The nanoscale physics faculty is relatively diverse in its research scope since they represent the largest area of research in physics.

Currently, there are nine faculty members that can be included within this research area: Gougousi, Hayden, Johnson, Reno, Rous, Summers, Takacs, Worchesky and Wu. Since the implementation of the Applied Physics MS and PhD Programs, 14 PhD and 17 MS degrees have been awarded to graduate students who worked in this area. They represent 60% of the completed theses in the department.

 Over the past 15 years there has been a significant and continuing evolution in this field of study. Prior to the 1980s, the primary focus of this field was the study of the electronic, magnetic, optical properties of 3D phases. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the field shifted towards the understanding of surfaces, non-crystalline materials and soft condensed matter, with particular emphasis upon the fundamental study of applied materials properties. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a shift in the field towards the fundamental and applied properties of materials on the nanoscale.  

The department has tried to keep pace with the developments in the field by hiring faculty, mainly at the assistant professor level, with expertise in the newly developing fields: in the late 1980s and early 1990s additions included: Rous in the area of surface phenomena and nanophysics, Takacs in mechanical alloying and magnetic materials, and Hayden and Worchesky in nonlinear optical materials, quantum well devices and terahertz science. Two new hires in the 2000s brought faculty in the area of ultra-fast optical physics (Johnson) and thin films and nanoscale materials (Gougousi).  

The continuous miniaturization of active devices and the implementation of new integration schemes have created a need for the development of new materials to satisfy the ever increasing technological demands. Low dimension materials are produced, functionalized and utilized in a variety of applications ranging from nanoelectronics to sensors and biophysics. Manipulation at the atomic level is finally feasible and bottom up approaches such as self-assembly are used to integrate the nanoblocks into functional arrays. Traditional barriers such as those between organic and inorganic materials are finally breached to produce hybrid materials with enhanced functionality.  

Development of faster and higher capacity computer systems allows realistic simulations of systems consisting of a number of atoms several orders of magnitude higher than previously attainable. As the material properties ultimately decide the device properties there is ample opportunity for contributions to be made both at the experimental and theoretical level. Significant theoretical insight is needed to guide the experimental work as much of the research is currently phenomenological.  

As the condensed matter group continues to evolve we have identified the physics of the nanoscale as our focus area. While diverse, the group’s research interests lie in nanoscale materials and their properties including: i) charge generation and transport in molecular electronic materials with applications in light emitting/harvesting devices like OLEDs and solar cells, as well as organic and hybrid organic/inorganic electronic devices; ii) the optical and electrical properties of bio-molecular materials and nanoscale photonics materials with an emphasis on guided wave devices and sensors; iii) the preparation, structure, and properties of nanocrystalline alloys and composites; iv) optical and electronic properties of symmetric and asymmetric coupled quantum wells; v) the effect of atomic scale processes in atomic layer deposition on the properties of inorganic ultra-thin films and their interfaces; vi) the integration of organic and inorganic materials in hybrid structures for enhanced functionality; vii) materials characterization using scanning-electron and atomic-force microscopy; viii) theory and simulation of reliability and failure of nanostructures due to thermally induced instabilities and current stressing; ix) theory, multi-scale modeling and simulation to understand the fundamental physics relevant to the interaction of biomolecules and fabricated nanostructures.

Faculty with Research Interests in Nanoscale Physics

• Electro-optic and Magnetic Materials
  Dr.Gougousi
  Dr. Hayden
  Dr. Johnson
  Dr. Martins
  Dr. Takacs
  Dr. Worchesky
  
• Non-Linear Optics and Teraherz Science
  Dr. Franson
  Dr. Hayden
  Dr. Hoff
  Dr. Johnson
  Dr. Pittman
  Dr. Shih
  Dr. Worchesky
  
• Thin Films and Interfaces
  Dr. Gougousi
  Dr. Hayden
  Dr. Johnson
  Dr. Rous
  Dr. Shih
  Dr. Summers
  Dr. Takacs
  Dr. Worchesky