General Lab Information

Nikhil Tiwale

Nanofabrication Research Staff, Electronic Nanomaterials, Center for Functional Nanomaterials

Nikhil Tiwale

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Bldg. 735, Room 1021
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-3782
(631) 992-2814
ntiwale@bnl.gov

Nikhil is a materials scientist adept in lithography & nanofabrication with 10+ years of hands-on experience in micro/nano-scale materials processing & semiconductor device characterization.

Expertise | Research | Education | Appointments | Publications | Highlights | Awards


Expertise

  • Micro/Nano-fabrication - Electron Beam Lithography, Photolithography
  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD) & infiltration synthesis
  • Oxide/hybrid semiconductors & dielectrics
  • (Opto)electronic devices & sensors

Research Activities

Lithography-based nanostructuring & hybridization for enhancing materials & devices
  • Infiltration synthesis of hybrid resists for high-fidelity nanolithography
  • Scalable direct-write fabrication processes for nano(opto)electronic devices & sensors

Education

Ph.D., University of Cambridge, UK (2017)
  • Engineering - Solid State Electronics and Nanoscale Science
  • Dissertation: Zinc oxide nanowire field-effect transistors for sensor applications [DOI: 10.17863/CAM.14429]
B.Tech. + M.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India (2012)
  • Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science | Specialization – Ceramics and Composites
  • Dissertation: Multi-point optical curvature measurement setup

Professional Appointments

Center for Functional Nanomaterials | Brookhaven National Laboratory
  • Research Staff (Sept. 2022 - Present)
  • Scientific Associate (Sept. 2021 - Aug. 2022)
  • Research Associate (Mar. 2018 - Sept. 2021)
Adaptix Ltd
  • Silicon Process Engineer (Oct. 2017 – Mar. 2018)
Nanoscience Centre | University of Cambridge
  • Cleanroom Equipment Instructor (Apr. 2014 – May 2017)

