PHD Project Proposals - MI

PhD Project Proposals (Microelectronics)
Staff Name: Fan Weijun
Email: ewjfan@ntu.edu.sg
Fabrication and PL/PLE study of Ge-on-Si photonic
Proposed Research Project (1):
materials
The impressive advances in Si-based microelectronics have
continuously stimulated intense research efforts to develop
optoelectronic solutions that can be integrated with Si
technology. Recent research results show that Ge-on-Si is a
Description: promising candidate for the Si based laser diode potentially
used in OEIC. In this project, we will use spurting method to
deposit Ge-on-Si material and do post annealing to improve
the material's quality. And use PL and PLE to investigate the
materails' optical properties.
Staff Name: Fan Weijun
Email: ewjfan@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (2): Design of tensile strained Ge-on-Si laser

The impressive advances in Si-based microelectronics have
continuously stimulated intense research efforts to develop
optoelectronic solutions that can be integrated with Si
technology. However, Si and Ge are indirect band gap
semiconductors, which hinder their application to active
devices in optoelectronic area. Several methods have been
adopted to obtain Si-based optically active materials, such as
Description: exploiting erbium doping, nano-structure materials, hybrid III-
V on Si systems, etc. Recently, Liu et. al. reported a novel
tensile-strained Ge-on-Si laser operating at room
temperature. To obtain efficient light emission from the direct
gap transition of Ge, heavily n-type doping has been
combined with 0.2-0.3% tensile strain in Ge. In this project,
we will develop a method to simulate such type laser to
investigate the strain and doping effect.
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Staff Name: K Radhakrishnan
Email: eradha@ntu.edu.sg
High Electron Mobility Transistor Structures for High Power
Proposed Research Project (1): RF Devices using Gallium Nitride based wide bandgap
Semiconductors on Silicon
Epitaxial growth (Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Metalorganic
CVD) of novel GaN-based heterostructures on silicon as low-
cost solution for high speed and high power RF devices.
Novel stress mitigation techniques to grow crack-free layers.
Advanced electrical (Hall, I-V, C-V) surface (AFM), structural
Description:
(XRD, TEM) and optical (Photoluminescence, Raman)
characterizations to assess the quality of layer structures.
Submicron HEMT device fabrication and DC and RF
characterization. Strong interest in semiconductors and
materials science is advantageous.
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Studies on epitaxial growth and characterization of lattice
Proposed Research Project (2): matched InAlN/GaN Heterostructures on silicon for high
power applications
GaN-based wide band gap semiconductors are attractive for
light emitting diodes, solar cells and ultraviolet photodiodes
applications. They are also of interest for wireless network
base stations, satellite communication systems and compact
digital radar applications where GaN-based devices can
multiply the efficiency of amplifiers. However, improvements
in GaN-based High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) are
limited by the fundamental parameters of established
AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. The objective of this project is
to explore new heterostructures using InAlN/GaN alloys and
enhance the potential power density of HEMTs. InAlN alloys
are attractive due to their wide bandgap (0.6 to 6.2 eV) and
lattice matching capability with GaN. Extremely high electron
gas density coupled with polarisation fields in the
heterojunction offers power densities of 30W/mm at 2 to 12
GHz.
The research will focus on optimizing the growth of InAlN
/GaN HEMT layers on Si using Molecular Beam Epitaxy
(MBE) and/or metalorganic vapour deposition techniques to
Description: demonstrate high performance HEMT devices. Since MBE is
a low temperature process, it offers great control over the
growth and composition for In-based alloys. A novel 2-step
approach (low/high temperature) will be used to avoid the
formation of amorphous layer as well as metal-Si clusters on
the interface between the substrate and the epilayer. This
approach is expected to prevent the metal diffusion into the
buffer layer and reduce the defects and the integrity of buffer
layers for devices. MOCVD growth is attractive for higher
throughput and the ability to grow on large area substrates.
However, growth of ternary indium based alloys may be
challenging by MOCVD as the growth takes place at elevated
temperatures leading to phase separation. Novel layer
structure design and growth optimization studies will be
conducted to address this issue. Advanced microscopic and
spectroscopic characterization techniques including electrical
measurements such as RHEED, AFM, Hall, XRD, TEM, SEM,
Raman, etc will be used to analyse the heterostructures and
assess the composition, thickness, electrical, surface and
structural properties of the layer structures.
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Gallium Nitride -based Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors on
Silicon
UV detectors have several applications such as UV imaging,
solar UV measurements, flame sensors, missile plume
detection, spatial optical communications, biological and
chemical sensors and so on.
Conventional silicon-based UV detectors have some major
intrinsic limitations such as aging due to exposure to radiation
of much higher energy than the Si bandgap, reduced quantum
efficiency in the deep-UV range, significant loss of effective
area due to the need to use filters and cooling if low dark
current is required. On the other hand, Group III Nitrides offer
advantages over Si for UV detection. Nitrides have a direct
bandgap (which confers the photodetector with a highly
improved spectral selectivity). Moreover, the photodetector
cut-off frequency can be engineered by changing the mole
fraction in their ternary alloys. The saturation velocity in GaN
is a few times higher than in GaAs or Si, enhancing the
transient response of the photodetectors.
In this project, GaN-based ultraviolet (UV) detectors on Si with

