NEreO addresses to the study and the development of nano-scale field-effect transistors (i.e. transistors with source-drain inter-electrodes distance varying from hundreds to few nanometers) based on organic molecular films. Organic materials are expected, in the near future, to give rise to a new generation of devices for electronics, photonics and optoelectronics, which will cause a paradigm shift in the production of electronic devices and pave the way for the era of plastic electronics. The main goals of NEreO will be achieved by the original combination of a sophisticated nano-scale fabrication method, namely e-beam lithography, with the unprecedented ability of the Supersonic Molecular Beam Epitaxy deposition technique to control morphology, structure and interfaces of organic films. Besides technological applications, nano-scale organic field-effect transistors will be basic tools for studying charge transport, charge injection and interfaces in organic materials. At Cornell, the fellow will benefit by the presence of several multicultural scientific communities built around national facilities such as the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility, the Cornell Center for Materials Research and the Cornel High Energy Synchrotron Source. The fellow will thus attain levels of world-class excellence, satisfying the objectives of the Specific Programme, and acquire the professional independence required to realize the objectives of the Work Programme. The success of NEreO will rely on the multidisciplinary approach pursued together with the state-of-the-art facilities and methodologies adopted. The collaboration between two world-class leading experts will give the chance to Dr Cicoira to grow as a leading scientist with global thinking and ability to promote networks and common strategy for the creation of new facilities.

The principal objective of this grant is to develop via the Transfer of Knowledge Marie Curie Action a state of the art compact table top X-pinch device. The x-ray emission of the X-pinch generator will be in the range of 1-10 keV, the total x-ray power will be 1kW and will be investigated as a function of the pulsed current, the wire material and the material size. Emphasis will be given to investigate the physics of the formation of the dense hot plasma at the cross-point and the radiation transport. The self-generated magnetic field in the overdense region of the x-ray point source will be diagnosed using a novel technique based on the Faraday rotation of a probe laser pulse and the Cotton-Mouton effect on XUV harmonics generated by a femtosecond laser system. Applications of x-rays in science, industry and medicine will be explored. In particular, x-ray lithography for new semiconductor material research for nanotechnology purposes and x-ray radiography and microscopy of biological cells will be performed. The proposed work envisaged will provide excellent Transfer of Knowledge opportunities from world leading Universities and Research Centers (Imperial College, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, University of California) to a less favoured region (Crete) in need of developing new areas of competence and knowledge in the field of pulsed power technology and x-ray sources.

The objective of this project is to support the participation of outstanding young European researchers in the 7th

International Conference on Laser Ablation (COLA'03) and provide high-level training in a scientific area of

high current interest fostering the interaction between young scientists and internationally known experts in the

field.

COLA'03, to be held in Hersonissos, Crete, Greece (October 2003) is a major conference in the field of laser-

matter interactions, that focuses on fundamental studies and technological applications of laser ablation,

attracting scientidsts form both academia and industry. Laser ablation is a highly interdisciplinary field drawing

science and engineering. It plays a key role in current frontier topics, which are among the priority research

themes for the new European Research Area, such as nanoscience and technology, materials processing and

biomedical applications.

Researches in Europe have a leading role in the field of laser ablation promoting European scientific excellence.

The organisation of COLA'03 in Europe offers a great opportunty for advancing the European state-of-the-art

in the field by providing:

- a stimulating environment for fruitful interaction between scientists

- efficient exchange of views between research and industry communities

- a high-quality training to young researchers, essential for their studies and future career.

A high level and dynamic training component in COLA'03 is implemented through:

- the selection of conference topics representing areas of intense current scientific and technological interest

- the invitation of world-known experts to lecture on "hot" topics

- a programme structure with brainstorming lecture-discussion sessions, to allow selected project presentations by

young scientists with leading experts in the field

- the organization of poster sessions, followed by discussion sessions, to allow selected project presentations by<

New techniques in far-field fluorescence microscopy have improved optical resolution down to several times the diffraction limit. The resolution currently achieved with these techniques is 28 nm. Recently it was proposed that fluorescent reversible molecular compounds ('photoswitches') could be utilized in fluorescence microscopy, allowing, in principle, to improve the resolution up to molecular dimensions, i.e. 1-5 nm. The use of these photochromic compounds should enable the utilization of very low light intensities, thus making the technique particularly suitable for biological applications.It is proposed to investigate the feasibility and performance of photochromic fluorescent compounds in modern far-field fluorescent microscopy techniques, as well as explore its different potential uses and applications. The aim of this project is to improve resolution to a few nanometers and, in particular, apply the technique to live-cell imaging as well as to memory storage and lithography.Undertaking this scientific project in a field’s leader's laboratory will give me the opportunity to learn advanced microscopy techniques, and acquire a significant experience and expertise in the field. After having completed my training in Germany, I will be prepared to set up a research team and start an independent research career in my home country, Argentina.

