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ENRICO NAPOLITANI

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Position

Professore Associato

Address

VIA F. MARZOLO, 8 - PADOVA

Telephone

0498277001

Born in 1969, Enrico Napolitani received the Master Degree in Physics in 1996 (University of Padova) and the PhD in Material Science in 2000 (University of Catania). From 2000 to 2014 he has been Research Scientist at CNR-IMM Matis (Padova, Italy).

From 2014 is Associate Professor in Matter Physics at the University of Padova, where he holds courses on General Physics and on Physics and Technology of Semiconductors, and coordinates the laboratories of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, Van der Pauw-Hall and Rapid and Laser Thermal Processing at the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Currently, he is also associated member of the CNR-IMM institute and INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, where he carries out part of his research activities.

His research focuses on the physics and technology of semiconductors for nano- and opto-electronics, with emphasis on diffusion, electrical activation and defect evolution phenomena related with advanced doping processes of Si and Ge. Currently, he is investigating different advanced processing methods, including ion implantation, epitaxy, physical vapor deposition, monolayer doping, nanosecond UV laser annealing, to improve the doping and structural properties of Ge or Si layers, or 2D materials for nanoelectronic, optoelectronic, sensor, and quantum information applications.

He is member of Editorial Board of the Journals 'Material Science in Semiconductor Processing' (Elsevier) and 'Materials' (MDPI), and member of the Board of Delegates of the European Material Research Society. He tutored several Master and PhD degree thesis, and is member of the teaching board of the PhD School in Physics at the University of Padova.

He holds 250 publications in peer-reviewed journals (H-index 33), 3 book chapters, 2 international patent, invited presentations at international conferences, organisation of international symposia and conferences, memberships at international and editorial committees.

Notices

Office hours

  • ricevimento previa richiesta tramite posta elettronica: enrico.napolitani@unipd.it

Publications

[1] K. Chen, E. Napolitani, M. De Tullio, C. Jiang, H. Guthrey, F. Sgarbossa, S. Theingi, W. Nemeth, M. Page, P. Stradins, S. Agarwal, D.L. Young, Pulsed Laser Annealed Ga Hyperdoped Poly‐Si / SiO x Passivating Contacts for High‐Efficiency Monocrystalline Si Solar Cells, ENERGY Environ. Mater. (2023) 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.12542.
[2] E. Di Russo, A. Tonon, A. Mischianti, F. Sgarbossa, E. Coleman, F. Gity, L. Panarella, B. Sheehan, V.A. Lebedev, D. De Salvador, R. Duffy, E. Napolitani, Synthesis of Large-Area Crystalline MoS 2 by Sputter Deposition and Pulsed Laser Annealing, ACS Appl. Electron. Mater. 5 (2023) 2862–2875. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.3c00362.
[3] E. Di Russo, F. Sgarbossa, P. Ranieri, G. Maggioni, S. Ndiaye, S. Duguay, F. Vurpillot, L. Rigutti, J.-L. Rouvière, V. Morandi, D. De Salvador, E. Napolitani, Synthesis of relaxed Ge0.9Sn0.1/Ge by nanosecond pulsed laser melting, Appl. Surf. Sci. 612 (2023) 155817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.155817.
[4] M. Zimbone, M. Cantarella, G. Sfuncia, G. Nicotra, V. Privitera, E. Napolitani, G. Impellizzeri, Low-temperature atomic layer deposition of TiO2 activated by laser annealing: Applications in photocatalysis, Appl. Surf. Sci. 596 (2022) 153641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.153641.
[5] D. Fontana, F. Sgarbossa, R. Milazzo, E. Di Russo, E. Galluccio, D. De Salvador, R. Duffy, E. Napolitani, Ex-situ n-type heavy doping of Ge1-xSnx epilayers by surface Sb deposition and pulsed laser melting, Appl. Surf. Sci. 600 (2022) 154112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.154112.
[6] A. Jiménez, E. Napolitani, A. Datas, I. Martín, G. López, M. Cabero, F. Sgarbossa, R. Milazzo, S.M. Carturan, D. de Salvador, I. García, Y.K. Ryu, J. Martínez, C. del Cañizo, N-type doping of SiC-passivated Ge by pulsed laser melting towards the development of interdigitated back contact thermophotovoltaic devices, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells. 235 (2022) 111463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111463.
[7] F. Sgarbossa, A. Levarato, S.M. Carturan, G.A. Rizzi, C. Tubaro, G. Ciatto, F. Bondino, I. Píš, E. Napolitani, D. De Salvador, Phosphorus precursors reactivity versus hydrogenated Ge surface: towards a reliable self-limited monolayer doping, Appl. Surf. Sci. 541 (2021) 148532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148532.
[8] R. Milazzo, C. Carraro, J. Frigerio, A. Ballabio, G. Impellizzeri, D. Scarpa, A. Andrighetto, G. Isella, E. Napolitani, Ex-situ doping of epitaxially grown Ge on Si by ion-implantation and pulsed laser melting, Appl. Surf. Sci. 509 (2020) 145277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.145277.
[9] R. Milazzo, M. Linser, G. Impellizzeri, D. Scarpa, M. Giarola, a. Sanson, G. Mariotto, A. Andrighetto, A. Carnera, E. Napolitani, p-type doping of Ge by Al ion implantation and pulsed laser melting, Appl. Surf. Sci. 509 (2020) 145230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.145230.
[10] C. Carraro, R. Milazzo, F. Sgarbossa, D. Fontana, G. Maggioni, W. Raniero, D. Scarpa, L. Baldassarre, M. Ortolani, A. Andrighetto, D.R. Napoli, D. De Salvador, E. Napolitani, N-type heavy doping with ultralow resistivity in Ge by Sb deposition and pulsed laser melting, Appl. Surf. Sci. 509 (2020) 145229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.145229.

