PhD Defense of Maxime LEGALLAIS

A nanonet exhibits remarkable properties which arises from, not only, the intrinsic properties of each nanostructure but also from their assembly into network which makes them particularly attractive for various applications, notably in the field of optics, electronics or even biomedical. During this Ph.D. work, silicon nanowire-based nanonets were integrated for the first time into field effect transistors with a back gate configuration. The developed technological process is perfectly suitable with a large-scale and massive production of these devices at low cost without exceeding a thermal budget of 400°C. Major technological breakthroughs were achieved through the control of the sintering of nanowire junctions, the contact silicidation and the nanowire passivation with alumina. The as-fabricated nanonet transistors display outstanding, air stable and reproducible electrical characteristics which can compete with single nanowire-based devices. An in-depth study of percolation using experimental measurements and Monte-Carlo simulations highlighted that the conduction limitation by nanowire junctions allow to enhance drastically the electrical performances. After device integration into biosensors, it has been shown that transistors are electrically sensitive to DNA hybridization.
Beneficiating from a fabrication process compatible with the microelectronic industry, a 3D integration of these nanonet-based transistors onto a readout circuit can therefore be envisioned which opens new avenues for portable biosensors, allowing direct and label-free detection of DNA. Furthermore, mechanical flexibility and optical transparency offer other opportunities in flexible electronic field.