Research
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 on 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 high-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.
Biophysics Laboratory
Dr. Feizabadi
Dr. Mitra Shojania Feizabadi's 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.
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
Organic Photovoltaic Synthesis Development Laboratory
Dr. Wang
Dr. Weining Wang’s research interests are in the area of solar cells based on organic/inorganic heterojunctions, ranging from silicon/polymer solar cells to CdTe solar cells with conducting polymer back contact, and perovskite solar cells.
Dr. Wang’s laboratory is equipped with:
- Edward Thermal Vacuum Evaporator
- Kelvin Probe (KP Technology Ltd KP020)
- Quantum Efficiency Measurement Setup
- Laurell Spin Coater
- UV-vis spectrometer
- Solar Cell Current Density vs. Voltage measurement setup