Fall 2011 Recipients
Graduate Level
Ming Lei and advisor Dr. Michael Downer of UT Austin were awarded the 2011 graduate Robert S. Hyer Research Award. Ming developed a new technique to characterize nanometer-thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) films, a platform for a multitude of current high-performance electronic and photonic devices. The 2009 International Technology Roadmap for semiconductors expressed the need for faster, non-destructive ways of detecting defects at the interface of the SOI thin film. Using internal photoemission and optical second-harmonic generation, Ming was able to develop a technique to determine the energy level structure of these interface defects. Ming also worked on the characterization of high-K dielectric materials. He developed an all-optical method for detecting specific classes of defects in hafnium-based high-k dielectrics on silicon by resonantly photo-ionizing them and detecting the free charge by optical second-harmonic generation. Dr. Downer is an experimental physicist who is internationally known for his clever use of ultrafast laser pulses at high intensities to understand diverse phenomena in atomic plasma and condensed matter physics. Additionally, he is a remarkable teacher, who has been recognized by the UT College of Natural Sciences Teaching Excellence Award, the President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award, the UT Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, and for 2010-11, the Dad's Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship. More information on Ming's and Dr. Downer's work can be found in the publications listed below.
References:
- M. Lei, J. Price and M. C. Downer, "Hot carrier injection from nanometer-thick silicon-on-insulator films measured by optical second-harmonic generation," Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 241105 (2010)
- J. Price, M. Lei, and M.C. Downer, "Charge-trapping defects in Si/SiO2/Hf1-xSixO2 film stacks characterized by spectroscopic second-harmonic generation," J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 29 (2011) 04D101 - 04D101-11.
- J.H. Yum, T. Akyol, M. Lei, T. Hudnall, G. Bersuker, M. Downer, C.W. Bielawski, J.C. Lee, S.K. Banerjee, "Atomic layer deposited beryllium oxide: Effective passivation layer for III-V metal/oxide/semiconductor devices," J. Applied Physics 109, 064104 (2011)
- Ming Lei, J. H. Yum, Jimmy M Price, Todd W. Hudnall, Christopher W. Bielawski, Sanjay K. Banerjee, Patrick S. Lysaght, Gennadi Bersuker, Michael C. Downer, Spectroscopic evaluation of band alignment of atomic layer deposited BeO on Si(100), Appl. Phys. Lett. (2012)
- Ming Lei, J. H. Yum, S. K. Banerjee, G. Bersuker, M. C. Downer, Band offsets of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and HfO2 on Si measured by linear and nonlinear internal photoemission, physica status solidi (c), 2011
Undergraduate Level
Nelson Cardenas and advisor Dr. Samarendra Mohanty of UT-Arlington received the 2011 undergraduate Robert S. Hyer Research Award. Nelson combined novel digital holographic techniques and optical tweezers to study the stretching of red blood cells. Red blood cells need to squeeze through capillaries half their size and elasticity of cells can change in people that have certain diseases. Recently, Nelson co-invented "Common-path quantitative phase imaging and manipulation of microscopic object" which is being disclosed to UTA for filing patent. This microscopy technique which is based on interferometry, allows for real time determination of the depth. Being the founder vice-president of the UTA SPIE chapter, Nelson has been active in outreach activities such as organizing several SPIE seminars and a COMSOL Multiphysics workshop, and demonstrating experiments at the UTA Sally Ride Science festival, and the DFW Metroplex events (2010). Dr. Mohanty is a young assistant professor who joined UT-Arlington in 2009 after finishing Postdoctoral work at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic. His research interest include Biophysics and Physiological studies from the molecular and cellular level to whole organisms. More about Nelson's and Dr. Mohanty's work can be found in the publications listed below.
References:
- N. Cardenas, L. Yu, S. K. Mohanty, Digital holographic microscopy combined with optical tweezers, Proc. SPIE, 7902-27 (2011).
- N. Cardenas, N. D. Ingle, L. Yu, S. K. Mohanty, Development of a digital holographic microscopy system integrated with atomic force microscope, Proc. SPIE, 7904-8, (2011).
- N. Cardenas, L. Yu, S. K. Mohanty, Stretching of red blood cells by optical tweezers quantified by digital holographic microscopy, Proc. SPIE, 7897-54, (2011).
- N. Cardenas, L. Yu, S. K. Mohanty, Probing orientation and rotation of red blood cells in optical tweezers by digital holographic microscopy, Proc. SPIE, 7906A-23 (2011).
- N. Cardenas, Y.N. Mishra, S. K. Mohanty, Hybrid optical transport trap: loading and unloading of microscale objects using a microfabricated optical fiber into optical tweezers, Proc. SPIE, 7950-7 (2011).
- N. Cardenas, S. K. Mohanty, Common-path quantitative phase imaging and manipulation of microscopic objects, Disclosure to UTA.
- Y. N. Mishra, N. Cardenas, and S. K. Mohanty, "Optical Micromanipulation of red blood cells using a microfabricated optical fiber into optical tweezers," in Optical Trapping Applications, OSA Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2011), paper OTMD5p.
- Nelson Cardenas, Pattrick Thomas, Lingfeng Yu, Samarendra Mohanty, "Biomechanics and dynamics of red blood cells probed by optical tweezers and digital holographic microscopy", Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 56(1), BAPS.2011.MAR.V39.11 (2011).
- N. Cardenas, S. K. Mohanty, "Common-path spectral phase microscopy", Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 56(7), BAPS.2011.TSF.N2.2 (2011).
- N. Cardenas, Samarendra K. Mohanty, "Tunable near-infrared dispersive quantitative phase microscopy", Proc. SPIE, 8231 (2012).
- N. Cardenas, Samarendra K. Mohanty, "Investigation of shape memory of red blood cells using optical tweezers and quantitative phase microscopy", Proc. SPIE, 8231 (2012).