Talk title was "III-Nitride Nanowires and Heterostructures: Growth and Optical Properties at the Nanoscale"
Silvija Gradečak (left) and Xiang Zhou. Zhou is holding the coveted glass award bestowed upon Doctoral Dissertation Seminar speakers.On May 14th, Dr. Xiang Zhou delivered the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) Doctoral Dissertation Seminar. The title of his talk was "III-Nitride Nanowires and Heterostructures: Growth and Optical Properties at the Nanoscale." This seminar, which concludes the MTL Seminar Series for the Spring term, honors a recent MTL graduate who has shown outstanding leadership in research during her or his PhD work.
Xiang has just completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Silvija Gradečak, one of MTL core faculty members, and he extensively used MTL facilities during his research on the growth and optical properties of III-nitride nanowires. These materials are promising candidates for electronic and optoelectronic applications due to their dislocation-free structures and potential for direct integration with silicon. During his PhD, Xiang was able to demonstrate effective control over GaN nanowire size, growth rate and structural quality through careful choice of metal seed particles. Next, he established the direct correlation of optical properties to doping, alloying and quantum confined effects. These results highlight that controlling defect formation and understanding their effects on materials properties are particularly important for developing functional devices based on nanostructured materials.
As his PhD advisor, Prof. Silvija Gradečak, puts it: "(Xiang has a great ability) to think both creatively and practically; he was able to synthesize a significant amount of experimental results in a systematic way, place them into a context of fundamental materials understanding, and then expand this basic understanding to design a set of practical considerations for development of a nanowire-based materials with desired properties." All this has greatly advanced the science and technology of III-nitride nanowires and brought these amazing materials closer to making an impact in electronic and optoelectronic applications.
In the next few weeks, Xiang will be joining Lam Research, one of MTL industrial members, to apply his knowledge to the development of the next generation of semiconductor processing tools.
--Prof. Tomás Palacios, Microsystems Technology Laboratories
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