The main objective of this proposal is on exploring the synergy of the two cores of nanophotonics technologies, i.e., silicon photonics and plasmonics, which have been identified as one of the key competitiveness of European research and economic sectors. [The Leverage Effect of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective. By European Commission] The project addresses hybrid structure composing of a silicon microring (MR) or microdonut (MD) resonator coupled with a plasmonic nanoantenna. The presence of the nanoantenna, with its controllable and enhanced local electromagnetic fields, will allow controlling the optical properties of MR or MD via near-field coupling, but which is achievable through far-field excitation. Many degrees of control over the optical property of the MR or MD are achievable via the polarisation state of the far-field source, and size, shape, orientation and placement of the nanoantenna with respect to the MR or MD. The underlying physics behind the photon-plasmon coupling will be investigated with an aim of achieving design rules for photonic-plasmonic hybrid structure. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid structure will be demonstrated for use as an optical switch and a biosensor. The generated research outcomes will be relevant to the EU in two main respects: first, they will help advance the fundamental knowledge concerning the physics behind the coupling between silicon photonic structure and plasmonic nanoantenna, which will strengthen the position of EU as the world's leader in the field, towards making it the hub of scientific research and, second, the design has potential for intellectual property protection, thus, enhance EU's industrial competitiveness by giving its an edge in the marketplace.

The project aims at exploring the use of nanovoids and nanodots prepared as plasmonic structures to enhance the efficiency of Si single-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) devices. Fabrication and experimental investigation of plasmonic structures in strained Si/SiGe multilayered structures will be carried to enhance light harvesting in solar cells due to both near-field and far-field effects. The main idea behind the production of nanovoids and nanodots is based on the ability of compressively strained thin SiGe alloy layers, incorporated in a Si matrix during epitaxial growth, to collect small-sized molecules (H, He, C) or vacancies, induced by irradiation. Further, thermal treatment results in the formation of nano-voids which are strictly assembled within the strained SiGe layers. The following key processes will be used: Molecular beam epitaxy of strained Si/SiGe/Si structures followed by irradiation with light ions (hydrogen, carbon) and rapid thermal treatment. This structure will then be additionally used as a template for segregation and self-assembling of metallic or carbon nanodots. The fundamental investigations of the structural, optical and electronic properties of the strained Si/SiGe layers will be carried out with a range of available methods for structural, electronical and optical characterization. By placing the nanovoids and nanodots in a highly doped emitter layer close enough to the p-n-junction that the near-fields will extend into the depletion layer, the effects of near-fields will be obtained. This will give a contribution to the electron-hole pair generation, and this will be additional to the far field effects. Being formed periodically, strained layers with self-assembled nanovoids or nanodots will display fundamentally unusual electronic and optical properties. These effects have not previously been experimentally studied in a solar cell configuration. The present system offers a unique configuration for such investigation.

It is the main goal of this project to bring to the host institution and the European Research Area the knowledge and technology to prepare current record flexible dye sensitized photovoltaic devices, previously developed by the candidate in South Korea and then the USA, in order to be able to further improve them, while endowing them with semi-transparency, using stretchable and bendable optical materials. The candidate has demonstrated that several key materials and processes provide better performance of bendable dye solar cells, i.e., enhanced efficiency and flexibility, by allowing the preparation of electrodes in which the electron diffusion length is longer and charge collection efficiency is consequently enhanced. However, highly efficient dye solar cells are opaque as a consequence of the particular diffuse scattering design employed to improve light absorption, which limits their application in building or automotive integrated photovoltaics. This proposal seeks to solve such drawback by introducing photonic nanostructures in different configurations, yielding both light harvesting enhancement and preserving transparency, hence placing Europe at the forefront of research in this specific area within the field of renewable energy. This final goal will be attempted through different approaches, each one challenging from the materials science perspective. Preparation of such highly efficient and transparent devices will combine the flexible solar cell processing tools previously developed by the candidate with the versatile optical material preparation techniques pioneered by the host institution. More specifically, integration of novel porous flexible photonic structures into the light harvesting layer, use of flexible mirrors attached to the back of the counter-electrode, and designed distribution of scatterers will be employed to reach the target.

