Mark Tuominen
Professor of Physics
Co-Director of the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing and MassNanoTech

Research Interests

Experimental condensed matter physics. Research in the fabrication and physics of nanoscale devices and materials. This includes two primary research areas: nanostructures from self-assembling block copolymer templates and nanoscale device physics. The first area addresses the general scientific challenge of fabricating nanoscale structures by a convenient method and providing appropriate electrical interfacing to these structures. To adress this challenge, diblock copolymer films are used as a convenient self-assembling template for the fabrication of arrays of nanoscale elements. This results in a new fabrication method for producing integrated devices using block copolymer templates in combination with other lithographic methods. Research includes work on terabit-density single-domain magnetic arrays, magnetotransport devices, field-emission arrays, electrochemical sensor arrays, and thermoelectric cooling elements. The second research area explores issues involved in single charge transport. This includes single-electron investigations of mesoscopic superconductors and, more recently, experimental and theoretical studies on charge shuttle devices, which involves quantum charge transport coupled with mechanical vibration.

Selected Recent Publications

• "Nanofabrication Of Integrated Magnetoelectronic Devices Using Patterned Self-Assembled Copolymer Templates," M. Bal, A. Ursache, J. Goldbach, T.P. Russell, and M.T. Tuominen, Applied Physics Letters 81, 3479 (2002).
• “Incoherent dynamics of vibrating single-molecule transistors.,” Kevin D. McCarthy, Nikolay Prokof'ev, and Mark T. Tuominen, cond-mat/0205419 (2002).
• “Terabit Density Cobalt Nanowire Arrays With Tunable Magnetic Properties,” Andrei Ursache, Mustafa Bal, James T. Goldbach, Robert L. Sandstrom, C. T. Black, Thomas P. Russell, and Mark T. Tuominen, Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 721 (2002).
• “A simple route to metal nanodots and nanoporous metal films,” K. Shin, K.A. Leach, J.T. Goldbach, D.H. Kim, J.Y. Jho, M. Tuominen, C.J. Hawker, and T.P. Russell, Nano Letters 2, 933 (2002).
• “Fabrication and Characterization of Nanoelectrode Arrays Formed via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly,” E. Jeoung, T.H. Galow, J. Schotter, M. Bal, A. Ursache, M.T. Tuominen, C.M. Stafford, T.P. Russell and V.M. Rotello, Langmuir 17, 6396-6398 (2001).
• “Integration of self-assembled diblock copolymers for semiconductor capacitor fabrication,” C. T. Black, K. W. Guarini, K. R. Milkove, S. M. Baker, M. T. Tuominen, and T. P. Russell, Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 409 (2001).
• “Modeling the Thermoelectric Transport Properties of Nanowires Embedded in Oriented Microporous and Mesoporous Films,” H.W. Hillhouse and M.T. Tuominen, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 47, 39-50 (2001).
• “Nanofabrication using block copolymer templates: A route to terabit-density media and integrated nanowire devices,” Mark T. Tuominen and Thomas P. Russell, DataTech Magazine 7, p. 49 (2001).
• “Tailoring Exchange Bias with Magnetic Nanostructures,” K. Liu, S.M. Baker, M. Tuominen, T.P. Russell, and I.K. Schuller, Phys. Rev. B 63, 060403 (R) (2001).
• “Charge Transport Experiments with Franklin’s Bells,” R.V. Krotkov, M.T. Tuominen and M.L. Breuer, Am. J. Phys. 69, 50 (2001).
• “Ultrahigh-Density Nanowire Arrays Grown in Self-Assembled Diblock Copolymer Templates,” T. Thurn-Albrecht, J. Schotter, G.A. Kästle, N. Emley, T.Shibauchi, L.Krusin-Elbaum, K.Guarini, C.T.Black, M. Tuominen and T.P. Russell, Science 290, 2126 (2000).
• “Nanoscopic Templates from Oriented Block Copolymer Films,” T. Thurn-Albrecht, J. DeRouchey, C.M. Stafford, E. Huang, M. Bal, M. Tuominen, T. Russell, and C.J. Hawker, Advanced Materials 12, 787-791 (2000).
• “Stepwise and Hysteretic Transport Behavior of an Electromechanical Charge Shuttle,” M.T. Tuominen, R.V. Krotkov, and M.L. Breuer, Physical Review Letters 83, 3025-3028 (1999).