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Administrative data

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral

presidence@epfl.ch

Nationality: Swiss, Spanish

EPFL STI IMX LMSC
MXC 330 (Bâtiment MXC)
Station 12
1015 Lausanne

EPFL › STI › IMX › LMSC1

Website: https://lmsc.epfl.ch/

Expertise

My scientific and technical expertise covers the following domains: materials science and engineering, Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Chemical Vaport Deposition, nanofabrication for quantum technologies, semiconductor and cleanroom fabrication, compound semiconductors, Nanowires Nanotechnology, Solar Cell fabrication and characterization, Raman and luminescence spectroscopy

Mission

In the last two decades, our research activities have focused on the materials science and engineering of semiconductor materials, targeting applications in next-generation quantum and photoconversion technologies. We are dedicated to exploring how nanoscale materials can provide enhanced or novel properties, while also investigating how innovative nanoprocessing techniques can facilitate the fabrication of new materials. A key aspect of our work is to enhance the sustainability of semiconductors, either by minimizing the quantities required or by developing semiconductors composed of abundant earth elements.


 

Current Work

Next to the Presidency, I continue to run a small research operation, with the support of brilliant postdocs and collaborators.
Our current research spans the follwing topics: 
  •     Enabling zinc phosphide as a new earth abundant compound semiconductor for solar cell technology
  •     Enabling germanium and germanium tin as earth abundant and silicon-compatible optoelectronic platform, in collaboration with Prof. Moselund (EPFL-PSI) and Dr Pfister (ETHZ) 
  •     Understanding how devices of hybrid dimensionality (e.g. 2D with 1D) offer new funcitonality to optoelectric applications, with the support of Dr. V. Piazza
  •     New semicondutor sources for photoelectron emisson, in collaboration with Attolight
  •   2025-: President of EPFL
  •   2023-2024: Member of the Swiss Quantum Commission
  •   2021-2024: Associate Vice-president for Centers and Platforms, EPFL
  •   2020-2024: President of the Specialized Commitee International Cooperation at SNSF    
  •   2019: Full Professor at the Institute of Materials, co-affiliaton with the Institute of Physics, EPFL
  •   2015-2024: Member of the SNSF Research Council
  •   2014: Associate Professor at the  Institute of Materials , EPFL
  •   2008: Assistant Professor Tenure Track at the  Institute of Materials , EPFL
  •   2009: Habilitation in Physics, Technische Universität München
  •   2005-2010: Marie Curie Excellence Grant Team Leader at Walter Schottky Institut, Technische Universität München, on leave from Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France)
  •   2004-2005: Visiting Scientist at the California Institute of Technology, on leave from CNRS; Senior Scientist and co-founder of Aonex Technologies (a startup company for large area layer transfer of InP and Ge on foreign substrates for the main application of multi-junction solar cells)
  •   2003: Permanent Research Fellow at CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, France
  •   2001-2002: Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology 
    • Study of wafer bonding and hydrogen-induced exfoliation processes for integration of mismatched materials in views of photovoltaic applications
    • Sponsor: Professor Harry A. Atwater
  •   1998-2001: PhD in Materials Science, Ecole Polytechnique 
    • Study of polymorphous silicon: growth mechanisms, optical and structural properties. Application to Solar Cells and Thin Film Transistors
    • Advisor: Pere Roca i Cabarrocas
  •   1997-1998: Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondis (D.E.A.) in Materials Science at Université Paris XI, France
  •   1993-1997: Diploma in Physics at Universitat de Barcelona

Postoctoral fellows

Dr. Pablo Romero, Marie Curie Fellow Dr. Jelena Vukajlovic-Plestina

Selected publications

Single-nanowire solar cells beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit

Peter Krogstrup,Henrik Ingerslev Jørgensen,Martin Heiss,Olivier Demichel,Jeppe V. Holm,Martin Aagesen,Jesper Nygard & Anna Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Nature Photonics, doi:10.1038/nphoton.2013.32 in

Self-assembled quantum dots in a nanowire system for quantum photonics

M. Heiss, Y. Fontana, A. Gustafsson, G. W�st, C. Magen, D. D. O�Regan, J. W. Luo, B. Ketterer, S. Conesa-Boj, A. V. Kuhlmann, J. Houel, E. Russo-Averchi, J. R. Morante, M. Cantoni, N. Marzari, J. Arbiol, A. Zunger, R. J. Warburton & A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Nature materials, doi:10.1038/nmat3557 in

Untangling the Electronic Band Structure of Wurtzite GaAs Nanowires by Resonant Raman Spectroscopy

B. Ketterer, M. Heiss, E. Uccelli, J. Arbiol, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in ACS Nano in

Three-dimensional twinning of self-catalyzed GaAs nanowires on Si substrates

E. Uccelli, J. Arbiol, C. Magen, P. Krogstrup, E. Russo-Averchi, M. Heiss, G. Mugny, F. Morier-Genoud, J. Nygard, J.R. Morante, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Nano Letters asap (2011) in

Phonon confinement and plasmon-phonon interaction in nanowire based quantum wells

Bernt Ketterer, Jordi Arbiol, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Phys. Rev. B (2011), accepted in

InAs Quantum Dot Arrays Decorating the Facets of GaAs Nanowires

E. Uccelli, J. Arbiol, J.R. Morante, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in ACS Nano, DOI: 10.1021/nn101604k in

p-doping mechanisms in catalyst-free GaAs nanowires

J. Dufouleur*, C. Colombo*, T. Garma, B. Ketterer, E. Uccelli, M. Nicotra, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Nano Lett, 10, 1734 (2010) in