Description:
high performance will be developed. Compared to
conventional method, GaN epitaxial growth on Si is promising
and cost-effective solution, especially, such scheme has the
potential advantages of monolithically integrating GaN-
devices with Si-microelectronics, giving circuit designers
unprecedented flexibility to use the best material and devices
for each function.
GaN and AlGaN layer structures of appropriate composition
will be grown on Si substrates using molecular beam epitaxy
(MBE). Structural, electrical and optical characterizations will
be carried out to optimize the quality, composition and
thickness of the layers suitable for photodetector applications.
The (Al)GaN MSM (metal-semiconductor-metal) UV detectors
(.<280 nm) will be designed and fabricated. The fabricated
GaN/Si UV detectors are aimed to exhibit high performance
such as low dark current and high responsivity. Further
studies may include addressing the dark current issues using
insulating layers such as ZrO2 and HfO2.
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Staff Name: Ng Geok Ing
Email: eging@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (1): High efficient polymer based organic photovoltaic devices
Polymer-based thin film photovoltaic solar cells are important
in solar cell applications. In this project polymer
semiconductor/fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic
Description: solar cells will be developed and characterized. The charge
carriers transportation in the solar cell will be investigated in
order to obtain high power conversion efficiency of the
devices
Staff Name: Ng Geok Ing
Email: eging@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (2): Control of the semiconductor nanowire growths

with one dimentional semiconductor nanostructure,
semiconductor nanowires have novel electronic and optical
propertis and are building blocks for developing next
generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. in this
Description:
project, the control of the III-V semiconductor nanowires
growths will be studied. the physical properties of the
nanowires will be studied and their applicaitons will be
explored.
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Staff Name: Rusli
Email: erusli@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project: Thin Film Si Nanowire-Polymer Hybrid Solar Cells

Organic solar cells have attracted much attention due to their
solution processability and mechanical flexibility. However,
their power conversion efficiency (PCE) is limited by the poor
mobility of organic materials. To address this issue, hybrid
cells made of inorganic nanowires (NWs), such as CdSe and
ZnO NWs, embedded in a polymer matrix have been
developed. SiNW(SiNW)-based hybrid cells have also been
studied owing to their wide absorption spectrum, good
conductivity, and excellent light trapping characteristics.
Different from SiNW-based fully inorganic solar cells, the
SiNW/organic hybrid cells involve low temperature and
simple-solution-based fabrication processes. Therefore, they
are potentially suited for the fabrication of large-area, low-
cost, and yet highly efficient hybrid solar cells.
SiNWs have been embedded in light-absorbing polymers,

such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly(3-octylthiophene).
The performance of the cells has been limited by the short
carrier diffusion length of 10 nm in these polymers, where
Description: most of the excitons generated will recombine before reaching
the junction. Recently, a p-type polymer, poly(3,4-
ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate
(PEDOT:PSS), has been used because of its high
transparency and conductivity, leading to more efficient
carrier collection. Separately, SiNWs on Si wafer fabricated
using electroless etching have been directly pressed into wet
PEDOT films coated on ITO glass to form hybrid cells,
achieving a PCE of 5.08%.
In this project, we propose to study SiNW/PEDOT cells

fabricated by directly spin coating PEDOT on SiNW arrays
fabricated using the electroless chemical etching technique.
The focus of the project is to demonstrate such solar cells
using thin film silicon instead of bulk Si wafer, so as to reduce
the material and processing cost involved. A suitable structure
involving thin film planar Si and SiNWs with organic material
will be proposed. The photovoltaic parameters of the cells will
be fully characterized in relation to their structural parameters.
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Staff Name: Sun Chang Qing
Email: ecqsun@ntu.edu.sg
Exploring the mysteries of water and ice for bio-medical
Proposed Research Project:
applications
Using FTIR and DFT computation to examine the length-
Description: stiffness relaxation dynamics of hydrogen bond in water
interacting with drugs.

