Research Interests

The focus of my group’s research is investigating and perfecting the properties of oxide materials for electronic uses. To do this, we grow oxide thin films on single crystal substrates of closely related substances. The single crystal substrate provides a structural template for the thin films that we grow. The films follow this atomic template and are thus said to be epitaxial (inheriting their crystalline arrangement from the underlying substrate). Our focus on oxides is due to the tremendous promise that these materials hold for electrical applications.

Research Areas

A. Schmehl, V. Vaithyanathan, A. Herrnberger, S. Thiel, C. Richter, M. Liberati, T. Heeg, M. Röckerath, L.F. Kourkoutis, S. Mühlbauer, P. Böni, D.A. Muller, Y. Barash, J. Schubert, Y. Idzerda, J. Mannhart, and D.G. Schlom, “Epitaxial Integration of the Highly Spin-Polarized Ferromagnetic Semiconductor EuO with Silicon and GaN,” Nature Materials 6 (2007) 882-887.

Using strain to alter the properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets

Related Publications

Crag Fennie illustration, Cornell University

Using strain and dimensionality to access hidden ground states and create tunable dielectrics with unprecedented performance

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David Muller image, Cornell University

Using epitaxial engineering (strain, epitaxial stabilization, polarization doping, dimensionality control, and interface engineering) to create new multiferroics with enhanced properties

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Long-Qing Chen image - Penn State University

Many materials that are difficult to synthesize direclty as high quality single crystals can be made (via epitaxy) by depositing the desired composition on high quality single crystalline substrates with a similar structure

Related Publications

David Muller image, Cornell University

Integrating the unique functionalities of oxides with traditional semiconductors is key for making new devices for emerging technologies

Related Publications

new Transistor with HfO2

The replacement of SiO2 as the gate dielectric of modern transistors with a material with a higher dielectric constant (HfO2) was a major milestone for oxide electronics.  It has enable Moore's Law and with it the continued growth of the semiconducotr industry (now over $400 billion in annual sales) to continue.

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