Projects:
GAANN Fellowships in the Physics of Optical Materials and Optoelectronic Devices

Supported by the U.S. Department of Education

PI: Prof. Kathleen Kash
Co-PI's: Profs. Charles Rosenblatt and Kenneth Singer

ABSTRACT:

The Department of Physics of Case Western Reserve University requests funding to support four qualified students in a doctoral program in the physics of optical materials and optoelectronic devices. Research in these technologically critical areas, both experimental and theoretical, is well-established in our department, engaging the attention of eleven of the twenty-five regular faculty. Ongoing studies provide a suitable base upon which to build and expanded graduate program that will take advantage of the recent expansion of resources in this area by the department. This expansion includes the hiring of three new faculty members in this area in the last four years, a restructuring of the graduate program that includes the addition of new courses, a $6 M renovation of the Physics Department facilities, the establishment and equipping of a central facility within the Department for photolithography, thin film processing and device fabrication, and expansion of collaborations with researchers in other departments at this university and elsewhere.

Students will be recruited from major university departments and from smaller institutions, with special efforts to include members of groups traditionally underrepresented in the physical sciences. The program will provide teaching and research training, as well as personal support, that will allow each trainee to successfully complete a quality doctoral degree related to the physics of optical materials and optoelectronic devices.