Staff Name: Tan Chuan Seng
Email: tancs@ntu.edu.sg
Germanium – Breathing in new life for the semiconductor
industry via heterogeneous integration with silicon
The first transistor was invented using germanium (Ge) at Bell
Labs and not the mainstream silicon (Si). It is ironic that for
many years we abandoned Ge in IC application due to its poor
surface property and other manufacturing challenges. The
reality is that despite a number of shortcomings, Ge out-
performs Si in terms of electrical and optical properties. Ge
has higher carrier mobility compared to Si which means that
Ge transistor can process data at higher speed. In addition,
Ge absorbs light with wavelength suitable for optical
communication, an advantage not found in Si. In the past few
years, there is strong interest to integrate Ge on Si for various
electronics and photonics applications as we learnt how to
control its property better. It is clear that the only way to utilise
Ge is to integrate small amount of Ge on matured Si wafer to
Description:
make it manufacturing worthy and cost effective. Ge
integration on Si is faced with the challenge due to the
difference in the atom size of both materials. When a thin layer
of Ge is deposited on Si wafer, undesired crystal defects are
formed in the Ge layer which negates the advantages of Ge.
In this project, a method of Ge on Si integration is developed
using chemical-vapour deposition (CVD) with the aim to
achieve reasonable quality for electronic and photonic
applications. When Ge/Si with the desired properties is
obtained, it electrical and optical properties are studied by
fabricating active devices. The project covers materials study,
growth/fabrication, and device characterization. Post-PhD
prospect includes research institute and industry such as IDM
or foundry.
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Staff Name: Tan Chuan Seng
Email: tancs@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (2): 3D IC Technology for Mobile Application

