Diamond Nanowire for UV Detection

Abstract : A number of important discoveries about diamond nanowires were made. First is the proof that this novel morphology of carbon can exist, and can be fabricated in a CVD process at atmospheric pressure. Raman spectroscopy, TEM, SEM, electron diffraction, and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the NWs. These measurements showed that the nanowires are formed of diamond with high crystallinity and high uniformity, encased in a graphitic shell. DNWs were also fabricated using a RIE process. This method allows for reliable control of the shape, length, diameter, density, and doping of the DNW. Several other productive projects have arisen as offshoots of this work, including a theoretical study of the size- and material-dependence of electrical properties of metal-nanowire interfaces, an investigation of the memory effect of a representative NW structure (SWCNT on nitride-oxide), the fabrication and study of Bi NWs and Bi2S3 nanostructures, and the first discovery of Cooper pairs in an insulating phase of material: named one of the ten top physics stories of 2007 by the American Institute of Physics.