Professor Stacey F. Bent of Stanford University is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry to study the reactivity of bifunctional molecules with Ge (100) and Si (100) semiconductor surfaces. Attachment, displacement, and layer-by-layer surface modification methods will be explored. A combination of experimental and theoretical methods, including surface infrared, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectrometry, and density functional theory calculations, will be used to study the effect of electronic, steric, bond strain, proximity, enthalpy and entropy parameters on the reactivity and competitive binding of bifunctional molecules at the surface. The proposed research aims for a better understanding of organic attachment to semiconductor surfaces. Modifying the interfacial properties of semiconductor systems by organic layers plays an important role in a variety of applications, such as nanowire and quantum dot passivation, templated assembly, MEMS devices, sensors, and organic photovoltaics. The educational activities involve training of graduate and undergraduate students in state-of-the-art surface analysis methods.