ETASECS aims at making a breakthrough in the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells for solar-powered water splitting that can be readily integrated with PV cells to provide storage capacity in the form of hydrogen. It builds upon our recent invention for resonant light trapping in ultrathin films of iron oxide (a-Fe2O3), which enables overcoming the deleterious trade-off between light absorption and charge carrier collection efficiency. Although we recently broke the water photo-oxidation record by any a-Fe2O3 photoanode reported to date, the losses are still high and there is plenty of room for further improvements that will lead to a remakable enhancement in the performance of our photoanodes, reaching quantum efficiency level similar to state-of-the-art PV cells. ETASECS aims at reaching this ambitious goal, which is essential for demonstrating the competitiveness of PEC+PV tandem systems for solar energy conversion and storage. Towards this end WP1 will combine theory, modelling and simulations, state-of-the-art experimental methods and advanced diagnostic techniques in order to identify and quantify the different losses in our devices. This work will guide the optimization work in WP2 that will suppress the losses at the photoanode and insure optimal electrical and optical coupling of the PEC and PV cells. We will also explore advanced photon management schemes that will go beyond our current light trapping scheme by combining synergic optical and nanophotonics effects. WP3 will integrate the PEC and PV cells and test their properties and performance. WP4 will disseminate our progress and achievements in professional and public forums. The innovations that will emerge from this frontier research will be further pursued in proof of concept follow up investigations that will demonstrate the feasibility of this technology. Success along these lines holds exciting promises for ground breaking progress towards large scale deployment of solar energy.

In the ERC-StG-project CoCooN, we investigate the surface modification of nanoparticles by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). To enable this research, a rotary ALD reactor was developed. The number of possible applications for nanoparticles has strongly increased in the last decade. For many applications, such as catalysis, batteries, solid-state lighting, but also drug development and biotech, nanoparticles with different surface properties are necessary. Today, and with the help of the ERC- project CoCooN, ALD has proven to be a reliable method for depositing ultrathin and conformal coatings, even on large quantities of (nano)particles. We have designed and built a prototype rotary ALD reactor that enables both thermal and plasma-enhanced ALD surface modification of (nano)particles. In PaNaCo, we will push this rotary ALD reactor to a pre-commercial level.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the world's most important crop plants. The production is strongly limited by nitrogen (N), which is typically supplied by industrial fertilizers that are costly and hazardous to the environment. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) through N2 fixing Bacteria and Archaea (diazotrophs) can alleviate the N-shortage in rice cultivation and was estimated to account for up to 25% of the total N-demand of the plants. However, our knowledge on N2 fixation related processes in the soil-microbe-plant interface of flooded rice fields (paddy soils) is still rudimentary. The proposed project seeks to increase the understanding of N2 fixation rates of diazotrophs and their respective contribution to the total BNF in these systems. A better understanding of the colonization patterns and preferential micro-niches of diazotroph associated with soil-grown rice roots is needed to unravel the interactions and N-transfer processes between diazotrophs and the rice plant on a biologically meaningful micro-scale. The objectives of the proposed research are: (1) to investigate the factors (soil types, rice genotypes, plant growth stages) influencing the community composition of diazotrophs associated with different soil/root micro-environments based on nifH amplicon sequencing; (2) the in situ analysis of spatial distribution and colonization patterns of native diazotrophs associated with soil-grown rice roots via fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); and (3) to assess the in situ activity of diazotrophs associated with soil-root micro-environments by 15N2 incubations and FISH-NanoSIMS. This project combines molecular methods, biogeochemical assays, and single-cell isotope analysis to analyze the in situ activities of diazotrophs in a previously unachievable manner. This multidisciplinary approach will be extremely powerful to address questions regarding the N2 fixation by plant-associated diazotrophs on a biologically relevant submicron scale.

Highly sensitive biological detection opens new opportunities for biomolecular sensing. Label-free detection with high-Q microcavities is highly advantageous to perform label-free sensing due to its high sensitivity. We propose to develop a platform for multiplex label-free sensing with microring resonators. Close to the ring, we fabricate nanoscale pores (nanopores) for positioning control. This allows control of biomolecules position by electrophoretic force, without the need of surface immobilisation. Structures are designed to allow for multiplex sensing. The sensitivity is optimised thanks to the microrings properties as well as positioning and properties of the nanopores. Microring resonators are fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate, using standard CMOS processing, allowing for cheap mass fabrication and integration with multiple sensing spots for real-time sensing in a lab on chip format. SOI offers a high refractive index contrast suitable for the fabrication of nanophotonic circuits including micron- and submicron sized optical cavities of very high quality. Solid-state nanopores are fabricated on Si3N4 membranes, using focused ion beam process. We also implement fluidic integration and optical set-up for multiplex measurement of resonant profiles. A tunable light source beam of wavelength l=1.3 micron is coupled in an input waveguide. It is further multiplexed to sense several rings in parallel. Translocation events through the nanopores induce a change of refractive index and therefore of guiding properties which may be measured through resonant response. Our technique allows performing biological sensing without the need of biomolecules immobilisation on a chip substrate. Biological tests are first carried out with DNA ladders for fragment sizing. We will then study potential of our platform for fingerprinting of proteins. It will open new opportunities to diagnosis applications as well as to study analytical measurements in complex systems.

