Multiferroic and Ferroelectric Materials and Nanocomposites

We investigate oxide films grown by pulsed laser deposition including perovskites, spinels and nanocomposites consisting of two different phases in a self-assembled epitaxial structure. We are interested in their ferroelectric and magnetic properties, magnetoelectric coupling, and manipulation of properties by electrochemical gating.

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Magnetic and Magnetooptical Garnets

Iron garnets are ferrimagnetic insulators whose magnetic properties depend on composition and strain state. We grow iron garnet films using pulsed laser deposition, and investigate their magnetic properties, the behavior of heterostructures such as garnet/heavy metal multilayers, spin orbit torque effects, integration on silicon, and their applications in spintronic devices. We explore their magnetooptical properties and their use in magnetooptical isolators which act as diodes to manipulate the flow of light in photonic integrated circuits.

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Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

Block copolymer films self-assemble into nanoscale structures that are useful for fabrication and lithography. We explore microphase separation in polymer architectures such as multiblock and brush copolymers, and we develop methods to control the position and shape of the nm-scale microdomains via substrate templates and annealing processes, and techniques for converting the block copolymer pattern into functional materials.

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