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August 2015
In This Issue
  

Winner of SID's Innovation Award: World's First Truly Transparent Solar Technology

From Society for Information Display and Ubiquitous Energy, June 2015: 
 

"The Society for Information Display presented their 2015 Display Week Innovation (I-Zone) Award to Ubiquitous Energy for their ClearView Power TM Technology. The I-Zone Award recognizes "cutting-edge prototypes that will lead to the products of tomorrow."  

 

"Implemented as a fully transparent film that covers a device's display area, ClearView Power technology transmits light visible to the human eye, while selectively capturing and converting ultraviolet and near-infrared light into electricity to power the device and extend its battery life. Numerous attempts to develop see-through solar cells have resulted in only modest transparencies. In contrast, ClearView Power is the first truly transparent solar technology that can overlay the surface of an electronic display without affecting device performance or display clarity."
  

Source: Ubiquitous Energy, ubiquitous.energy/wp-content/ 
Image: Ubiquitous Energy

Twists and Shouts: A Nanotube Story
 

From Chemical and Engineering News, June 8, 2015, by Matt Davenport: April 15, 2015: 
 
"About 15 years ago, the world was supposed to be witnessing the start of a revolution. Carbon nanotubes were going to change the world. 

So what happened? That's what Pulickel M. Ajayan, founding chair of Rice University's materials science and nanoengineering department, who has researched nanotubes for decades, explains. The short answer, he says, is the same thing that happens with virtually every other exciting new material: hype. "

Source: Chemical and Engineering News, cen.acs.org/articles/
Image: Shutterstock

Thin Coatings Controlled at Atomic Scale Protect High Performance Lithium Anodes

From the University of Maryland, A. James Clark School of Engineering, June 9, 2015 

"Researchers have found a way to coat corrosive but highly energetic lithium metal anodes with an atoms-thick layer of alumina to make lithium-ion batteries last longer. Alexander Kozen, of the University of Maryland's Department of Materials Science and the Institute for Systems Research, and his colleague Malachi Noked (also in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,) used a technique borrowed from the semiconductor industry -- atomic layer deposition (ALD) -- to put down a layer of aluminum oxide, 14 nanometers thick, all around the anode. The team reports improved lithium-sulfur battery capacity for 100 charge-discharge cycles, an important milestone to demonstrate the efficacy of this technique as a proof of concept."

Source: University of Maryland, www.ee.umd.edu/html/news/
Image: University of Maryland

New Plasmonic Transparent Electrodes for OPVs

From SPIE Professional (DOI: 10.1117/2.4201507.19), July 2015:  

"Researchers from Lehigh University (USA) have proposed a new transparent conducting electrode (TCE) design for OPVs that could result in a doubling of power-conversion efficiency, to 24% from the 12% achieved with today's state-of-the-art OPVs. 

Their approach employs a light-trapping strategy using plasmonic nanostructures to enhance photon absorption, i.e. increasing the optical but not the physical thickness of the light-harvesting layers. Limits on the thickness of these organic active layers have been one of the major challenges to improving the OPVs' efficiency in converting solar energy into electricity "

Source: SPIE Professional, July 2015, http://spie.org/x114641.xml#plasmonic
Image: Lehigh University

Materials Innovations Help LEDs Turn On

From Photonics Spectra, June 2015, by Hank Hogan:  

"Yole Développement, the Lyon, France-based analyst firm forecasts an explosion in sales of LED materials, due in part to better performance in visually important aspects such as color rendering. Innovations in substrates and phosphors lie behind such advances. These also benefit displays, where LEDs today are used primarily in backlighting for LCDs. 

Novel materials are powering the push of LEDs into new areas. For instance, according to Yole Développement, the market for ultraviolet LEDs will grow from $90 million in 2014 to more than $500 million and potentially much higher by 2019 "

Source: Photonics Spectra, www.photonics.com/
Image: Photonics Spectra

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma-Based Fabrication of Printable Electronics and Functional Coatings

From NASA Tech Briefs, May 1, 2015, Ames Research Center:   

"The need for low-cost and environmentally friendly processes for fabricating printable electronics and biosensor chips is growing. Nanomaterials have proved to be very useful in both printable electronics due to their electronic properties, and in biosensors for signal transduction, and amplification. Chemical vapor deposition requires high temperatures for the growth of nanostructures, restricting the type and nature of materials that can be used as substrates. Conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition requires high vacuum equipment, and the need for vacuum results in additional costs of vacuum pumps and energy resources."