Raman Spectroscopy of wurtzite and zinc-blende GaAs nanowires: Polarization dependence, selection rules, and strain effects

I. Zardo, S. Conesa-Boj, F. Peiro, J. R. Morante, J. Arbiol, E. Uccelli, G. Abstreiter and A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Physical Review B 80, 245324 (2009) in

Gallium arsenide p-i-n radial structures for photovoltaic applications

C. Colombo, M. Heiβ, M. Graetzel, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 173108 (2009) in

Structural and optical properties of high quality zinc-blende/wurtzite GaAs nanowire heterostructures

D. Spirkoska, J. Arbiol, A. Gustafsson, S. Conesa-Boj, F. Glas, I. Zardo, M. Heigoldt, M. H. Gass, A. L. Bleloch, S. Estrade, M. Kaniber, J. Rossler, F. Peiro, J. R. Morante, G. Abstreiter, L. Samuelson and A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Physical Review B 80, 245325 (2009) in

Long Range Epitaxial Growth of Prismatic Heterostructures on the facets of Catalyst-Free GaAs Nanowires

Matthias Heigoldt, Jordi Arbiol, Danĉe Spirkoska, Josep M. Rebled, Sònia Conesa-Boj, Gerhard Abstreiter, Francesca Peiró, Joan R. Morante, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in J. Mater. Chem. 19, 840-848 (2009) in

Prismatic Quantum Heterostructures Synthesized on Molecular-Beam Epitaxy GaAs Nanowires

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Dance Spirkoska, Jordi Arbiol, Matthias Heigoldt, Joan Ramon Moranteand Gerhard Abstreiter
Published in Small, 4, 899-903 (2008) in

Growth mechanisms of Ga-assisted catalyst-free MBE GaAs nanowires

C. Colombo, D. Spirkoska, M. Frimmer, G. Abstreiter, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Physical Review B 77, 155326 (2008) in

Nucleation mechanism of gallium-assisted molecular beam epitaxy growth of gallium arsenide nanowires

A. Fontcuberta i Morral, C. Colombo, J. Arbiol, J.R. Morante, G. Abstreiter
Published in Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 063112 (2008) in

Synthesis of silicon nanowires with wurtzite crystalline structure by standard Chemical Vapour Deposition

A . Fontcuberta i Morral, J. Arbiol, J.D. Prades, A. Cirera, J.R. Morante
Published in Adv. Mater. 19, 1347-1351 (2007) in

Influence of Cu as a catalyst on the properties of silicon nanowires synthesized by the Vapor-Solid-Solid mechanism

9. J. Arbiol, B. Kalache, P. Roca i Cabarrocas, J. R. Morante, A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Nanotechnology 18 (2007) 305606 in

Observation of incubation times in the nucleation of silicon nanowires obtained by the Vapor-Liquid-Solid method

B. Kalache, P. Roca i Cabarrocas,A. Fontcuberta i Morral
Published in Jap. J. Appl. Phys. 45 , L109 (2006) in

InGaAs/InP double heterostructures on In/Si templates fabricated by wafer bonding and hydrogen induced exfoliation of InP

A. Fontcuberta i Morral, J. M. Zahler, S. P. Ahrenkiel, M. Wanlass, Harry. A. Atwater
Published in Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 5413 (2003) in

Horizontal Conformal Anodic Oxidation Of Aluminium Thin Films

17. C-S. Cojocaru, J-M. Padovani, T. Wade, C. Mandoli, G. Jaskierowicz, J-E. Wegrowe, A. Fontcuberta i Morral, D. Pribat
Published in Nanoletters, 5, 675 (2005) in

The role of hydrogen in the formation of microcrystalline silicon

A. Fontcuberta i Morral, J. Bertomeu, P.Roca i Cabarrocas
Published in Materials Science and Engineering B69-70, 559 (2000) in

Research

Profile in Google Scholar

http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6XS-jxc&user=6XS-jxcAAAAJ

Teaching & PhD

PhD Students

Claire Valentine Blaga, Mariona Bonas Vera, Matilde Cantele, Thomas Hagger, Raphaël François Lemerle, Ludovica Lunghi, Julia Sarah Marhic, Stefano Marinoni, Reyhaneh Ramezani, Xianzhe Zeng

Past EPFL PhD Students

Francesca Amaduzzi (2017), Akshay Balgarkashi (2022), Nicolas Bologna (2019), Alberto Casadei (2016), Carlo Colombo (2012), Anna Dalmau Mallorquí (2014), Didem Dede (2024), Simon Robert Escobar Steinvall (2020), Yannik Fontana (2015), Luca Francaviglia (2019), Martin George Friedl (2020), Lea Ghisalberti (2021), Andrea Giunto (2023), Lucas Güniat (2021), Bernt Ketterer (2011), Wonjong Kim (2020), Federico Matteini (2016), Dmitry Mikulik (2018), Nicholas Paul Morgan (2023), Rajrupa Paul (2023), Heidi Potts (2017), Santhanu Panikar Ramanandan (2025), Daniel Rüffer (2014), Eleonora Russo (2015), Philipp Staudinger (2020), Elias Zsolt Stutz (2022), Nicolas Tappy (2023), Anja Tiede (2026), Gözde Tütüncüoglu (2017), Jelena Vukajlovic Plestina (2017), Mahdi Zamani (2021)

Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector

Maria Carmen Giordano (2021), Anna Kúkol'ová (2021), Filip Mateusz Podjaski (2019)

Courses

Crystal growth by epitaxy

MSE-649

This is an interactive course explaining the main physical and chemical concepts to understand epitaxy of crystalline thin films and what determines the morphology, composition and structure of a material grown per epitaxy both in the bulk and as nanostructure.