When Apple launched iPhone5, a lot was said about its wider
screen that allowed better user interface. One thing that is
more subtle is that the larger size means that it is now possible
to assemble more components for better performance and
functionality. The reality is that, a smart phone must not
increase in size indefinitely (else risking becoming an iPad!)
but at the same time needs to deliver performance and more
functionality that satisfies insatiable demand from the users.
This seemingly conflicting requirements means that putting
the components side by side on a planar platform will run out
of steam soon. A more intelligent, and straight forward, way is
to integrate or assemble multiple components in a vertical
stack known as 3D IC. In its core, 3D IC represents a stack
that consists of multiple thinned IC that are mechanically
bonded and electrically connected. This simple idea solves
Description: not only the form factor challenge, it also eliminates long and
bulky inter-chip connection that is a source of parasitic that
leads to unnecessary signal delay and power consumption. In
3D IC, inter-chip connection is accomplished via much shorter
vertical connection known as through silicon via (TSV) that
can be made in much higher density. This means faster
communication at lower power (hence longer battery life) and
improves the bandwidth by many folds which is critical for
applications such as graphic. In this project, critical enabling
technology for 3D IC such as TSV and micro-contact are
developed and refined specifically for mobile application. It
entails investigation of electronic materials, semiconductor
fabrication technology and physical characterization. You
have the opportunity to conduct research in NTU and ASTAR
state-of-the-arts clean room. Post-PhD job prospect includes
research institute and industry such as IDM, foundry or OSAT.
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Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang
Email: eoktan@ntu.edu.sg
Integrated indoor air quality sensors with SnO2 nanorod
arrays
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exist widely in the indoor
environment. Indoor air quality (IAQ) has received much
attention because of the very important role indoor
environment plays on human health. In Singapore, the current
air-conditioned buildings with all year around are especially
vulnerable for contamination because the central air
conditioning can spread the released agent from one location
to the whole indoor environment within a short time period.
IAQ sensors are especially important in early detection and
warning to improve the built environment safety. Therefore,
the development of new sensing technologies, economic and
reliable comprehensive IAQ sensors become promising.
The 1D SnO2 nanostructures are believed to be most
promising building blocks to develop a new generation of
metal oxide gas sensors. However, one issue that impacts the
scale-up of nanostructured sensors is the fact that most of 1D
Description: SnO2 nanostructures fabricated by bottom-up technologies
are usually randomly oriented with mixtures of several
distinctly different morphologies, so innovative post
fabrication strategies are required to align and connect these
nanostructures during the fabrication of sensor devices.
Thus, gas sensors based on individual 1D nanostructures are
difficult to mass produce, which is a major obstacle limiting
their practical applications. Our SnO2 nanorod arrays grown
by PECVD are compatible with microelectronics process and
sensor arrays have been fabricated with microhotplate on
wafer level. In this work, MEMS MOS IAQ sensor arrays will
be developed based on our SnO2 nanorod arrays for the
realization of low-cost, low power consumption devices with
high sensitivity and enhanced selectivity. Selective surface
doping and modification on individual sensor groups will be
carried out to improve the sensitivity and selectivity to different
pollutants groups.
Indoor Air Quality Control and Vegetable Plant Growth for
Vertical Farming
This is a study of the emerging Advanced Oxidation
Technologies in indoor air quality control for the degradation
of volatile organic chemicals and biological contaminants. The
Description:
innovative use of LED lighting system for simultaneous indoor
Photocatalytic Oxidation and for leafy plant growth in indoor
vertical airoponic farming will be investigated.
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Visible-light driven nanomaterials for indoor photocatlayitc
applications
This is a study of Visible-light driven metal oxide
semiconductor nanomaterials for indoor photocatlayitc
applications. The work involves material synthesis and
characterization, and photocatalytic testing with indoor type of
Description:
lighting conditions for both the degradation of volatile organic
chemicals and biological contaminants. Further development
into thin film coatings will be investigated for practical
applications.
Study of visible-light driven nanomaterials for indoor
photocatalytic applications
This is a study of visible-light driven metal oxide
semiconductor nanomaterials for indoor photocatalytic
applications. The work involves material synthesis and
characterization, and photocatalytic testing with indoor type of
Description: lighting conditions for both the degradation of volatile organic
chemicals and biological contaminants. Further development
into thin film coatings will be investigated for practical
applications.
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Indoor air decontamination by TiO2-based nanocolumn
arrays
Since modern people spend ~90% of their time at home or in
an office, long-term exposure to indoor chemical
contaminants, including by-products of the combustion (NO2,
SO2, CO, etc.), cigarette smoke, particulate matter, and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor
environment, can contribute to Sick Building Syndrome,
resulting in loss of productivity and excessive medical costs.
In spite of the very low concentrations, some of these
compounds like NO2 or CO are extremely toxic, while some
others, like benzene and formaldehyde, were proved to be
carcinogenic. Therefore, the improving the IAQ is of
paramount importance. Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) air
cleaning is a promising technology suitable for the elimination
of a broad range of VOCs. It can decompose a broad
Description: spectrum of VOCs containing multiple chemical
functionalities, including several that are poorly removed by
other methods. The key issue in the photocatalytic removal of
VOCs under visible light lies in the extension of the absorption
threshold of TiO2-based photocatalyst. In previous works,
uniform nanorod and nanocolumn arrays have been grown by
us, and excellent photochemical properties were
demonstrated. In this project, surface modification and
functionalization of these nanostructures will be conducted to
improve the PCO performance under normal indoor
illumination. The synthesis equipment, various light sources
for PCO, IAQ measurement system and some other facilities
are available in our group. The candidate will work closely with
a team with experienced professors, scientists and engineers
from NTU and SIMTech.
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Staff Name: Tang Xiaohong
Email: exhtang@ntu.edu.sg
Development and Characterization of the Polymer-based
Thin-film Photovoltaic Solar Cells
Polymer-based thin film photovoltaic solar cells are important
in solar cell applications. In this project polymer
semiconductor/fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic
Description: solar cells will be developed and characterized. The charge
carriers transportation in the solar cell will be investigated in
order to obtain high power conversion efficiency of the
devices.
Staff Name: Tang Xiaohong
Email: exhtang@ntu.edu.sg
MOVPE growths of narrow bandgap semiconductor alloys
for mid-infrared photonics
Powerful and easy-to-use lasers operation in the mid-infrared
(IR) range, 2 m to 4 m, are very important for a variety of
military, biomedical, environmental and industrial
Description: applications, including range-finding, laser surgery and
remote trace-gas sensing, etc. In this project, MOVPE growth
of high quality III-V semiconductors for mid-IR photonics
applications will be investigated and studied.
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Staff Name: Tay Beng Kang
Email: ebktay@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (1): Carbon Nanotubes Arrays for Field Emission Applications
Aim of the project
• Develop field-emission cathodes technology based
on carbon nanotubes array
• Investigate the interface between carbon nanotubes
array and substrate by using metal silicides as a transition
layer
Proposal and its Significances:
With the rapid development of communication and