Image: NASA Tech Briefs 
 
From IEEE Spectrum, April 22, 2015, by Rachel Courtland:

"Stuart Parkin has a vision for the future of computing. "The mantra [has been] 'Go smaller, go faster,' and I think the mantra is wrong," says Parkin, a longtime IBM researcher who is now director of the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, in Halle, Germany. "It turns out it costs a lot of energy to go faster. 

Over the years, engineers have studied a range of candidates that might be used to make brainlike circuits. Parkin's focus is on vanadium dioxide, one of a class of materials called metal oxides that are capable of switching from an insulating state to a conductive, metallic one. "

 

Image: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics

From Brittle to Plastic in One Breath

From Rice University, May 4, 2015 by Mike Williams:
 

"Calculations by Rice University scientists show that a two-dimensional layer of molybdenum disulfide can become superplastic by changing its environmental conditions. In an atmosphere with sulfur and under the right temperature and pressure, the energy barrier is lowered, allowing dislocations along the grain boundaries to shift and changing the material's properties. 


 That means one can deform it without breaking it - a property many materials scientists who study two-dimensional materials should find interesting."


Image: Rice University / Xiaolong Zou

Researchers Inject Tiny, Rolled-Up Electronics into the Brain Using a Syringe
From Harvard University, June 8, 2015, by Janet Fang:

"Researchers have developed stretchy, bendy electronics that are so thin they can be rolled up and jammed into a small needle with a 0.1-millimeter diameter, then injected into living tissue. Within an hour of being injected into the brains of live mice, the electronics unfurled and began monitoring biological activity.

A team led by Harvard's Charles Lieber and Ying Fang from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing has designed syringe-injectable, mesh-shaped electronics consisting of a polymer-metal combination. Once rolled up and loaded into a syringe - which can have a diameter as small as 100 micrometers - the electrical components can be injected into cavities or specific regions of living tissues. After the jab, as the needle is withdrawn, the electronics unfold to about 80% of their original configuration - with no loss of function, the team reports. "

Image: Harvard University / Lieber Research Group

Superlubricity Gets Quantified for the First Time 

From Nanowerk News, May 8, 2015, by Christopher Sciacca, IBM:
 

"It was only recently that scientists were able to verify the lack of friction, known as superlubricity, in graphite at the atomic scale. This understanding is an important step, as scientists around the world, including those at IBM, continue to investigate devices known as Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS. 

 

MEMs are miniaturized mechanical objects like tiny gears, pumps and sensors which could be used for any number of applications, including targeted drug delivery, blood pressure sensors, and microphones for portable devices. "
 

Source: Nanowerk News, www.nanowerk.com/

Image: IBM

Engineering a Better Solar Cell: UW Research Pinpoints Defects in Popular Perovskites

 
 
From the University of Washington, April 30, 2015, by Renee Gastineau:
 
"A new study published online in the journal Science by University of Washington and University of Oxford researchers demonstrates that perovskite materials, generally believed to be uniform in composition, actually contain flaws that can be engineered to improve solar devices even further. 

The research team used high-powered imaging techniques to find defects in the perovskite films that limit the movement of charges and, therefore, limit the efficiency of the devices. Perovskite solar cells have so far have achieved efficiencies of roughly 20 percent, compared to about 25 percent for silicon-based solar cells."

 

Source: University of Washington, www.washington.edu/news/
Image: University of Washington


Chemists Cook Up Three Atom-Thick Electronic Sheets


From Cornell University, April 29, 2015, by Anne Ju, 
 

"The process of film deposition is common for traditional semiconductors like silicon or gallium arsenide - the basis of modern electronics - but Cornell scientists are pushing the limits for how thin they can go. They have demonstrated a way to create a new kind of semiconductor thin film that retains its electrical properties even when it is just atoms thick. 


