Carol Thompson
Professor
Faraday West 207, Department
of Physics, Northern Illinois
University,
NIU
1-815-753-1772 (1-815-753-8565 fax)
e-mail: cthompson@niu.edu
(last
significant edits June 2007)
Teaching links
Spring 2008, 2006, 2007: Phys 561 (Graduate Quantum
Mechanics II)
Fall 2007, 2006, 2005: Phys 560 (Graduate Quantum
Mechanics I)
Spring 2005, 2004, 2003,
2002: Phys 461 (Applications
of Modern Physics)
Fall 2004, 2003, 2002,
2001: Phys 374 (Advanced Physics
Laboratory: Lectures and Labs)
Spring 2002, 2001, 2000:
Phys 260 and Phys 262 (General Physics III and its laboratory)
Fall 2000, 1999: Phys 260
(General Physics III (modern physics and optics))
and various special topics courses
one-on-one with graduate students...
Current research themes - Carol Thompson
Synchrotron x-ray determination of
real-time structure, chemistry and morphology during vapor phase materials
processing (OMVPE, MOCVD):
Limits of ferroelectricity
in ultra-thin (nanoscale) films
Relaxation mechanisms and defect
incorporation in epitaxial films
Time-resolved studies in structural and
lattice response in ferroelectric thin films: polarization reversal and piezoresponse
Selected publications (Link to full Publication List):
Noteworthy publications [ISI Web
of Science citations as of May 2007]:
·
Ferroelectricity in ultrathin
perovskite films, D. D. Fong, G. B. Stephenson, S. K. Streiffer, J. A. Eastman, O. Auciello,
P. H. Fuoss, Carol Thompson, Science 304,
2004. also chosen for inclusion into
·
Observation
of Nanoscale 180° Stripe Domains in Ferroelectric
PbTiO3 Thin Films, S. K. Streiffer, J. A. Eastman,
D. D. Fong, Carol Thompson, A. Munkholm, M. V. Ramana Murty, O. Auciello, G. R. Bai, and G. B.
Stephenson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002)
067601. also chosen for inclusion into
·
In
Situ, Real-Time Measurement of Wing Tilt During Lateral Epitaxial
Overgrowth of GaN, P. Fini, A. Munkholm, Carol Thompson, G.B. Stephenson, J.A. Eastman,
M.V. Ramana Murty, O. Auciello, L. Zhao, S.P. DenBaars,
and J.S. Speck, Applied Physics Letters 76 (2000) 3893. [ 33 citations].
·
Layer-by-layer
growth of GaN induced by silicon , A. Munkholm,
Carol Thompson, M. V. R. Murty, J. A. Eastman, O. Auciello, G. B. Stephenson, P. Fini,
S. P. DenBaars, J. S. Speck, Applied Physics
Letters 77 (2000) 1626. [
13 citations]
·
Epitaxial Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3
thin films synthesized by metal organic chemical vapor deposition , G. R. Bai,
S. K. Streiffer, O. Auciello,
P. K. Baumann, K. Ghosh, S. Stemmer, A. Munkholm, Carol Thompson, R. A. Rao,
and C. B. Eom, Applied Physics Letters 76
(3106) 2000. [ 26 citations]
·
Surface
Structure of GaN(0001) in the Chemical Vapor
Deposition Environment,
A. Munkholm, G. B. Stephenson, J. A. Eastman, Carol
Thompson, P. Fini, J. S. Speck, O. Auciello, P. H. Fuoss, and S. P. DenBaars, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 (1999)
741. [ 21 citations]
·
Observation
of growth modes during metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of GaN,
G. B. Stephenson, J.A. Eastman, Carol Thompson, O. Auciello,
L. J. Thompson, A. Munkholm, P. Fini,
S.P. DenBaars, J.S. Speck, Applied Physics Letters
74 (1999) 3326. [ 23
citations]
·
Real-time
x-ray scattering studies of surface structure during metal-organic chemical
vapor deposition of GaN, G. B. Stephenson, J. A. Eastman,
O. Auciello, A. Munkholm.
Carol Thompson, P. H. Fuoss, P. Fini,
S. P. DenBaars, and J. S. Speck, MRS Bulletin 24
[1] (1999) 21. [ 26 citations]
·
Determination
of the cubic to hexagonal fraction in GaN nucleation
layers using grazing incidence x-ray scattering, A. Munkholm,
Carol Thompson, C.M. Foster, J.A. Eastman, O. Auciello,
G.B. Stephenson, P. Fini, S.P. DenBaars,
J.S. Speck, Applied Physics Letters 72 (1998) 2972. [ 26 citations]
·
X-ray
reflectivity study of the growth kinetics of vapor-deposited silver films, Carol Thompson, G. Palasantzas, Y. P. Feng, S. K. Sinha, and J. Krim, Phys.