information technology, emerge a task of creating of
electronic active devices, capable to operate at frequencies of
the order of 1012 Hz. Unfortunately, due to several physical
phenomena in semiconductors, (e.g., saturation, drift velocity
and accumulation of minority carriers) solutions of these
problems is challenging.
Carbon nanotubes are a choice for field emission cathodes
due to their unique combination of electrical, chemical, optical,
thermal and mechanical properties. Despite the relatively high
Description:
work function (about 4.7 eV), the important properties of
carbon nanotubes for use as field emission cathodes are high
electrical conductivity and an unusually high emissivity thanks
to their quasi-one-dimension structure and high aspect ratio.
However, studies have shown that the electron emission
threshold current is only 1 mA cm-2, before burn out.
Investigation into the failure mechanism shows that the main
cause of degradation is the peeling of carbon nanotubes from
the substrate due to insufficient adhesion of the cathode
structure to the initial substrate. To resolve this issue, the
interface between CNT and the existing substrate must be
investigate. The use of metal silicide is a proposed to improve
adhesion of carbon nanotubes to improve the threshold
current. In this way, by resolving the problem of adhesion will
open the way to a massive use of carbon nanotube based
field emission cathodes with field-emission current densities
up to tens of A/cm2 for a wide range of instruments and
devices of micro-and nano-electronics.
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Staff Name: Tay Beng Kang
Email: ebktay@ntu.edu.sg
Synthesis of carbon nanotubes and carbon hybrids
nanostructures
Aim of the project
• Synthesis of arrays of vertically and horizontally
aligned CNTs by the CVD method with a localized and volatile
catalyst to achieve high electrical conductivity, optical
transparency, as well as high emission properties.
• Investigate the key parameters for influencing the
growth of CNTs, and hybrid nanostructures
• Development of physical and chemical models for the
growth process of hybrid nanostructures
Proposal and its Significances:
Carbon nanotubes possess many interesting and excellent

properties for various applications. However, to achieve
Description:
carbon nanotubes growth in the vertical and horizontal
directions is challenging. One solution is to incorporate carbon
nanotubes with different carbon families such as graphene to
form carbon hybrids nanostructures. The growths of hybrids
nanotubes have been successfully demonstrated, but the
physics for the growth process are still unclear. It is therefore
necessary to investigate the growth of carbon hybrids
nanostructures to come up with physical and chemical growth
models to create many other interesting nanostructures, and
even on substrates such as metal or metal silicides. These
hybrids nanostructures will lead to possible application in field
emission, high-efficiency functional layers of organic solar
cells and solar cell applications, as well as supercapacitors.
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Staff Name: Tjin Swee Chuan
Email: esctjin@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (1): Microfiber Bragg grating Biosensor

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are widely used in
telecommunication and sensing due to their excellent
properties such as all-fiber nature, low cost, small size and
compatibility with fiber-optic networks. A Bragg grating
inscribed in a standard single-mode or multi-mode fiber
having a cladding diameter of 125 µm has already been well
studied in last twenty years. However, a Bragg grating written
in a microfiber with a diameter of several micrometers is
beginning to attract much interests in the recent months. We
have successfully fabricated a microfiber Bragg grating
(MFBG) using a KrF excimer laser using the phase mask
technique. Unlike the conventional FBG written on a normal
Description: communication fiber, two separate reflected peaks, with a
spacing of tens of nanometers in air and at room temperature,
are obtained in the MFBG. The reflected peaks shift by
different amount, and hence exhibit different sensitivities to
changes in the refractive index (RI) of the medium
surrounding the microfiber, but shift by similar magnitude with
changes in the ambient temperature. These varying
sensitivities of the two reflected peaks to the two parameters
will enable us to determine RI and temperature of the
surrounding medium simultaneously using the same sensor
head. This project aims to investigate the sensing property of
an MFPG for biosensing of specific markers relevant to
clinical practise.
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Staff Name: Tjin Swee Chuan
Email: esctjin@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (2): Microfibre Sensor for Environmental Sensing

Recently refractive index sensors based on optical
microfibers have attracted increasing attention since they
have large evanescent field, high nonlinearity and low-loss
interconnection to single-mode fiber. Fabrications of the
microfiber are commonly done by heating a standard fiber
using a flame while at the same time pulling the fiber. By
controlling the temperature of the filament and the pulling
speed, we can fabricate either abruptly or smoothly tapered
microfibers with uniform waists. In our lab, we have
investigated a non-adiabatically tapered microfiber sensor
and achieved ultra-high sensitivity for refractive index of the
external medium. Such non-adiabatic taper has abrupt
change in diameter so that it can excite higher-order modes.
Description:
Due to the large evanescent field of microfiber, changes of the
refractive index of the external medium will cause the coupling
condition between the higher-order mode and the
fundamental mode to vary, resulting in a wavelength shift.
Our experiments show that the high sensitivity of microfiber
sensor in the refractive index range from 1.3337 to 1.37 could
have great potential in environmental sensing applications
such as monitoring of contaminations in reservoir water. In
this project, the student will be working with colleagues from
NEWRI to develop sensors suitable for use in the field. This
includes the experiment to develop the optical technique,
design of a suitable optical fibre and laboratory tests in
comparison to the standard laboratory instruments.
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Staff Name: Wang Qijie
Email: qjwang@ntu.edu.sg
Design and Fabrication of Plasmonic and Metamaterial
Devices
Confining and controlling electromagnetic waves at
dimensions much smaller than the wavelength are of great
importance for miniaturization of optical-integrated devices
and improvement of the spatial resolution in optical imaging.
A variety of artificially fabricated sub-diffraction-limit
plasmonic [1] and metamaterials [2] devices have been
demonstrated in the optical region recently. The
electromagnetic response properties of these devices can be
designed at will, thus bringing various unprecedented
functionalities into reality.
In this project, the student is going to focus on the design and