 Three atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide were cooked up in the lab of Jiwoong Park, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology and member of the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science. The films were designed and grown by postdoctoral associate Kibum Kang and graduate student Saien Xie.

 

The researchers pulled off the feat by tuning the growth conditions of their films using a technique called metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).""


Source: Cornell University, www.news.cornell.edu/
Image: Cornell University / Kibum Kang 

Surface Matters: Huge Reduction of Heat Conduction Observed in Flat Silicon Channels

From Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, April 28, 2015:

"The advent of nanotechnology, where the rules of classical physics gradually fail as the dimensions shrink, is challenging Fourier's theory of heat in several ways. A paper published in ACS Nano and written by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Germany), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2, Spain) and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland) in the framework of the project MERGING (Membrane-based phonon engineering for energy harvesting) describes how the nanometer-scale topology and the chemical composition of the surface control the thermal conductivity of ultrathin silicon membranes. 

The results show that the thermal conductivity of silicon membranes thinner than 10 nm is 25 times lower than that of bulk crystalline silicon and is controlled to a large extent by the structure and the chemical composition of their surface. Combining state-of-the-art realistic atomistic modeling, sophisticated fabrication techniques, new measurement approaches and the latest parameter-free modeling, researchers unraveled the role of surface oxidation in determining the scattering of phonons (quantized lattice vibrations), which are the main heat carriers in silicon. "

Source: Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/
Image: ACS Nano

Graphene Looking Promising for Future Spintronic Devices

From Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), April 29, 2015:  

"Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have discovered that large area graphene is able to preserve electron spin over an extended period, and communicate it over greater distances than had previously been known. This has opened the door for the development of spintronics, with an aim to manufacturing faster and more energy-efficient memory and processors in computers. 

Spintronics is based on the quantum state of the electrons, and the technology is already being used in advanced hard drives for data storage and magnetic random accesses memory."

Source: Chalmers University of Technology,  www.chalmers.se/en/departments/mc2/news/
Image: Chalmers University of Technology / M. Venkata Kamalakar et al,
Nature Communications
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   Upcoming Conferences of Interest 





SPIE Optics + Photonics

San Diego Convention Center

San Diego, CA

August 17-21, 2015  


 

SPIE Optics + Photonics 2015 is the largest international, multidisciplinary optical sciences and technology meeting in North America. The meeting where the latest research in optical engineering and applications, sustainable energy, nanotechnology, organic photonics, and astronomical instrumentation is presented.
  

Visit SPIE and Register: http://spie.org/optics-photonics.xml  




The 10th Asian-European International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering

AEPSE 2015

September 20-24, 2015

Ramada Plaza Jeju Hotel, Jeju Island, Korea  


 

The 10th Anniversary Asian-European International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (AEPSE2015) will be held from September 20 to September 24, 2015, in Jeju, Republic of Korea. The AEPSE conference has attracted growing interest as a global open forum for contributing to scientific and industrial progress in applied plasma science and engineering fields.

  • Manuscript Submission Deadline - Oct 30, 2015

Learn More at: www.aepse2015.org 




 
 

OSA: Frontiers in Optics, FiO

The Fairmont San Jose

San Jose, CA

October 18-22, 2015


 


 

Frontiers in Optics FiO 2015 the 99th OSA Annual Meeting encompasses the breadth of optical science and engineering and provides an atmosphere that fosters the exchange of information between those working on fundamental research and those looking for solutions to engineering problems. Special symposia and other major events further highlight major advances in many selected areas.


FiO 1: Optical Design, Fabrication and Instrumentation

FiO 2: Optical Sciences

FiO 3: Optics in Biology and Medicine

FiO 4: Fiber Optics and Optical Communication

FiO 5: Integrated Photonics

FiO 6: Quantum Electronics

FiO 7: Vision and Color


 

Laser Science

This serves as the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) of its Division of Laser Science (DLS) and provides an important forum for presenting the latest work on laser applications and development, spanning a broad range of topics in physics, biology and chemistry.


