Computational Nanoengineering

Professor Hwang and his students focus on developing models that can be used to guide the rational design and fabrication of future nanoscale devices. They are studying several modes of fabrication:

• Self-assembly of organic molecules on semiconductors
• Metal nanoclusters on oxides, for catalysts
• Nanocrystals of silicon and germanium in an oxide matrix, which may be used in electronic and electro-optical devices
• Ultrashallow junction formation as governed by defects and dopants
• Patterned carbon nanotube growth using chemical plasma deposition

The group is also studying the electrochemical synthesis of micro- and nano-structures, focusing on the dynamics of ions in electrolytes and the behavior of "double layers" that charge and discharge in response to high-frequency voltage applied to the electrolytic solution.

The research thus touches on most aspects of nanotechnology now under study in laboratories, for which the development of accurate models will assist greatly in the design of devices. It is highly interdisciplinary, crossing a wide spectrum of fundamental studies. For a full discussion of Professor Hwang's recent research, see "CAREER Award Helps Researcher to Study Nanostructures".