Selected Publications

  • Nowak SR, Tiwale N, Doerk GS, et al (2023) Responsive Blends of Block Copolymers Stabilize the Hexagonally Perforated Lamellae Morphology. Soft Matter. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3sm00142c
  • Li Z, He J, Subramanian A, et al (2023) Unraveling the ultrahigh modulus of resilience of Core-Shell SU-8 nanocomposite nanopillars fabricated by vapor-phase infiltration. Materials & Design 227:111770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111770
  • Senanayak SP, Dey K, Shivanna R, et al (2023) Charge transport in mixed metal halide perovskite semiconductors. Nature Materials 22:216–224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01448-2
  • Russell ST, Bae S, Subramanian A, et al (2022) Priming self-assembly pathways by stacking block copolymers. Nature Communications 13:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34729-0
  • Saifullah MSM, Tiwale N, Ganesan R (2022) Review of metal-containing resists in electron beam lithography: perspectives for extreme ultraviolet patterning. Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology 21:. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jmm.21.4.041402
  • Subramanian A, Tiwale N, Kisslinger K, Nam C (2022) Reduced Stochastic Resistive Switching in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Memristors by Vapor-Phase Infiltration. Advanced Electronic Materials 2200172. https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202200172
  • Subramanian A, Tiwale N, Lee W-I, Nam C-Y (2021) Templating Functional Materials Using Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Thin-Film for Nanodevices. Frontiers in Nanotechnology 3:. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnano.2021.766690
  • Dai Z, Gao Z, Pershoguba SS, et al (2021) Quantum-Well Bound States in Graphene Heterostructure Interfaces. Physical Review Letters 127:. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.127.086805
  • Zhou Y, Tiwale N, Yin Y, et al (2021) Effects of polymer grain boundary passivation on organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite field-effect transistors. Applied Physics Letters 119:183303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0065164
  • Tiwale N, Senanayak SP, Rubio-Lara J, et al (2021) Solution-Processed High-Performance ZnO Nano-FETs Fabricated with Direct-Write Electron-Beam-Lithography-Based Top-Down Route. Advanced Electronic Materials 7:2000978. https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202000978
  • Tiwale N, Subramanian A, Freychet G, et al (2021) Hybrid resist synthesis by ex-situ vapor-phase infiltration of metal oxides into conventional organic resists. Advances in Patterning Materials and Processes XXXVIII. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2583908
  • Tiwale N, Subramanian A, Dai Z, et al (2020) Large mobility modulation in ultrathin amorphous titanium oxide transistors. Communications Materials 1:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-020-00096-w
  • Tiwale N, Subramanian A, Kisslinger K, et al (2020) Infiltration synthesis of hybrid nanocomposite resists for advanced nanolithography. Advances in Patterning Materials and Processes XXXVII. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2552164
  • Subramanian A, Tiwale N, Doerk G, et al (2019) Enhanced Hybridization and Nanopatterning via Heated Liquid-Phase Infiltration into Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Thin Films. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12:1444–1453. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b16148
  • Tiwale N, Subramanian A, Kisslinger K, et al (2019) Advancing next generation nanolithography with infiltration synthesis of hybrid nanocomposite resists. Journal of Materials Chemistry C 7:8803–8812. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9tc02974e
  • Tiwale N, Senanayak SP, Rubio-Lara J, et al (2019) Optimization of Transistor Characteristics and Charge Transport in Solution Processed ZnO Thin Films Grown from Zinc Neodecanoate. Electronic Materials Letters 15:702–711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-019-00173-4
  • Subramanian A, Tiwale N, Nam C-Y (2018) Review of Recent Advances in Applications of Vapor-Phase Material Infiltration Based on Atomic Layer Deposition. JOM 71:185–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-018-3141-4
  • Aziz A, Tiwale N, Hodge SA, et al (2018) Core–Shell Electrospun Polycrystalline ZnO Nanofibers for Ultra-Sensitive NO2 Gas Sensing. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 10:43817–43823. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b17149
  • Tan EKW, Rughoobur G, Rubio-Lara J, et al (2018) Nanofabrication of Conductive Metallic Structures on Elastomeric Materials. Scientific Reports 8:. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24901-2
  • Tiwale N (2015) Zinc oxide nanowire gas sensors: fabrication, functionalisation and devices. Materials Science and Technology 31:1681–1697. https://doi.org/10.1179/1743284714y.0000000747

Research Highlights

Patents and records of inventions
  • “Quantum-Well Bound States in Graphene Heterostructure Interfaces”, U.S. Provisional Patent Application, 63/331799, April 2022
  • “Metal-oxide infiltrated organic-inorganic hybrid resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) devices”, BNL Record of Invention, June 2021 | U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/217367, July 2021
  • “Substrates for optical and electron spectro-microscopy characterization of 2D materials”, BNL Record of Invention, June 2021
  • “Inorganic Infiltrated Polymer Hybrid Thin Film Resists for Advanced Lithography”, BNL Record of Invention, March 2019 | U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/814,633, March 2019 | U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/853,783, May 2019 | U.S. Patent Application 16/808661 filed March 4th, 2020
Media Coverage

Awards & Recognition

  • Best poster award -2nd place at 2022 EUVL Workshop & Supplier Showcase (virtual)
  • SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning 2021 C. Grant Willson Best Paper Award
  • Work included in the Top-10 Areas of Amazing Science at Brookhaven Lab, 2021
  • Top 100 entry in Create the Future 2020 Design Contest, Tech Brief Media Group, Dec. 2020
  • Winner of the Poster Presentation Session (NSLS-II and CFN Users' Meeting 2019)
  • Outstanding Oral Presentation Award (Early Career Research Symposium 2018)
  • Cambridge-India Partnership Scholarship by Cambridge Trusts, United Kingdom, 2012-15
  • National Talent Search Exam (NTSE) Scholarship, India, 2004
Nikhil Tiwale

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Bldg. 735, Room 1021
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-3782
(631) 992-2814
ntiwale@bnl.gov

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