One-atom thin two-dimensional nanomaterials possess unique properties different from their bulk counterparts. Initiated by the discovery of graphene, many stable one atom-thick layers such as boron nitride, molybdenum disulphide, tungsten disulphide etc., have been isolated and characterized. However, the individual properties of such 2D-atomic crystals (except graphene) were modest. The combination of isolated single atomic layers into designer structures, named as 2D-heterostrcutures, is predicted to give synergetic properties. In order to harness the interesting properties the combination of various 2D-atomic crystals have to offer, a method to assemble them in a simple and scalable way is required. Currently, the only method known is manual placing of the 2D-atomic crystal layers sequentially which limits the scope of the study of such structures. The objective of the proposal is to assemble layered (each layer is one atom thick) stacks of graphene superlattices and heterostructures with other 2D-atomic crystals such as BN, MoS2, WS2 etc., by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-mediated assembly. DNA mediated assembly is highly programmable by chemically specific interaction between nucleotides, length of the DNA, strength of the interactions in addition to the symmetry control of the assembled structures. Top-down lithography will be combined with bottom-up DNA assembly to fabricate seed layers of DNA for the guided assembly which lead to patterned heterostructures. This approach is targeted toward combinatorial screening of exotic properties of varied architectures of heterostructures with control over the composition of 2D-atomic crystals and spacing between the layers (controlled by DNA). The anticipated structures would be vertical atomic scale Legos of 2D-atomic crystal layers with DNA spacers.

Molecular scale interactions at artificial and naturally occurring responsive surfaces, e.g. the cell membrane, play a crucial rolein many biological and biomedical processes. Responsive surfaces with molecular level control are considered as key to manycrucial problems in nanobiotechnology. We aim at contributing to the development of such surfaces starting from afundamental understanding of structure-property relationships in advanced nanomaterials and processes from the molecularscale. Specifically we propose to investigate the translation of external stimuli into forces in single macromolecules by meansof atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements for two classes of stimuli-responsive polymers, i.e. unique redox-activeorganometallic poly(ferrocenylsilanes) and elastin-based biopolymers. The communication with single molecules occurs viaconformational/dimensional changes of these polymers under stress via changes in chain torsional potential energy landscapeand thus variations in the corresponding macromolecular characteristic ratio. These occur upon redox stimulation or uponchanges in e.g. temperature or pH. The challenging project will be tackled in a rational manner (control instead of trial anderror) by depositing molecules individually at precisely defined positions using scanning probe lithography. Subsequently, thenanomechanical properties of an ensemble of individually addressable molecules will be probed molecule for molecule bysingle molecule force spectroscopy, hence avoiding a convolution of data of many molecules. This approach will also beutilized to selectively pick up individual macromolecules by chemically functionalized tips, followed by AFM measurements thataim at unraveling the effects of several external stimuli on the macromolecules response. Based on the results, responsivesurfaces with molecular level control can be designed for applications in the areas of (bio)sensors, drug delivery,nano/microfluidics, and smart coatings.

Nanotechnology is expected to have a big impact on most of our life. Nanostructred materials become more and more important in various fields such as nanoelectronics, information storage technology etc. At the nanometer scale, i.e. 1-100 nm, material properties are clearly size dependent and new properties are expected. Among functional materials nanoscale ferroelectrics can have a major role because they can be applied in different fields such as sensors, actuators, memory devices and optics. However they cannot be applied to nanometer scale devices before the influence of the lateral size on physical properties will be clarified.In order to find answer for the problems there is a need to have good quality nanoscale structures. It is a challenge to fabricate such structures in this range using both lithography (¿top¿down¿ approach) and self-assembling and self-patterning methods (¿bottom¿up¿ approach). Whereas conventional lithographic systems work usually with a resolution of about 100 nm the bottom-up approaches allow the inexpensive fabrication of structures with size of 10-20 nm. The main goal of the work is preparation of nanosized ferroelectric crystals by self-assembling methods. Successful strategies and routes have been developed to synthesize nanoscale materials of numerous simple systems such as semiconductors or metals. Complex systems such as ferroelectric oxides are not yet systematically addressed, despite of the possibility of discovering new materials with unique properties. Physical route based on the concept of microstructural instability of ultrathin films and chemical routes will be applied to obtain different perovskite crystals. A good quality of nanostructures that lateral dimension can be tuned in nanometer range is expected to fabricate and in future this will allow investigating structure-property relations (e.g. by transmission electron microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy) and solve ¿size effects¿ problem.

