During the last years, the Nanooptics group at nanoGUNE pioneered the development of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and Fourier transform infrared nanospectroscopy (nano-FTIR), new techniques that allow for imaging and spectroscopy at visible, infrared and terahertz frequencies with a resolution that is improved by a factor of 100 to 1000 compared to conventional infrared spectroscopy. s-SNOM and nano-FTIR enable totally new and highly valuable characterization possibilities for semiconductor inspection, materials sciences, chemical imaging, bioimaging, quantum materials and photonic device characterization, among other applications. 

We offer Master project, in which s-SNOM and nano-FTIR spectroscopy will be applied for the nanoscale characterization of optical properties (e.g. plasmon and phonon polaritons) of different 2D materials, such as graphene, boron nitride and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), e.g. MoS2 and WS2) and devices based on them. The study of fundamental properties (dispersion, lifetime, confinement etc.) of polaritons in 2D materials is key to develop applications such as ultra-compact photonic circuits, detectors and sensors. 

The student involved in this Master project will participate in the design, fabrication and characterization of novel devices based on 2D materials. This project constitutes an excellent opportunity for a student to get involved in research and development in the emerging field of design, fabrication and near- and far-field optical analysis of photonic nanostructures. The multidisciplinary projects enable the student to acquire a broad knowledge and skills in diverse scientific fields including nanooptics, scanning probe microscopy, as well as nanofabrication. 

We encourage highly motivated students to carry out their final Master’s thesis in an international multidisciplinary research environment. For more information, please visit our website http://www.nanogune.eu/nanooptics. 

Application:

If you are a master student and you are interested in this project, please get in touch with the scientist in charge: Rainer Hillenbrand (r.hillenbrand@nanogune.eu)

To apply for a master scholarship fill in the form below and follow the instructions and recomendations of the general call open until 20 September 2019.