modeling of those metamaterials and plasmonic devices at
various wavelength regions, which have great potential for
different applications, such as super-resolution imaging,
Description:
biomedical imaging, nanolithography, integrated optics, etc.
The candidates are expected to have knowledge in optics and
photonics, electromagnetic waves, and strong interests in
modeling with commercial software. If time allows, the
candidate will also learn how to fabricate those devices with
nano-fabrication techniques, such as e-beam lithography,
with the state-of-the-art cleanroom fabrication facilitates in
Division of Microelectronics. After completing the project, the
candidate will have extensive experience from theory to
fabrication to final characterization of those advanced
photonic devices, and learn the fundamental physics behind
them.
1. E. Ozbay, Science, 311, 189-193 (2006).

2. D. R. Smith, et al. Science, 305, 788 (2004).
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Staff Name: Wang Qijie
Email: qjwang@ntu.edu.sg
Proposed Research Project (2): Mid-infrared and Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers
Quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a new class of
semiconductor laser based on multiple quantum
wells/barriers designed to emit light in the mid-infrared and
Terahertz ranges, roughly from 3 – 300 m. Because the
emission wavelength of this device is not determined by the
bandgap of the material but by suitable engineering the
thicknesses of those multiple quantum wells/barriers, it has
been widely used to generate arbitrary wavelength emission
in the mid-infrared and Terahertz for various applications,
including but not limited to, sensing, spectroscopy, imaging,
atmosphere monitoring, security and defense, astronomy
science, and free-space communications.
Description:
This project aims to study both theoretical and experimental
parts of the QCLs. Depending on the candidate’s interests; we
will either focus on bandstructure design of the active regions
of QCLs or micro-fabrication/characterization of those
devices. The motivated candidate is expected to have some
basic knowledge in lasers and optics and photonics. After
completing the project, the candidate will gain extensive
experience on semiconductor micro fabrication, electrical and
optical characterization of semiconductor devices/lasers, and
fundamental physics behind it.
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Staff Name: Wong Kin Shun, Terence
Email: ekswong@ntu.edu.sg
Thin film copper oxide heterojunction solar cell with
Proposed Research Project:
plasmonic nanostructures
Copper oxide is a promising semiconductor material for
photovoltaics because of the ease of deposition, low cost and
abundance of copper and oxygen. It is also unique in that it
exists in two crystalline forms (cuprous and cupric oxide) with
different band gaps that allows fabrication of heterojunction
devices from the same elements. Despite this, current copper
oxide PV devices have low efficiency. In this project, a
magnetron sputtering method will first be used to deposit
cupric oxide and the mechanism of p-type doping will be
Description: investigated by electrical characterization. Heterojunction PV
devices will be fabricated using both n-type Si and transparent
conducting oxide substrates. The PV performance will be
studied using I-V and external quantum efficiency
measurements. In order to further enhance the light
absorption, light trapping by incorporated plasmonic
nanostructures will be studied. Both metallic nanoparticles
with surface plasmon resonance and grating structure with
surface plasmon polariton will be investigated by
electromagnetic simulation and experiment.
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Staff Name: Zhang Qing
Email: eqzhang@ntu.edu.sg
Optical resonators for ultrasensitive optofluidic
nanobiosensors
(Supervisor: A/P Poenar Daniel, Microelectronics Division –
Project YET to be approved!)
As medicine and biochemistry make rapid steps in elucidating
life's mechanisms, phenomena and interactions at nanoscale
and events at biomolecular level become an increasingly
important field of study. At the same time, there is an
increasing demand for miniaturized, easy-to-use, low-cost
and portable lab-on-a-chip (LOC) mini- or micro-systems
which can provide multiplex diagnostics at the point-of-care
far away from high tech laboratories and hospitals.
The project will investigate the design & usage of optical
microresonators (OMRs) in biochips for photonic-based
micro- & nano-fluidic sensing of nanobiocomponents, namely
protein-based cancer biomarkers. The main focus of the
project is to design, simulate, optimize, fabricate & test optical
resonator-based devices for direct sensing of
nanobiocomponents in aqueous samples by ingenious
combination of photonics and nanofluidics. For this purpose,
the activity will be carried out in the following key areas:
1) Design of ultra-high Q factor OMRs, first for operation
in NIR, then in the visible range, and also in device structures
Description:
combined with microfluidics & nanochannels;
2) Study the combination of OMRs with interferometric
structures integrated on-chip, such as Mach-Zehnder
interferometer (MZI) for differential measurement that
subtracts the effects of thermal drift and of the carrier liquid,
increasing sensitivity and the signal-to-noise ratio;
3) Investigate the Application of electroosmotic flow to
manipulate nanobiocomponents and actuate fluids through
nanochannels.
Pre-requisites for the candidate:
- Should have good grades during his under- & post-
grad studies,
- Should preferably have a M.Sc. or M.Tech. degree
(graduated, or to be awarded soon),
- Strong background & knowledge of optics/photonics,
particularly optical resonators, interferometric structures &
lasers,
- Very good hands-on skills and capability to make
optical set-ups.
1