Research Area

His research focuses on the physics and technology of semiconductors for nano- and opto-electronics, with emphasis on diffusion, electrical activation and defect evolution phenomena related with advanced doping processes of Si and Ge.

Major achievements include the description of the diffusion and activation phenomena involved in the formation of shallow junctions in Si and Ge, and the development of defect engineering strategies and advanced processing methods for their control, including co-doping and ultra-fast and laser annealing.

Currently, he is investigating different processing methods, including ion implantation, epitaxy, physical vapor deposition, monolayer doping, nanosecond UV laser annealing, to improve the doping and structural properties of Ge/Si layers or 2D materials for nanoelectronic, optoelectronic and sensor applications.

Enrico Napolitani also has internationally recognized skills in the chemical depth profiling of solids, with applications in several fields also outside semiconductor physics.

With the aim of providing an overview of the recent progresses in semiconductor doping and stimulating research in this field, he edited in 2017 the special issue “Advanced doping methods in semiconductor devices and nanostructures” (Corresponding Editors: E. Napolitani, J. Williams, R. Duffy) in the journal Material Science in Semiconductor Processing (Elsevier).

Thesis proposals

Hyperdoping of Semiconductors by Pulsed Laser Melting

The detailed topics of the thesis will be agreed according to the particular student's interest and the actual research needs, in the field of Laser processing of semiconductors.

Laser annealing has proven a beneficial potential to improve the electrical, structural and optical properties of semiconductors for advanced devices in nanoelectronics, photonics, plasmonics, gamma-ray detections, etc.. In fact, Laser annealing allows extremely fast dynamics (nanoseconds) of surface melting and recrystallization, which allows the synthesis of shallow layers with properties not accessible with conventional equilibrium thermal processes.

For example, a possible thesis activity could be the processing of Ge or 2D materials (to hyperdope above the solubility limits or to modify the structural, electrical and optical properties) by PLM. Samples will be processed at the new laboratory for Laser Processing at the DFA and then characterized to understand, as a function of the processing conditions: the dopant diffusion and incorporation during melting/recrystallization; the electrical properties of the doped layers (carrier concentration and mobility); the evolution of the surface morphology; and the strain. The data will be analyzed with the help of a simulation code.

The student will acquire several skills including the fundamentals on different processing and characterization techniques such as pulsed UV Laser Processing, VdP-Hall, SIMS, AFM, HRXRD and notions on the physics of non-equilibrium doping processes and on the properties of hyperdoped semiconductor materials.