Paromita Cesano Bagchi Qualifier

The precise detection of VOCs could enable great progress in early detection of disease via biomarkers. In this work we investigate new approaches to achieve high resolution detection of low concentration molecular samples using electric field ionization spectroscopy. Our first method utilizes scalable nanofabrication techniques such as nanosphere lithography and metal-assisted chemical etching to form dense arrays (10^8/cm^2) of sharpened high aspect ratio nanopillars on silicon that reduce the ionization energy via geometric field gradients and highly localized fields. Furthermore, we are investigating additional reduction of ionization barriers via controlled surface doping of gold by adjusting the band structure of silicon. In this talk we detail progress made towards fabricating and testing these ionization surfaces under vacuum conditions.