Formation of n- and p-type regions in individual Si/SiO2 core/shell nanowires by ion beam doping.

A method for cross-sectional doping of individual Si/SiO2 core/shell nanowires (NWs) is presented. P and B atoms are laterally implanted at different depths in the Si core. The healing of the implantation-related damage together with the electrical activation of the dopants takes place via solid phase epitaxy driven by millisecond-range flash lamp annealing. Electrical measurements through a bevel formed along the NW enabled us to demonstrate the concurrent formation of n- and p-type regions in individual Si/SiO2 core/shell NWs. These results might pave the way for ion beam doping of nanostructured semiconductors produced by using either top-down or bottom-up approaches.

Bioconjugation of the estrogen receptor hERα to a quantum dot dye for a controlled immobilization on a SiO2 surface.

We investigated the immobilization of the estrogen receptor hER(α) on silanized SiO(2) surfaces for biosensor applications. The conjugation of the estrogen receptor hER(α) to the quantum dot dye QD655 was achieved. In order to obtain an optimal immobilization of the estrogen receptor hER(α) on the functionalized SiO(2) surface, the bioconjugate hER(α)-QD655 (Rcpt-qd655) solution was prepared with a higher molar ratio of 10-15 between the QDs and the receptors. A blue laser with an excitation wavelength of 405 nm was used for photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) investigations to monitor the bioconjugate Rcpt-qd655 immobilization on the silanized SiO(2) surfaces with three different functional groups, namely NH(2), -COO(-), and -SH. Several wash processes were applied to remove the excess receptors from the surface after the immobilization. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to control the biofilm background after each wash of the receptor-coated surface which allows the optimization of the immobilization protocol. In order to test its stability a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was employed and the receptor density was calculated. Finally the optimal biolayer (silane film+hER(α) receptor) was tested for measurements of 17ß-estradiol (E2) with a concentration of 1 µM in waterish solution. The measurement concept outlined in [L. Rebohle et al., Vacuum 83 (2009) 24-28] was applied. The whole system was investigated by PL, which exhibits two color signals, namely from the receptor and the detected E2 molecules.

Spraying spin coating silanization at room temperature of a SiO2 surface for silicon-based integrated light emitters.

A new silanization method for SiO(2) surfaces has been developed for Si-based light emitters which are intended to serve as light sources in smart biosensors relying on fluorescence analysis. This method uses a special silanization chamber and is based on spraying and spin coating (SSC) in nitrogen atmosphere at room temperature for 10 min. It avoids processes like sonication and the use of certain chemicals being harmful to integrated light emitters. The surface of a SiO(2) layer serving as a passivation layer for the light emitters was hydrolyzed to silanols using an in situ-hybridization chamber and catalyzed with MES (2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfone acid hydrate) buffer solution. Subsequently, the substrates were silanized with the SSC method using two coupling agents as (3-Aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APMS), and N'-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyl)-diethylenetriamine (triamino-APMS). The structure of the SiO(2) surface, the APMS and the triamino-APMS layers was controlled and characterized by Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show a covalent binding of the silane coupling agents on the surface. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the roughness of the surface. The silanized samples exhibit smooth and densely covered surfaces. Finally, the suitability of the SSC method was verified on real light emitters.