Bruce W Wessels

Our laboratory develops thin films and nanostructures for electronic, magnetic, and photonic materials applications, with emphasis on semiconductor and ferroic oxide thin films. We are now developing a new class of widegap compound semiconductors including perovskites for x-ray and gamma ray detection.  Semiconductor photodetectors are fabricated and their opto-electronic properties determined. The charge transport properties are determined by photoluminescence,  and photo-induced current transient spectroscopy measurements. Gamma ray detectors are fabricated and their response to hard radiation measured.

We have synthesized epitaxial oxides by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy for applications in nanophotonics and nanomagnetics.  Emphasis is currently on the development of ferroelectric  oxide epitaxial thin films and photonic crystals. We measure their optical properties as well as their electro-optic properties. The ferroelectric domain structure is determined from electro-optical and microwave property measurements. Development of thin film photonic crystals for electro-optic modulators, and optical amplifiers for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is under way.