What is your thesis topic?
My research is on the crystal growth of a class of semiconducting magnetic layered materials, with the structure of MXY3, where M is a transition metal, X is P, Ge, or Si, and Y is S, Se, or Te. In addition to their growth, I am also measuring thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of each material.
How is materials processing involved in your research?
I grow single crystals from their base elements at high temperatures in tube furnaces.
Provide an example of where the material/process/properties you are studying might find an application.
Due to their unique layered nature combined with semiconducting and magnetic properties, the materials I am studying have recently gained interest as a resource for designing new transistor or memory storage technology. Moore’s law, which says the number of transistors on an integrated chip doubles every two years, is beginning to fail with the semiconducting materials currently in use. The layered structure of the materials I am studying allows them to be thinned down to the atomic level while still maintaining semiconducting properties, which means transistor devices could be manufactured to smaller sizes than currently available.