The investigation of the transport properties of nanoscaled objects is a strongly expanding field of nowadays solid-state physics, it attracts increasing attention either in applied science due to the potential in future applications or in basics research due to exciting quantum effects on the nanoscale. Semiconducting nanowires (NW) are single crystals with a typical diameter of 10-100nm and length of 5-10microm. Fabricating metallic leads to NWs, devices can be produced, where the electron density can be strongly varied by gates and the transport can be explored from the quasi-ballistic to the quantum dot regime. Due to their exceptional properties (e.g. band structure engineering, possibility to contact them with ferromagnetic (F), superconducting (S) leads, local gating), NW based devices open a new horizon in quantum transport. In order to be competitive in the field of experimental quantum electronics, it is essential to own sample fabrication facilities, which has not been available in the host institute. The main aim of this proposal is to set up the environment of device fabrication, which will be based on a Jeol scanning electron microscope equipped with lithography unit. The applicant will fabricate and investigate the low temperature transport properties of InAs NW based devices focusing mainly on spin injection from ferromagnetic leads and on F-S hybrid nanostructures. The fabrication facility will also support other ongoing quantum electronic projects.

This proposal addresses new scientific challenges in spintrontronics, with the focus on the miniaturization of magnetic sensors. Bismuth crystals and graphene layers show anomalously high Fermi wave length and mean free path. This allows us the observation of electron confinement effects in the length scale of nano-lithography techniques. Both systems can be grown and processed on Si-based substrates, which paves the way for the integration with the existing semiconducting technology. Quantum transport properties are to be studied twofold: by means of intense magnetic fields in nano-patterned devices, and by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) at the surface level. In Bi epitaxial films and graphene flakes, Landau quantization grants access to the topology of the Fermi surface through magnetotransport measurements. The exceptional high-mobility of Bi and graphene gives rise to giant Hall and magnetoresistance effects (> 300,000 %), strongly influenced by structural parameters. Another consequence is the large spin-difussion length, which enables the transport of spin-polarized currents through large distances. Furthermore, the spin-split surface state of Bi crystals and graphene in contact with magnetic electrodes opens up the possibility of polarizing magnetically the medium and injecting spin-polarized currents. The purpose of STM studies here is to assess the influence of structural details at the atomic level on the macroscopic magnetotransport properties of Bi and graphene. STM in combination with pulsed field experiments will be used to investigate the loss of the 2-dimensional character of the electric transport as a function of the sample thickness. Both research lines are very appealing because of the enormous potential for practical device applications and the underlying Physics behind them.

Today we live in a world completely dominated by vision with a strong tendency to a constant increase of visual information. However, miniaturization of elements is done by applying similar optical principles known to the designers for many decades. Novel fabrication technologies are permanently developed and applied, but there is no consequent search for new vision principles to fully exploit the newly gained technological capabilities that allow completely new and unexpected fields of application. Main research projects at the Fraunhofer-Institute are related to these topics. Based on a strong experience in optics engineering and a well established facility of optical fabrication technology from macro- to nanoscale novel optical systems are developed. Recently demonstrated bio-inspired vision systems such as planar artificial compound eyes for ultra-compact image acquisition are just a first step in this direction. Within the proposed project, novel vision systems will be designed and manufactured applying electron-beam- and photo-lithography. The main focus of research is related to artificial receptor arrays on a curved basis. This is a highly demanding and at the same time promising topic not only for artificial compound eyes but also for the simplification of classical imaging systems. The major difference of natural and artificial image acquisition systems at this stage is the planar arrangement of the artificial receptor arrays compared to the curved geometry of the natural ones. This is the consequence of todays limitation to planar lithographic patterning technologies. The advantages of a curved basis compared to a planar one are obvious: There are the immanence of a large field of view, the avoiding of off-axis aberrations and declining illumination with increasing field angle. Different technologies are to be applied and evaluated such as laser-lithography on curved surfaces and polymer (flexible) artificial receptor arrays.