 

In collaboration with colleagues at OSA, DLS will provide thorough coverage of mutually interesting topics in a number of joint sessions. Session schedules are coordinated to encourage your intellectual wanderings among DLS, OSA and joint sessions.


 

Learn More and Register: http://www.frontiersinoptics.com/home/

 




AVS 62nd International Symposium and Exhibition

San Jose Convention Center

San Jose, CA

October 18-23, 2015  


 

The AVS 62nd International Symposium and Exhibition scheduled for October 18-23, 2015, in San Jose, California will address cutting-edge issues associated with materials, processing, and interfaces in both the research and manufacturing communities. The weeklong Symposium fosters a multidisciplinary environment that cuts across traditional boundaries between disciplines, featuring papers from AVS technical divisions, technology groups, and focus topics on emerging technologies. The equipment exhibition is one of the largest in the world and provides an excellent opportunity to view the latest products and services offered by over 200 participating companies. More than 2,000 scientists and engineers gather from around the world to attend.
  

Learn More at: www.avs.org/symposium 




AIMCAL Web Coating & Handling Conference

Naples Grande Beach Resort

Naples, Florida

October 25-28, 2015  


 

AIMCAL and SPE have once again joined forces to deliver a standard in technical education and networking, and bring attendees unsurpassed opportunities. SPE's FlexPackCon will join the 2015 AIMCAL Web Coating and Handling Conference and will include FlexPackCon's strong focus on flexible packaging materials, processes and new technology combined with AIMCAL's technology focus on web coating and handling.
  

For more information, visit: www.aimcal.org/events/web-coating-handling-conference-usa/2015/conference/overview.aspx 




9th Symposium on Vacuum-Based Science and Technology

Kolobrzeg, Poland

November, 17-19, 2015

 

The 9th Symposium on Vacuum based Science and Technology is organized by the Faculty of Technology and Education, Koszalin University of Technology, and the Clausius Tower Society under auspices of the Polish Vacuum Society and the German Vacuum Society and in collaboration with the BalticNet PlasmaTec and the Society of Vacuum Coaters.


 

The mission of the Symposium is to provide a forum for presentation and exchange of expertise and research results in the field of vacuum and plasma science.

 

Symposium topics

  • Plasma physics and techniques
  • Vacuum science, techniques and trends
  • Protective coatings and thin films
  • Characterization of surfaces and thin films
  • Thin films for solar cells and sensors
  • Plasma based surface treatment technologies

New trends and concepts of plasma based deposition processes Authors of contributions accepted for oral presentation during the Symposium are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to VACUUM.

 

Featuring the SVC Tutorial Course: 

Monday, Novermber 16, 2015 * 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
C-338 Application of Reactive Sputtering, by Ralf Bandorf and Holger Gerdes, Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engneering and Thin Films IST, Braunschweig, Germany

 

Manufacturers and sales companies offering vacuum equipment, measurement and control systems as well as components for vacuum based science and technology are invited to offer their products and promotion materials during the Industry Exhibition. 


Visit the Conference Web Page to learn more: itie.dev.tu.koszalin.pl/svbst2015/index.php 




 

2015 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
November 29-December 4, 2015
Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts USA 


 The 2015 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit features many new and emerging areas of materials research as well as an exciting mix of well-established and popular topics, including:


 


 

  • Biomaterials and Soft Materials
  • Nanomaterials and Synthesis
  • Mechanical Behavior and Failure of Materials
  • Electronics and Photonics
  • Energy and Sustainability
  • Theory, Characterization and Modeling
With 55 technical symposia, more than 6000 oral and poster presentations, an exhibition featuring over 250 international exhibitors from all sectors of the global materials science and engineering communities, and many special events, the 2015 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit offers attendees a wide-range of knowledge-building opportunities.

For the most up-to-date information on the 2015 MRS Fall Meeting, visit www.mrs.org/fall2015 regularly.


Do You Have an Interesting Article to Share?

Interested in sharing the latest news in vacuum coating technology?  Forward us a link to an article you want to share with the rest of the SVC readership to  publications@svc.org.  Purchase advertising space in this newsletter by contacting SVC at svcinfo@svc.org. 


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