Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Research topics in this diverse area range from innovative studies of the basic properties of condensed-matter systems to the nanofabrication and study of advanced electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and quantum-superconductor devices. Modern materials (especially those involving thin films) are increasingly produced in configurations in which the functionality and limitations of systems are determined by their surface or interfacial properties and by the structure and nature of atomic defects at these surfaces and interfaces. In Applied Physics, investigations directed at the physics of surfaces and interfaces include the study of catalysis and surface reactions, atomic resolution of the interface and grain-boundary structure of electronic materials, and determination of the effect of a single atomic defect on electronic transport across an interface.
Materials systems that are currently the focus of substantial research efforts by Applied Physics research groups include: silicon and related materials for semiconductor materials physics and nanoelectronics research; thin films of complex oxides for colossal magnetoresistance materials, high K dielectrics, and fundamental studies of thin-film growth; heterostructures of III-V compounds and alloys, including gallium arsenide and various phosphides and nitrides, for experiments that use or elucidate effects of quantum confinement and seek to optimize carrier transport and optical properties for use in millimeter-wave transistors and ultra-high-speed optoelectronic devices; and low-temperature and high-temperature superconductor thin-film materials for research activities that seek both to clarify basic questions regarding superconductivity and to advance the prospects for significant applications of superconducting films and devices.
Research groups in the field of Applied Physics employ a wide range of experimental approaches in the study of condensed matter physics and materials science. These include x-ray and electron diffraction, photoluminescence and Raman scattering, x-ray and optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy (particularly ultra-high-resolution electron microscopy and analytical electron microscopy), Rutherford ion-backscattering spectroscopy, tunneling spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, nanostructure transport studies, molecular-beam epitaxy with atomic-layer control, organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy, laser ablation, ultra-high-vacuum processing, electron-beam lithography, ion-beam lithography, and ion-beam processing. Field members continue to lead in the development of many of these experimental approaches.
FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH INTERESTS IN THIS AREA:
| Joel D. Brock Professor of Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP complex oxide thin films, in situ x-ray diffraction techniques, x-ray beamline development |
| Robert A. Buhrman Senior Vice Provost for Research, AEP condensed matter physics, nanomagnetics, electronic materials, nanostructures |
| Itai Cohen Assistant Professor of Physics, Physics Department complex matter physics, collodial suspensions, biological tissues, fluid-membrance interfaces |
| Francis J. DiSalvo John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science, Chemistry and Chemical Biology synthesis and structure of solid-state materials and their chemical and physical properties |
| Craig J. Fennie Assistant Professor, Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP computational materials physics, novel materials for electrical, magnetic, and optical devices by design, theoretical prediction and design of new materials and states for energy conversion |
| Gregory D. Fuchs Assistant Professor, Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP condensed matter physics, nanomagnetism, semiconductor defects, dilute magnetic semiconductors, electron and nuclear magnetic resonance |
| Sol M. Gruner John L. Wetherill Professor of Physics, Physics Department biological physics, polymer and other soft condensed matter physics, x-ray and synchrotron radiation science, scientific instrumentation and technique development, development of novel x-ray detectors |
| Scott Heinekamp Adjunct Professor of Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP structural order in condensed-matter |
| Paul McEuen Goldwin Smith Professor of Physics; Director, LASSP and Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, Physics Department science and technology of nanostructures, novel fabrication techniques at the nanometer scale, scanned probe microscopy of nanostructures, assembly and measurement of chemical and biological nanostructures |
| David A. Muller Professor of Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP structure and properties of nanoscale materials, atomically-engineered materials for energy applications, atomic resolution electron spectroscopy and microscopy, characterization and design of hydrogen fuel cells, batteries and renewable energy materials |
| Jiwoong Park Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Chemical Biology exploration of fundamental physics and chemistry in the nanometer scale by investigating electrical, optical and thermal properties of individual nanostructures, including single molecules, nanocrystals, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, and their arrays |
| Dan Ralph Horace White Professor of Physics; L. B. Knight Director of the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility, Physics Department experimental nanoscale physics |
| Richard Robinson Assistant Professor, MSE investigations of nanoscale heat transport by designing and building a nanoscale phonon spectrometer to probe the range of frequencies from 100 GHz to 1THz; measuring the frequency dependence of heat transfer through nanowires, nanoconstrictions, and phononic crystals using superconducting tunnel junctions |
| Darrell G. Schlom Professor, MSE heteroepitaxial growth and characterization of oxide thin films; preparation of oxide superlattices and metastable phases by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) |
| Michael O. Thompson Associate Professor, MSE ultra-low temperature processing of silicon, point defect and impurity diffusion in Si, rapid phase transformations, nonequilibrium thermodynamics of semiconductor materials |
| Frank Wise Professor, Applied and Engineering Physics, AEP time-resolved optical spectroscopy of condensed matter, generation of ultra-short optical pulses, quantum dot solar cells |