Staff Name: Zhang Qing
Email: eqzhang@ntu.edu.sg
Design of micro-electromagnetic components for NMR
(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) microspectroscopy (main
Proposed Research Project (2): supervisor: A/P Poenar Daniel, Microelectronics Division);
co-supervisor: A/P Sheel Aditya, Division of Communication
Engineering)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique, based on
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), is a popular diagnostic
tool. However, these machines are huge and not suitable for
small biological samples. The goal of this research is to
design original NMR micro-probes for performing the various
RF functions. As the first step towards the goal, this project
deals with design of simple inductors such as mini-coils (wire
wound) and planar microcoils. Dependence of the RF
performance on geometrical parameters, type of the
Description: substrate, and the fabrication method will be investigated.
Novel architectures, such as 3D-like integrated inductors,
may also be investigated. Some hands-on work with manually
wound coils could also be carried out; first the coils could be
made and characterized in EEE, and then used in the SBS for
characterization of a few bio-samples. We have available
dedicated licenses for Microwave Studio which is a powerful
electromagnetic simulation software.
The student should be knowledgeable in basic
electromagnetics and physics, and have good grades.
1

Staff Name: Zhu Weiguang
Email: ewzhu@ntu.edu.sg
Atomic-smooth, epitaxial Multifunctional Thin Films and
Proposed Research Project (1): Artificial Designed Super-lattices by Laser Molecular Beam
Epitaxy Technique
Recently, there have been extensive research activities in
nanosciences and nanotechnologies and in intensive search
for new and multifunctional materials for both scientifical
exploration and wide technological applications.
Ferroelectromagnetism, the coexistence of magnetic and
electrical subsystems, engenders the material with the
“product” property, thus allowing an additional degree of
freedom in design of sensors, actuators, transducers, storage
memory, and many electronic devices. The proposed
program is aimed at experimental and theoretical
development of nano-structured superlattices using the
emerging L-MBE technique with atomically smoothed surface
Description:
and the precisely right properties, showing the
ferroelectromagnetism, the product of ferroelectricity and
ferromagnetism, and spintronic effects at ambient room
temperature which is over today’s state of the art. The
nanostructures and interface property, electrical, magnetic,
and coupled ferroelectromagnetic properties, and spin control
in the structures will be systematically characterized, and
prototype devices will be fabricated and tested. The new
theoretic phenomena in these couple ferroelectromagnetic
supperlattices will be studied from very fundamental
approach, which could significantly contribute to the basic
knowledge in solid state science.
1

Giant Flexoelectric Polarization of Ferroelectric Thin Films in
MEMS Diaphragms and Applications
Flexoelectricity is a recently focused new physical
phenomenon that the electrical polarization is induced by the
strain gradient in solid. Flexoelectricity can exist in non-
centrosymmetric material systems, it thus widely extends
material choices, particularly for lead-free and environmental-
friendly ones. It also exhibits anther significant feature that its
coefficient is greatly increased when scaled down, especially
in m-to-nanometer range, therefore equivalent giant
flexoelectric coefficient, exceeding that of popular PZT, is
expected. Miniaturized MEMS devices and the state-of-the-
arts laser-molecular-beam-epitaxy deposition technique will
be adopted, aiming for the deep scientific understanding and
the largely enhanced performance for sensors, actuators and
transducers.
This proposed research project therefore focuses on this

