General Lab Information

Nikhil Tiwale

Nanofabrication Staff Scientist, 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

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


Expertise

  • Micro/nanofabrication - Electron beam lithography (EBL), Photolithography
  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD) & vapor-phase infiltration (VPI)
  • Oxide/hybrid semiconductors & nanocomposits
  • Microelectronic & optoelectronic device characterization

Research Activities

Lithography-based nanopatterning & hybridization for enhancing materials & devices
  • Direct-write scalable processes for integration of microelectronics, optoelectronics & photonics
  • Hybrid photoresists for high-fidelity nanolithography - EBL & extreme ultraviolet (EUV)
  • Ultrathin & geometry-driven nanoelectronics through atomic/molecular layer processing

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] | Advisor: Prof Sir Mark Welland
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 | Advisor: Prof Prita Pant

Professional Appointments

Center for Functional Nanomaterials | Brookhaven National Laboratory

01/2025 – Present         Assistant Scientist
09/2022 – 12/2024.       Research Staff 2
09/2021 – 08/2022        Scientific Associate
03/2018 – 09/2021        Research Associate

Adaptix Ltd

10/2017 – 03/2018        Silicon Process Engineer

Selected Publications

  • Saifullah MSM, Rajak AK, Hofhuis KA, et al (2024) Approaching Angstrom-Scale Resolution in Lithography Using Low-Molecular-Mass Resists (<500 Da). ACS Nano. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c03939
  • Lee W-I, Subramanian A, Kisslinger K, et al (2024) Effects of alumina priming on the electrical properties of ZnO nanostructures derived from vapor-phase infiltration into self-assembled block copolymer thin films. Materials Advances 5:5698–5708. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ma00346b
  • Michelson A, Subramanian A, Kisslinger K, et al (2024) Three-dimensional nanoscale metal, metal oxide, and semiconductor frameworks through DNA-programmable assembly and templating. Science Advances 10:. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adl0604
  • Camino FE, Tiwale N, Hwang S, et al (2023) Mitigating challenges in aberration-corrected electron-beam lithography on electron-opaque substrates. Nanotechnology 35:065301. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ad0908
  • Subramanian A, Tiwale N, Lee W, et al (2023) Vapor-Phase Infiltrated Organic–Inorganic Positive-Tone Hybrid Photoresist for Extreme UV Lithography. Advanced Materials Interfaces 10:. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202300420
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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, 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
  • 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

Research Highlights

Patents and records of inventions
  • “Inorganic-Infiltrated Polymer Hybrid Thin Film Resists for Advanced Lithography,” BNL Record of Invention, March 2019 | U.S. Patent 12140865 B2, November 2024
  • “Substrates for Optical and Electron Microscopy of 2D Materials”, BNL Record of Invention, June 2021 | U.S. Patent Application 18/119347, March 2023
  • “Metal-oxide infiltrated organic-inorganic hybrid resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) devices”, BNL Record of Invention, June 2021 | U.S. Patent Application 17/854529, June 2022
Media Coverage
Research Highlights

Awards & Recognition

  • Work included in Brookhaven's Top 10 Discoveries of 2024
  • 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 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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