The Department of Physics is equipped with the state-of-the-art research and teaching instrumentation for advanced materials synthesis and characterization, surface science research and biophysics.
Advanced Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory - Dr. Sahiner
Dr. M Alper Sahiner's research interests are in the area of semiconductor materials. He is looking for solutions for the major materials based problems of the semiconductor industry by developing new advanced materials. His research also focuses in developing high-efficiency solar cells as alternative solutions for the world's clean energy generation problem.
Specifically, Dr. Sahiner works on the synthesis of thin films of hafnium based higk-k dielectric materials, colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) oxides and photovoltaic (solar cells) systems using pulsed laser deposition techniques. Structural and electrical characterizations of these materials are performed by x-ray diffraction and in-house electrical experimental set-ups. Further structural x-ray characterization experiments are performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, NY. Some of the major equipment in this research laboratory are:
- Scintag Pad V x-ray diffractometer with Cu and Cr x-ray tubes
- Pulsed Laser Deposition System with PVD deposition chamber and TUI-Thinfilmstar Excimer Laser
- A complete solid state materials synthesis laboratory with high temperature Lindberg tube and box furnaces and high pressure Carver pellet press.
- Rigaku AFC5S single crystal (4-circle) diffractometer
- HMS-3000 Hall Effect Measurement System.
- Capacitance and electrical resistivity (4-pt probe) measurement systems
- Dip coating thin film synthesis instrument
Surface Science and Nanotechnology Laboratory - Dr. Constantin
Dr. Costel Constantin has research interests in the field on nanotechnology. He is particularly interested in the fundamental physical properties of magnetically doped semiconductors materials (also, called dilute magnetic semiconductors [DMS]). One interesting semiconductor that could be used as a DMS material is scandium nitride (ScN). Most recent results obtained in Dr. Costel Constantin's laboratory show that manganese-doped ScN show ferromagnetism above room temperature. Other semiconductor materials such as zinc oxide (ZnO) is also studies in Dr. Costel Constantin's group. ZnO is particularly interesting nonmagnetic semiconductor because it has the property of self ansambling into nanowires. Envisioning a DMS nanowire is not to far from reality.
Dr. Costel Constantin's materials characterization laboratory is equipped with:
- Scanning Electron Microscope JEOL JSM 35C (1989 model).
- Atomic Force Microscope Quasant Q-Scope Microscope (2001 model).
- Homemade Resistivity and Hall Effect Measurement system.
- Growth furnace for ZnO project.
Biophysics Laboratory - Dr. Feizabadi
Dr. Mitra Shojania Feizabadi research interests are in theoretical and experimental biophysics ranging from investigating cell population and cytoskeleton dynamics to statics and dynamics of biofilaments implementing optical trapping techniques.
Dr. Feizabadi’s biophysics laboratory is equipped with:
Dual trap Optical Tweezer System. Includes 5w IR fiber laser. 2 motorized adjusted optical tweezer traps with quadrant detector based force measurement system integrated to a Nikon Diphot inverted research microscope.
Astronomical Observatory:
The Department of Physics' Astronomical Observatory will soon (April 2009) house a 16 inch Meade LX200R Advanced RC Telescope equipped with a CCD Camera.
Advanced Teaching Laboratory in Materials Science
- Low Temperature (Liquid He) Quantum Design Physical Properties Measurement System equipped with a 7 Tesla magnet.
- High Temperature (1700 oC) box furnace
- 40T automated hydraulic pellet press.