Rev. B 49 (1994) 4902. [ 89
citations]
·
X-ray
reflectivity and adsorption isotherm study of fractal scaling in
vapor-deposited films,
R. Chiarello, V. Panella,
J. Krim, and Carol Thompson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 67 (1991) 3408.
[ 99 citations]
·
X-ray
reflectivity on perfluoropolyether polymer molecules
on amorphous
carbon, M. F. Toney and Carol Thompson, J. of Chem. Phys. 92 (1990)
3781. [ 45 citations]
Recent
selected publications:
·
Real time
x-ray observation of lattice pulling during growth of epitaxial
Pb(Zr,Ti)O3
films , R.-V. Wang, G. B.
Stephenson, D. D. Fong, F. Jiang, P. H. Fuoss, J. A. Eastman, S. K. Streiffer,
K. Latifi, and Carol Thompson, Applied Physics
Letters 89 (2006) 221914. also
chosen for inclusion into
·
Indium
adsorption on GaN under metal-organic chemical vapor
deposition conditions, F. Jiang, R.-V. Wang, A. Munkholm,
S. K. Streiffer, G. B. Stephenson, P.H. Fuoss, K. Latifi, and Carol
Thompson, Applied Physics Letters 89 (2006) 161915. also chosen for inclusion into
·
In situ synchrotron x-ray studies of ferroelectric
thin films, D. D. Fong and Carol
Thompson, Annual Review of Materials
Research 36 (2006) 431-465.
·
Stabilization of monodomain
polarization in ultrathin PbTiO3 films, D. D. Fong, A. K. Kolpak, J.
A. Eastman, S. K. Streiffer, P. H. Fuoss, G. B. Stephenson, Carol Thompson, D. M. Kim, K. J. Choi, C. B. Eom, I. Grinberg, A. M. Rappe, Physical Review Letters 96 (2006)
127601. also chosen for inclusion
into
Recent
invited talks:
·
Studies of Fast Ferroelectric Domain Dynamics, Carol Thompson, et al., Symposium: Recent Advances in
Structural Characterization of Materials, Materials Science and
Technology 2006 (MS+T2008),
·
Stroboscopic Studies of Fast Ferroelectric Domain
Dynamics, Carol Thompson, Workshop
on the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe -- Present and Future,
Joint User Meeting of the Center for Nanoscale
Materials and the Advanced Photon Source 2007 User Meeting, May, 2007
·
In situ synchrotron x-ray studies of surface and
interface structure of epitaxial ferroelectric thin
films, Carol Thompson, et al., Symposium:
Structure-Property Relationships of Transition-Metal Oxide Interfaces, Materials Science and
Technology 2006 (MS+T2006),
For a selection of news sources highlighting
this NIU/Argonne collaborative research program see:
|
"Super-thin crystals promise fast
memory" by Celeste Biever, on-line at NewScientist.com
(UK) on June 11, 2004 http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996003 Nano-Tsunami.com June 11, 2004 : http://www.voyle.net/Nano%20Research/research00065%20.htm "Dünnes
Material behält elektrische
Polarisation bei", nano.ivcon.org
(Germany) June 16, 2004 : http://nano.ivcon.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=900 "Studies on electric polarization at
Argonne", Innovations Report
(Germany) June 14, 2004 : http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/verfahrenstechnologie/bericht-30176.html "NIU scientists part of team making
advances in nanotechnology" by Mike Danahey, Courier
News, Elgin, Illinois on "X-rays see hope for nanotechnology :
Researcher's work challenges belief about size limit", by Winn L. Rosch, Plain Dealer, (Cleveland OH) Thursday on
June 24, 2004. |
Research Interest Prose
Why do different materials behave the way
they do? What are the physical principles that allow us to predict and control
their physical properties? Can we understand the interplay between structure
and properties even at the nanoscale? Why do so many
physical properties, such as, magnetism, conductivity, color, transparency,
superconductivity, strength, toughness, viscosity, or chemical
reactions change with changes in structure? Will these properties change as the
size changes? Does a thin layer that is only 10 atoms thick behave like a bulk
crystal that is 1023 atoms thick? How does the presence of an
interface between two different materials change the position of atoms nearby?
