addition of electrodes and
developed passive sensors
Network sponsored by the
other components complicates
so far, but the researchers
Microelectronics
Advanced
the process. "Think about
believe their technique will
Research Corporation and the
a transistor," he said. "It
make active sensors or devices
Defense Advanced Research
has source, drain and gate
possible for telecommunication,
Projects Agency.
electrodes and a dielectric
biosensing, plasmonics and
The
Rice
team
tested
(insulator) on top, and all of
other applications.
the concept by making a
these have to be transferred
Rice graduate student Zehua
10-nanometer-thick
indium
intact. That's a very big
Jin is lead author of the
selenide photodetector with
challenge, because all of those
paper. Co-authors are Rice
gold electrodes and placing it
materials are different."
graduate students Fan Ye,
onto an optical fiber. Because
Raw 2D materials are often
Shuai Jia and Liangliang Dong
it was so close, the near-field
moved with a layer of polymethyl
and postdoctoral researcher
sensor
effectively
coupled
methacrylate (PMMA), more
Xiang Zhang; Rice alumnus
with an evanescent field -- the
commonly known as Plexiglas,
Sidong Lei, now an assistant
oscillating
electromagnetic
on top, and the Rice researchers
professor at Georgia State
wave that rides the surface
make use of that technique.
University, and Robert Vajtai, a
of the fiber -- and accurately
But they needed a robust
research professor in materials
detected the flow of information
bottom layer that would not only
science and nanoengineering
inside.
keep the circuit intact during
at Rice. Ajayan is chair of
_________________________
the move but could also be
Rice's Department of Materials
_______________
removed before attaching the
Science and NanoEngineering,
device to its target. (The PMMA
the Benjamin M. and Mary
Source: Rice University
is also removed when the circuit
Greenwood
Anderson
Illustration of flexible, 2-D circuit.
reaches its destination.)
Professor in Engineering and
Credit:
Zehua
Jin/Rice
The
ideal
solution
was
a professor of chemistry. Lou
University
polydimethylglutarimide
is a professor of materials
(PMGI), which can be used as
science and nanoengineering.
Story Source:
a device fabrication platform
Robinson
is
an
assistant
Materials provided by Rice
and easily etched away before
professor of electrical and
University.
transfer to the target. "We've
computer engineering.
Journal Reference:
spent quite some time to
The research was supported
1.
Zehua Jin, Fan Ye, Xiang
develop this sacrificial layer,"
by the Air Force Office of
Zhang, Shuai Jia, Liangliang
Lou said. PMGI appears to
Scientific
Research,
the
Dong, Sidong Lei, Robert
work for any 2D material, as
Welch Foundation, Rice IDEA
Vajtai, Jacob T. Robinson, Jun
the researchers experimented
and
Function
Accelerate
Lou, Pulickel M. Ajayan. Near-
successfully with molybdenum
nanoMaterial
Engineering
Field Coupled Integrable Two-
diselenide and other materials
(FAME), one of six centers of
Dimensional InSe Photosensor
as well.
the Semiconductor Technology
on Optical Fiber
The Rice labs have only
Advanced
Research
Articles & Research
31

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