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LABORATORY
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY

HEAD: Assoc.Prof. Gencho M. Minchev, Ph.D.
tel: 7144-217; e-mail: mbe@issp.bas.bg

TOTAL STAFF: 3
RESEARCH SCIENTISTS: 2

L.M.Trendafilov, physicist
T.Mincheva, PhD, chemist


RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:

  1. The building up the base for the new scientific activity - Scanning Probe Microscopy was finished during 2003. The base includes: - knowledge base covering all of the key and basic publications (384) for a period from 1981 to 2003 year; - set of 22 software packages for scientific processing of images/data intended for surface analysis; - research themes - "Self - consistency of the surface reconstruction and atoms arrangement mechanisms" and "Studying human chromosomes by Scanning Probe Techniques"; - base for building a Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope.

  2. Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) for solid state samples study is created in the frame of equipment building program. This first modification is intended for visualization and automated analysis of surface structures on a typical area of 2x2 micrometers with a resolution of 10 nanometers.

  3. The design and completing with the materials and components of the mechanical construction intended for incorporation of STM Head in Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) System for Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) are accomplished. The special features of the combined work of the UHV System for MBE and the piezoceramics element BM 527 (Pb(Zr0.66Ti0.34)O3)) are analyzed. This analysis enables to elaborate technological procedures for restoring of the electromechanical characteristics of BM 527 by repolarization and for stabilization (training) of these electromechanical properties, which are in consistency with the basic technology of baking the UHV System.

  4. With respect to the project "Modeling of "staggered" heterostructures" we completed a detailed study of literature (89 publications) on the properties and conditions for growth of multilayered heterostructures (type II) grown from various materials. The necessary software for the modeling of multilayered "staggered" heterostructures was elaborated.

ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS:
  1. Preliminary estimation and modeling of the feasibility for operation of efficient multi-layer staggered - lineup heterostructures for producing a photocell with energy conversion coefficient close to unity.
  2. Investigation of the surface reconstruction and the epitaxial crystal growth micro mechanisms self-consistency in vacuum.
  3. Studying human chromosomes structure by analyzing their topography obtained through Scanning Tunneling Microscopy on ultrathin coating water films.

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