Rachel Fainblat awarded with DAAD P.R.I.M.E.-fellowship for postdoc stay in USA

[0429.10.2015] In 2015, twenty-five recently graduated PhD students from diverse research fields were awarded under the Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (P.R.I.M.E.) program from the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD). Dr. rer. nat. Rachel Fainblat is one of the awarded fellows with her project entitled “Energy conversion in doped nanocrystals for solar concentrators and LEDs”.

Best poster award for ultrafast nanowire LED based on GaN

[30.09.2015] For his poster „Ultrafast GaN/GaInN nanowire array LED grown on Si(111) for short range optical data communication“, M.Sc. Wolf Quitsch was honored with the best poster award and a reward of 200 € on the young researchers symposium in the context of the theme-night “materials for photonics” in Essen.
In collaboration with his colleagues from the department for solid state electronics, M.Sc. Wolf Quitsch from the department for electronic materials and nanostructures is working on a novel device concept for communication on a short range via LEDs.The approach is based on gallium-nitride nanowires, which offer access to the field free crystal planes of the material, allowing for RF-applications. For the first time, an operation frequency above 1 GHz could be achieved in such LEDs, an absolute record for such devices.
The results of the study can be found in Nano Letters 15, 2318 (2015).

Searching for the smallest (magnetically) doped semiconductor

[25.09.2015] Doping, i.e. the intentional incorporation of impurities in semiconductor host lattices, is the basis of electronic devices. In the effort towards a continuous device miniaturization, a major breakthrough was achieved by a collaboration between the University Duisburg Essen and the Seoul National University. Dr. Rachel Fainblat and M. Sc. Franziska Muckel (Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik, Prof. Gerd Bacher) developed together with M. Sc. Jiwoong Yang (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Prof. Taeghwan Hyeon) magnetically doped semiconductor nanocrystals, which consist only of 26 atoms. These structures are the smallest doped semiconductors reported so far in the literature.

Dr. Nannen is the winner of 2014’s Woman DrivING Award

[09.12.2014]Ekaterina Nannen is the winner of 2014’s Woman DrivING Award. She studied Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Duisburg-Essen University and presented her doctoral thesis “All-inorganic White Light Emitting Devices Based on ZnO Nanocrystals” to a panel of five judges and an audience of experts in Wolfsburg. Thereby she stood up against five other finalists. With their theses all participants are demonstrating what women in engineering and especially in the automotive industry are able to accomplish.

Spie Photonics West 2014 Award

[04.02.2014] Green Photonics Award in Solid State Lighting and Displays (OPTO conference 9003), accepted by Svenja Wolff (Univ. Duisburg-Essen) for "Implementation of graphene electrodes in nanoparticle light-emitting devices". Authors also include  Simon Sanders, Gerd Bacher, and Ekaterina Nannen (Univ. Duisburg-Essen).

Student of NanoEngineering is awarded Sparkassenpreis 2013 by Sparkasse Duisburg

[04.11.2013] Bilge Bekdüz from the NanoEngineering master program was one of the laureates. She was honored regarding her outstanding university performance. Currently she is working on her master thesis about graphene in the department of electronic materials and nanostructures under the guidance of Prof. Gerd Bacher. She is studying the influence of the environment on the electrical properties of this novel two-dimensional material.

DFG accepted a project within the Graphene Priority Program

[27.09.2013] The DFG will fund a joint project of Dr. Wolfgang Mertin from Lehrstuhl Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik and AMO GmbH, Aachen within the priority program 1459 Graphene. In this project named Graphene based high-frequency field-effect transistors: From microscopic understanding towards high-performance devices the main shortcomings - the pour drain current saturation and the high contact resistances – in GFETs will be addressed in a joint and interdisciplinary approach of electrical engineering and nano-analytics.

Further information: Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Mertin, Tel.: 0203/379-3407, wolfgang.mertin@uni-due.de

NRW grants four graphene projects

[16.09.2013]  The government of North Rhine-Westphalia has granted four projects of the Institute of Electronic Materials and Nanostructures subjected to graphene. The institute, in partnership with AMO GmbH, Aachen, Fraunhofer Institut für Mikroelektronische Schaltungen und Systeme, Duisburg and AIXTRON S.E., Aachen, will work on the development of a CVD technology for high-quality graphene, the transfer of graphene to substrate and on graphene as a conductive electrode for amorphous Si substrate based thin film solar cells.

Further information: Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Mertin, Tel.: 0203-379-3407, wolfgang.mertin@uni-due.de

                               Prof. Dr. Gerd Bacher, Tel.: 0203-379-3407/3405, gerd.bacher@uni-due.de

Best Student Presentation Award for Record Operation Temperature Single Photon Emitter

For his conference contribution „Record Operation Temperature for Electrically Driven Single Photon Sources Based on Semiconductor Quantum Dots (CdSe/ZnSSe/MgS)“, M.Sc. Wolf Quitsch was awarded with the Best Student Presentation Award at the 16th International Conference on II-VI Semiconductors in Nagahama (Japan).

Innovation Award Engineering Science Granted

Dr. Ekaterina Nannen finished her PhD thesis „All-Inorganic White Light Emitting Devices Based on ZnO Nanocrystals“ at the Faculty of Engineering with the grade „summa cum laude“. She developed an innovative method based on inorganic nanoparticles for converting electrical energy into white light.

Video film of "Niederrhein Talk" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Video film and interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Master Thesis at WET Decorated as Best Degree of the Faculty of Engineering

For her final thesis in the Master program NanoEngineering, M. Sc. Franziska Muckel was awarded as best alumna of the Faculty of Engineering. She was honored in the frame of the Dies Academicus and the related ceremony on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the University Duisburg-Essen.

Research Equipment Approved

[04.03.2013] A proposal submitted to the German Research Foundation for a combined SNOM / AFM system was approved. This will allow correlated measurements of the optical, electrical and thermal properties of nanomaterials and nanostructured devices on a Sub-100 nm length scale.

Publication in „Nano Letters“ Room Temperature Magneto-Optics

[04.12.2012] Imagine, you can realize devices combining electrical, optical and magnetic functionality. By exploring suitable magneto-optically active materials, an important progress was achieved in our group. The results were recently published in the journal „Nano Letters“.