Thermoelectric (TE) power generation, which offers potential for converting waste industrial heat into useful electricity, is foreseen to become increasingly important in the near future because of the need for alternative energy sources. How big this role is likely to be depends not only on the efficiency of TE materials but also on the crustal abundance and toxicity of their raw materials. BiSbTe intermetallic compounds, PbTe and SiGe alloys have served as the most widely used TE materials in the past half century. However, the key constituent elements, such as Te (0.001 ppm by weight), Sb (0.2 ppm), and Ge (1.4 ppm) are rare in the Earth's crust, and Te and Pb are toxic. In this project, TE sulphides operating in the medium temperature ranges, instead of tellurides are chosen as the research starting point to explore TE materials with high figure of merit zT, which requires higher Seebeck coefficient, higher electrical conductivity, and lower thermal conductivity. A combination of band structure engineering and nanostructuring will be simultaneously investigated as an effective approach for improving TE performance. We will identify promising optimized compositions and sinter powders by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) to produce three kinds of TE metal (Cu, Bi, Ti) sulphides. Also, grain size and morphology controllable bulk nanomaterials will be fabricated by nonequilibrium routes, for example, melt spinning or mechanical alloying followed by SPS. The main objective of this work is to develop high performance nanostructured TE sulphides and modules to replace current commercial materials that use costly, scarce and toxic elements. Moreover, this project will help to clarify the physical mechanisms behinds the two strategies, band structure engineering and nanostructuring. The effect of thermodynamic process of the nonequilibrium preparation route on the electrical and thermal properties will be studied and the mechanisms involved will be established.

The objective of this proposal is to devise new ways of shaping light and other electromagnetic waves in complex and novel structures. The research will delve into fundamental aspects of electrodynamics, from classical optics to the quantum mechanical dynamics of photons. Over the past twenty years, several new kinds of artificial media for electromagnetic waves were demonstrated, among them photonic crystals, metamaterials, plasmonic materials, and more recently graphene-like photonic lattices. These new kinds of 'electromagnetic media' call for new methods for beam shaping to facilitate control over the electromagnetic fields propagating within them. Moreover, many novel photonic systems and devices rely on strong coupling between light and matter. Naturally, such systems combine quantum mechanics effects with classical electrodynamics. For example, modern experimental research would greatly benefit from efficient coupling of light to quantum dots, nano-photonic structures embedded in silicon chips, or particular molecules -to manipulate and probe the molecular dynamics. All of these necessitate novel methods for shaping light in new kinds of structures, which cannot be addressed by traditional techniques. In this research plan, I aspire to make fundamental theoretical contributions that, apart from their basic research component, will also contribute to a large variety of present and future applications. I believe this ambitious research will have high impact, advancing the knowledge on waves' propagation in structured media, which is at the forefront of current research. The outgoing phase (first two years) will take place at Stanford, under the supervision of Prof. Shanhui Fan. The return phase (third year) will take place at the Technion, under the supervision of Prof. Gadi Eisenstein. The return department (the Faculty of Electrical Engineering) is highly supportive of my application: the support letter of the Dean is incorporated in the proposal (in B3).

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) has become one of the basic techniques for the analysis of surface reconstructions, overlayer growth mechanisms, surface dynamics and chemistry at the atomic scale. STM is used in physics, chemistry and biology for investigation of organic and inorganic nanoobjects. However, the mechanisms of STM image formation are still not completely understood. The proposed project will be focused mainly on two unresolved issues. The first research focus is related to fabrication of functionalized STM probes with well defined electronic (orbital) structure. To control the electronic structure of the STM tip apex, oriented single crystal probes will be used. The second research focus is related to experimental and theoretical studies of the STM tip and surface atoms interaction and the role of different electron orbitals of the both tip and surface atoms in the STM image formation process. The atom-atom interaction at extremely small tunneling gaps as well as distance and bias voltage dependent contribution of separate electron orbitals will be studied experimentally using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at room and low temperatures. The experimental data will be analyzed in a conjunction with results of theoretical (density functional theory and tight binding) calculations. The project activity can provide new fundamental understanding of the atomic scale objects and give some keys for controllable probing separate electron orbitals of individual atoms with STM. This can advance the surface analysis methods necessary for development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The selective orbital imaging capability can allow to reach ultimate spatial resolution, spin sensitivity at the atomic scale and controllable chemical discrimination of atomic species on surfaces using STM that are essential for physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and materials science.