NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Nanoscience, Electronic Materials, and Thin Films
Overview
The nanoscience, electronic materials, and thin films
group at North Carolina State University studies a
wide range of topics covering fields as diverse as
nanotribology and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
With research in a variety of nanoscience programs,
faculty members have interests that overlap with
others in the department and extend to many
departments and colleges in the university. Funding
comes from a variety of sources including the
National Science Foundation, the Department of
Energy, and various agencies of the Department of
Defense as well as industrial sponsors.
Faculty Members and Research Interests
David Aspnes
Prof. Aspnes’ research focuses on optical
spectroscopy of semiconductors and surface physics.
Contributions include the discovery, elucidation, and
development of low-field electroreflectance for highresolution spectroscopy of semiconductors and the
determination of their band structures; the
development and application of spectroscopic
ellipsometry to the analysis of surfaces, interfaces,
thin films, and bulk materials; and the development
and application of reflectance-difference spectroscopy
for the real-time analysis of epitaxial growth.
Research activities are directed toward nondestructive
analysis of surfaces, interfaces, and bulk materials,
high precision determination of energy band critical
points by reciprocal space analysis, properties of Si
surfaces and interfaces, propagation of short optical
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pulses, and the development of methods of realizing
real-time diagnostics and control of semiconductor
epitaxy by organometallic chemical vapor deposition.
(aspnes@ncsu.edu)
Daniel Dougherty
Prof. Dougherty and his research team study the
physics of solid surfaces. They are particularly
interested in pushing the spectroscopic capabilities of
the scanning tunneling microscope for versatile
nanomaterials characterization. Current research
topics include spin transport in organic films;
structure, morphology, and electronic properties at
organic semiconductor interfaces; and the growth and
electronic characterization of nanoporous metal-ligand
surface networks. As participants in the NC State
Center for Molecular Spintronics, Dougherty’s group
is working to establish the basic surface science of
organic spintronic molecules adsorbed on magnetic
surfaces and is working to characterize the
implications of the coordination bonding for
electronic properties of molecular assemblies using
scanning
tunneling
spectroscopy.
(dbdoughe@ncsu.edu)
Kenan Gundogdu
Prof. Gundogdu’s research is aimed at investigation of
structural and electronic dynamics in condensed
matter systems using ultrafast and nonlinear optical
spectroscopy techniques. Specifically the focus is on
the dynamics that are relevant to solar energy
conversion. Some research questions include what is
the role of coherent and incoherent electron motion in
energy conversion, how does energy transport happen
in interfaces that involve inorganic and organic
materials, and what are the physical properties of
optical excitations in such hybrid materials?
(kenan_gundogdu@ncsu.edu)
www.physics.ncsu.edu
Jacqueline Krim
Prof. Krim heads the Nanoscale Tribology Laboratory
located in Partners III on Centennial Campus. Her
research interests include solid-film growth processes
and topologies at submicron length scales, liquid-film
wetting phenomena, and nanotribology (the study of
friction, wear, and lubrication at nanometer length and
time scales). Research in Prof. Krim’s laboratory
spans a variety of investigations including quartz
crystal microbalance studies of atomic scale friction;
multifunctional extreme environment surfaces;
hydrodynamic lubrication in fiber processing; and
nanotribology for air and space. The Krim group is a
major participant in the National Science
Foundation’s
Center
for
Radio
Frequency
Microelectromechanical Systems Reliability and
Design Fundamentals. (jackie_krim@ncsu.edu)
Gerald Lucovsky
Prof. Lucovsky’s research activities are in the
deposition of thin film electronic materials using
remote plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.
Materials being studied include silicon oxide, silicon
nitride, and silicon oxynitride; amorphous,
microcrystalline, and crystalline silicon and silicon
alloys; and crystalline gallium nitride and gallium
phosphide. A second area of research deals with
studies of the properties of thermally grown silicon
dioxide and comparisons with plasma deposited
oxides. These programs couple basic studies of
materials synthesis and characterization with device
applications. (lucovsky@ncsu.edu)
Michael Paesler
Prof. Paesler investigates semiconductors using
extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).
Current research focuses on a family of phase change
memory (PCM) materials that exhibit dramatic
material property changes when switched between
their amorphous and crystalline states. While these
materials hold considerable promise in a variety of
applications, the fundamental changes involved with
the amorphous-crystalline transition are not well
understood. The Paesler group studies PCM samples
using EXAFS at national synchrotron facilities such as
the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven
National Laboratory and the Advanced Photon Source
at Argonne National Laboratory. Recent studies
examine local bonding environments in a variety of
compositions of samples in the ternary germaniumantimony-tellurium system. (paesler@ncsu.edu)
Thomas Pearl
Prof. Pearl investigates nanoscale phenomena with
high spatial resolution probes as it relates to single
molecule dynamics, surface and interfacial reactivity,
molecular electronic transport, and organization of
molecular thin films. Some recent work includes
surface chemical reactions and interactions on thin
films and ordered interfaces, nano-patterned polar
surfaces for molecular pattern formation and transfer,
and molecular organization and electronic properties
in thin films for biomolecular detection assays.
(tppearl@ncsu.edu)
J. E. (Jack) Rowe
Prof. Rowe’s group uses measurements that include
scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force
microscopy (AFM), low energy electron diffraction
(LEED), and soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy
(SXPS) including results with synchrotron radiation
(SR-SXPS) and with spin detection. A major goal of
this research program is to study the initial surface and
buried-interface processes of electronic materials at
the nanoscale. The synchrotron photoemission-based
methods can measure threshold energy barriers and
core levels due to 2D interface bonding which are
sometimes spatially resolved.
(rowe@ncsu.edu)
Further Information
Prospective students can contact any faculty member directly (see email addresses above) or the Graduate Program
office at py-grad-program@ncsu.edu.
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www.physics.ncsu.edu