Structure-property relationships of inorganic semiconductor materials

Abstract

The chemistry of inorganic nanostructured semiconductor material has attracted great attention due to its potential applications in miniaturized electronics, optoelectronics, electrochemical devices and molecular biotechnology. The first section of this thesis outlines the chemical vapor deposition and structure-property characterization of two sulfide materials a?? molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) and iron sulfide (FeS). This section is motivated by the desire to discover new properties for nanostructured materials. These new properties are not exhibited by the bulk counterparts, but manifest only in the nanostructured form of the material. The potential of rediscovering a??olda?? materials when they are transformed into nanomaterials by growth techniques are explored. The relationship between the growth conditions and the size, morphology and structure of the nanomaterials are investigated with respect to their properties. In the second section, the oxidation mechanism of two semiconductors a??germanium (Ge) and silicon carbide (SiC), will be examined at the atomic scale using theoretical methods. Ge and SiC are candidates which have established their usefulness for applications in special types of transistors. Even though they are matured in research history, some fundamental understanding of their chemistry essential to future development is still lacking. In this thesis, theoretical calculations are performed to provide insights into the experimental data.