0000000000216688
AUTHOR
Yaolan Tian
Statistical Characterization of Self-Assembled Colloidal Crystals by Single-Step Vertical Deposition
Abstract We have statistically characterized the self-assembly of multi-layer polystyrene colloidal crystals, using the technique of vertical deposition, with parameters chosen to produce thick layers of self-assembled crystals in one deposition step. The size distribution of domains produced with this technique was seen to follow a log-normal distribution, hinting that aggregation or fragmentation phenomena play a role. In addition, using a lithographically directed self-assembly method, we have shown that the size of multi-layer, continuous crack-free domains in lithographically defined areas can be many times larger than in the surrounding areas. In a single deposition step, we have prod…
Fabrication and Modelling of Three-Dimensional Sub-kelvin Phononic Crystals
We have investigated the fabrication and computational modelling of threedimensional phononic crystals for the observation of full band gaps for thermal phonons at sub-kelvin temperatures. Self-assembled arrays of monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres have been fabricated using a vertical deposition technique. Optimal conditions for increasing crystal domain size and crystalline quality have been studied. In addition, the phononic band structure has been computed using the finite element method for the simple cubic lattice. The dependence of band structure on contact area between spheres has also been studied. For small enough contact area a large band gap is observed, predicting a strong in…
Intregrating metallic wiring with three-dimensional polystyrene colloidal crystals using electron-beam lithography and three-dimensional laser lithography
We demonstrate a method to fabricate narrow, down to a few micron wide metallic leads on top of a three-dimensional colloidal crystal self-assembled from polystyrene (PS) nanospheres of diameter 260 nm, using electron-beam lithography. This fabrication is not straightforward due to the fact that PS nanospheres cannot usually survive the harsh chemical treatments required in the development and lift-off steps of electron-beam lithography. We solve this problem by increasing the chemical resistance of the PS nanospheres using an additional electron-beam irradiation step, which allows the spheres to retain their shape and their self-assembled structure, even after baking to a temperature of 16…
Minimizing coherent thermal conductance by controlling the periodicity of two-dimensional phononic crystals
Periodic hole array phononic crystals (PnC) can strongly modify the phonon dispersion relations, and have been shown to influence thermal conductance coherently, especially at low temperatures where scattering is suppressed. One very important parameter influencing this effect is the period of the structure. Here, we measured the sub-Kelvin thermal conductance of nanofabricated PnCs with identical hole filling factors, but three different periodicities, 4, 8, and 16 $\mu$m, using superconducting tunnel junction thermometry. We found that all the measured samples can suppress thermal conductance by an order of magnitude, and have a lower thermal conductance than the previously measured small…