prof. RNDr. Tomáš Šikola, CSc.
E-mail:   sikola@fme.vutbr.cz  Dept.:   Institute of Physical Engineering Position:   Director of Institute Room:   A1/1722 Dept.:   Institute of Physical Engineering Position:   Professor Room:   A1/1722 Dept.:   Institute of Physical Engineering Dept. of Physics of Surfaces and Nanostructures Position:   Head of Department Room:   A1/1722

Supervised courses:

• Advanced topics in nanotechnology (DS116A)
• Diagnostics and measurements of functional properties of nanostructures (DS102)
• Diagnostics and measurements of functional properties of nanostructures (DS102A)
• Diploma Project I (N-FIN) (TOJ)
• Diploma Project (N-FIN) (TPJ)
• Diploma Project (N-FIN) (TPJ-A)
• Nanophotonics (DS108)
• Nanophotonics (DS108A)
• Nanophotonics and Plasmonics (TNF-A)
• Nanotechnology (9NTC)
• Physical Properties of Materials (TFV)
• Principles of Equipment for Physical Technologies (TPZ-A)
• Principles of nanosciences and nanotechnologies (DS113)
• Principles of Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (DS113A)
• Surface and interfaces (DS115A)
• Surface and Thin Films (T1T-A)

Publications:

• DVOŘÁK, P.; NEUMAN, T.; BŘÍNEK, L.; ŠAMOŘIL, T.; KALOUSEK, R.; DUB, P.; VARGA, P.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Control and Near-Field Detection of Surface Plasmon Interference Patterns,
  NANO LETTERS, Vol.13, (2013), No.6, pp.2558-2563, ISSN 1530-6984
  journal article - other
• UHLÍŘ, V.; URBÁNEK, M.; HLADÍK, L.; SPOUSTA, J.; IM, M.; FISCHER, P.; EIBAGI, N.; KAN, J.; FULLERTON, E.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Dynamic switching of the spin circulation in tapered magnetic nanodisks,
  Nature Nanotechnology (print), Vol.8, (2013), No.5, pp.341-346, ISSN 1748-3387
  journal article - other
• KALOUSEK, R.; DUB, P.; BŘÍNEK, L.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Response of plasmonic resonant nanorods: an analytical approach to optical antennas
  journal article in Web of Science
• KOLÍBAL, M.; KALOUSEK, R.; NOVÁK, L.; VYSTAVĚL, T.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Controlled faceting in (110) germanium nanowire growth by switching between vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid-solid growth
  journal article in Web of Science
• KOLÍBAL, M.; VYSTAVĚL, T.; NOVÁK, L.; MACH, J.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  In-situ observation of <110> oriented Ge nanowire growth and associated collector droplet behavior
  journal article in Web of Science
• MACH, J.; ŠAMOŘIL, T.; VOBORNÝ, S.; KOLÍBAL, M.; ZLÁMAL, J.; SPOUSTA, J.; DITTRICHOVÁ, L.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  An ultra-low energy (30–200 eV) ion-atomic beam source for ion-beam-assisted deposition in ultrahigh vacuum,
  Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol.82, (2011), No.8, pp.083302-1-083302-7, ISSN 0034-6748
  journal article - other
• KOLÍBAL, M.; MATLOCHA, T.; VYSTAVĚL, T.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Low energy focused ion beam milling of silicon and germanium nanostructures,
  NANOTECHNOLOGY, Vol.22, (2011), No.10, pp.105304-1-105304-8, ISSN 0957-4484
  journal article - other
• KOSTELNÍK, P.; SERIANI, N.; KRESSE, G.; MIKKELSEN, A.; LUNDGREN, E.; BLUM, V.; ŠIKOLA, T.; VARGA, P.; SCHMID, M.:
  The Pd(100)-(SQRT(5)xSQRT(5))R27-O surface oxide: a LEED, DFT and STM study,
  Surface Science, Vol.601, (2007), No.6, pp.1574-1581, ISSN 0039-6028
  journal article - other

List of publications at Portal BUT

Abstracts of most important papers:

• DVOŘÁK, P.; NEUMAN, T.; BŘÍNEK, L.; ŠAMOŘIL, T.; KALOUSEK, R.; DUB, P.; VARGA, P.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Control and Near-Field Detection of Surface Plasmon Interference Patterns,
  NANO LETTERS, Vol.13, (2013), No.6, pp.2558-2563, ISSN 1530-6984
  journal article - other
  The tailoring of electromagnetic near-field properties is the central task in the field of nanophotonics. In addition to 2D optics for optical nanocircuits, confined and enhanced electric fields are utilized in detection and sensing, photovoltaics, spatially localized spectroscopy (nanoimaging), as well as in nanolithography and nanomanipulation. For practical purposes, it is necessary to develop easy-to-use methods for controlling the electromagnetic near-field distribution. By imaging optical near-fields using a scanning near-field optical microscope, we demonstrate that surface plasmon polaritons propagating from slits along the metal dielectric interface form tunable interference patterns. We present a simple way how to control the resulting interference patterns both by variation of the angle between two slits and, for a fixed slit geometry, by a proper combination of laser beam polarization and inhomogeneous far-field illumination of the structure. Thus the modulation period of interference patterns has become adjustable and new variable patterns consisting of stripelike and dotlike motifs have been achieved, respectively.
• UHLÍŘ, V.; URBÁNEK, M.; HLADÍK, L.; SPOUSTA, J.; IM, M.; FISCHER, P.; EIBAGI, N.; KAN, J.; FULLERTON, E.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Dynamic switching of the spin circulation in tapered magnetic nanodisks,
  Nature Nanotechnology (print), Vol.8, (2013), No.5, pp.341-346, ISSN 1748-3387
  journal article - other
  Magnetic vortices are characterized by the sense of in-plane magnetization circulation and by the polarity of the vortex core. With each having two possible states, there are four possible stable magnetization configurations that can be utilized for a multibit memory cell. Dynamic control of vortex core polarity has been demonstrated using both alternating and pulsed magnetic fields and currents. Here, we show controlled dynamic switching of spin circulation in vortices using nanosecond field pulses by imaging the process with full-field soft X-ray transmission microscopy. The dynamic reversal process is controlled by far-from-equilibrium gyrotropic precession of the vortex core, and the reversal is achieved at significantly reduced field amplitudes when compared with static switching. We further show that both the field pulse amplitude and duration required for efficient circulation reversal can be controlled by appropriate selection of the disk geometry.
• KALOUSEK, R.; DUB, P.; BŘÍNEK, L.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Response of plasmonic resonant nanorods: an analytical approach to optical antennas
  journal article in Web of Science
  An analytical model of the response of a free-electron gas within the nanorod to the incident electromagnetic wave is developed to investigate the optical antenna problem. Examining longitudinal oscillations of the free-electron gas along the antenna nanorod a simple formula for antenna resonance wavelengths proving a linear scaling is derived. Then the nanorod polarizability and scattered fields are evaluated. Particularly, the near-field amplitudes are expressed in a closed analytical form and the shift between near-field and far-field intensity peaks is deduced
• KOLÍBAL, M.; VYSTAVĚL, T.; NOVÁK, L.; MACH, J.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  In-situ observation of <110> oriented Ge nanowire growth and associated collector droplet behavior
  journal article in Web of Science
  Using in-situ microscopy, we show that germanium nanowires can be grown by a vapor-liquid-solid process in h110i directions both on Ge(100) and Ge(111) substrates if very low supersaturation in the collector droplet is ensured. This can be provided if thermal evaporation is utilized. Such a behavior is also in agreement with earlier chemical vapor deposition experiments, where h110i oriented wires were obtained for very small wire diameters only. Our conclusions are supported by in-situ observations of nanowire kinking towards h111i direction occurring more frequently at higher evaporation rates
• KOLÍBAL, M.; ČECHAL, J.; BARTOŠÍK, M.; MACH, J.; ŠIKOLA, T.:
  Stability of hydrogen-terminated silicon surface under ambient atmosphere,
  Applied Surface Science, Vol.256, (2010), No.11, pp.3423-2426, ISSN 0169-4332
  journal article - other
  In this paper a comparative study of different wet-chemical etching procedures of vicinal Si(1 1 1) surface passivation is presented. The stability against oxidation under ambient atmosphere was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The best results were achieved by the buffered HF etching and the final smoothing of the surface by hot (72 C) NH4F. The procedures consisting of a large number of etching steps were unsatisfactory, since the probability of contamination during each step was increasing. The passivated surface was stable against oxidation for at least 3 h under ambient atmosphere.