Introduction
My research is focused on the development and the use of X-ray scattering (mostly using synchrotron radiation) for structural determination with new experimental methods and new algorithms for data analysis. The purpose of this research is to explore the frontiers of X-ray diffraction in order to determine the structure of new materials that cannot be studied using established techniques.
X-ray Coherent Diffraction Imaging on semiconductor nanowires (2007-)
Coherent Diffraction Imaging is a technique developed in the last 10 years, using X-ray nanobeams to yield the 3D structure of single objects with a size between 50 nm to 1 μm. We have worked specifically on the development of Coherent Bragg Imaging: in this method the scattering is recorded around a Bragg peak, and the 3D data can be used to recover the shape of the object, its deformation field and its strain, as well as well a sequence of stacking faults.
This work involves both experimental developments (in collaboration with the ID01 beamline of the ESRF), as well as algorithmic ones, for the analysis of coherent diffraction data in the case of strongly strained or faulted structures.
Selected publications:
Favre-Nicolin, V, F Mastropietro, J Eymery, D Camacho, Y M Niquet, B M Borg, M E Messing, et al. “Analysis of strain and stacking faults in single nanowires using Bragg coherent diffraction imaging.” New Journal of Physics 12 (2010), 035013. http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/12/3/035013/
Favre-Nicolin, V., J. Eymery, R. Koester, & P. Gentile. “Coherent-diffraction imaging of single nanowires of diameter 95 nanometers.” Physical Review B 79 (2009), 195401-5http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v79/e195401