Description: dielectric coupling phenomenon of flexoelectricity in solids for
its fundamental understanding in science and mechanism
study, for formulating new related solid state materials with
giant flexoelectric polarization to replace and/or enhance the
currently dominant Pb-based piezoelectric materials, and for
exploiting its huge potentials in a wide variety of sensors,
actuators and transducers in commercial, military and medical
applications. In this proposed research project, related
fundamental science and mechanisms will be studied; the
laser molecular beam epitaxy (Laser-MBE) deposition
technique will be used to fabricate the extremely thin epitaxial
films down to a few nanometer range with atomic smooth
surfaces for such miniaturized MEMS devices, desired
material systems will be studied and chosen, and MEMS type
devices will be fabricated, measured and systematically
investigated.
1

Study of Giant Flexoelectric Polarization of Ferroelectric Thin
Films in MEMS Diaphragms and Applications
Flexoelectricity is a recently focused new physical
phenomenon that the electrical polarization is induced by the
strain gradient in solid. Flexoelectricity can exist in non-
centrosymmetric material systems, it thus widely extends
material choices, particularly for lead-free and environmental-
friendly ones. It also exhibits anther significant feature that its
coefficient is greatly increased when scaled down, especially
in .m-to-nanometer range, therefore equivalent giant
flexoelectric coefficient, exceeding that of popular PZT, is
expected. Miniaturized MEMS devices and the state-of-the-
arts laser-molecular-beam-epitaxy deposition technique will
be adopted, aiming for the deep scientific understanding and
the largely enhanced performance for sensors, actuators and
transducers.
This proposed research project therefore focuses on this
dielectric coupling phenomenon of flexoelectricity in solids for
Description:
its fundamental understanding in science and mechanism
study, for formulating new related solid state materials with
giant flexoelectric polarization to replace and/or enhance the
currently dominant Pb-based piezoelectric materials, and for
exploiting its huge potentials in a wide variety of sensors,
actuators and transducers in commercial, military and medical
applications. In this proposed research project, related
fundamental science and mechanisms will be studied; the
laser molecular beam epitaxy (Laser-MBE) deposition
technique will be used to fabricate the extremely thin epitaxial
films down to a few nanometer range with atomic smooth
surfaces for such miniaturized MEMS devices, desired
material systems will be studied and chosen, and MEMS type
devices will be fabricated, measured and systematically
investigated.
1

PHD Project Proposals - MI

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PhD Project Proposals (Microelectronics)

Staff Name: Fan Weijun

Staff Name: Fan Weijun

Proposed Research Project (2): Design of tensile strained Ge-on-Si laser

Staff Name: K Radhakrishnan

Staff Name: K Radhakrishnan

Staff Name: K Radhakrishnan

In this project, GaN-based ultraviolet (UV) detectors on Si with

Staff Name: Ng Geok Ing

Staff Name: Ng Geok Ing

Proposed Research Project (2): Control of the semiconductor nanowire growths

Staff Name: Rusli

Proposed Research Project: Thin Film Si Nanowire-Polymer Hybrid Solar Cells

SiNWs have been embedded in light-absorbing polymers,

In this project, we propose to study SiNW/PEDOT cells

Staff Name: Sun Chang Qing

Staff Name: Tan Chuan Seng

Staff Name: Tan Chuan Seng

Proposed Research Project (2): 3D IC Technology for Mobile Application

Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang

Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang

Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang

Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang

Staff Name: Tan Ooi Kiang

Staff Name: Tang Xiaohong

Staff Name: Tang Xiaohong

Staff Name: Tay Beng Kang

Proposal and its Significances:

With the rapid development of communication and

Staff Name: Tay Beng Kang

Proposal and its Significances:

Carbon nanotubes possess many interesting and excellent

Staff Name: Tjin Swee Chuan

Proposed Research Project (1): Microfiber Bragg grating Biosensor

Staff Name: Tjin Swee Chuan

Proposed Research Project (2): Microfibre Sensor for Environmental Sensing

Staff Name: Wang Qijie

In this project, the student is going to focus on the design and

1. E. Ozbay, Science, 311, 189-193 (2006).

Staff Name: Wang Qijie

Staff Name: Wong Kin Shun, Terence

Staff Name: Zhang Qing

Staff Name: Zhang Qing

Staff Name: Zhu Weiguang

Staff Name: Zhu Weiguang

This proposed research project therefore focuses on this

Staff Name: Zhu Weiguang

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