Are properties at a surface different than within the bulk? How far inside do
the changes extend?
Thompson's group studies surface, interface
and bulk structures to understand the correlation between structure to physical
properties. Current aspects of her research emphasize studies during processing
and under in situ conditions. In situ is the term used for
classes of experiments designed to study what happens while it is happening.
That is, studying systems when the structure is changing with time due to the
environment; and measuring the evolution of these changes as they are
occurring.
Thompson’s experimental programs are based
at the nation’s synchrotrons, such as the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne
National Laboratory. The high brilliance of the x-rays at synchrotrons provides
unique access to techniques that study fundamental structure-property questions
in materials physics.
Unique to her current programs is the access
to a specially constructed chamber for materials synthesis at the Advanced
Photon Source. It allows in situ x-ray characterization techniques to be
performed simultaneously during the growth of layers of atoms onto a substrate,
and the ability to study structure at the nanoscale.
This particular chamber is capable of organo-metallic
vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) in oxide and nitride
systems. This capability to study OMVPE growth in-situ using x-ray scattering
techniques is an ideal match of technique and science. The structural studies
can be done at the same time as the atoms are depositing on the substrate and
when the atoms are finding their places and shifting around as the material
grows. Although many groups study deposition of materials in situ under
vacuum environments (evaporation, sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy), OMVPE-capable chambers have been quite difficult
to implement simultaneously with x-ray techniques and no others exist at any
other synchrotron in the world. This program works because of the strong long-term
collaboration of NIU and Argonne scientists who have the wide variety of
experimental expertise necessary to design and construct this system, as well
as the long term commitment to devote the considerable intellectual and
experimental effort necessary to perform these challenging experiments
This program’s apparatus is located at
Sector 12id-d at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. The
OMVPE process is used to grow thin layers of crystals onto substrates, and is
used extensively in the semiconductor industry. However, it is a process that
requires high temperatures and precisely controlled flows of metal-organic
precursor gases and inert gases. There are a variety of methods used to deposit
layers of atoms. However, x-ray scattering techniques provide the only methods
to penetrate the complex environment of OMVPE process, while still allowing
investigators to study fundamental mechanisms that control the growing layers
at the atomic and nanoscale level.
Recent research has concentrated on the
ferroelectric oxide perovskite system that have
properties interesting for integration as non-volatile high-speed memories as
well as having many other physical properties useful for sensors and actuators.
Some of these properties are fundamentally altered by the size of the
system. We have studied interesting
questions of the organic metal vapor phase epitaxial
(OMVPE) growth mechanisms in these systems and for the effect of thickness,
strain, and chemical stoichiometry on the
ferroelectric phase transition in the epitaxial
films.
Recently, Thompson and collaborators
initiated a new research project to study the growth of indium gallium nitride,
(InGaN), in collaboration with Phillips Lumileds Lighting, a company that makes and markets light emitting
diodes in consumer and business applications. The materials science of the InGaN synthesis is quite interesting, with open questions.
In particular, the process during OMVPE growth by which indium incorporates as
an oversaturated impurity in gallium nitride is not well understood. Can we
understand the complex interplay between the surface and bulk thermodynamics,
and the non-equilibrium kinetics of the growth process? A systematic study of
potential mechanisms would be fascinating for its fundamental scientific
interest and its broader impact. Of all potential surface physics and chemistry
probes, in situ surface x-ray scattering technique is ideally suited to
this type of problem because meaningful results are best obtained studying the
process in the reactive gas, non-vacuum, high temperature OMVPE environment
(that is, in situ). The technological interest in InGaN
material system for light emitting diodes arises from its many advantages; most
notably their extreme brightness, energy efficiency, and blue and ultraviolet
capabilities. The InGaN ultra bright light emitting
diodes are finding their way into flashlights, automobile, and traffic lights.
They are a strong contender as an energy efficient and more
environmentally-friendly alternative to fluorescent lighting.
Research Amusements and Humor
Some daffy definitions of the terms in-situ, ex-situ,
real-time, nanoscale... inspired by real-life misapplications.
Past members of research group
Kujtim Latifi (M.S. August, 2007, thesis: “Study of the effect of
the ferroelectric phase transition on the surface morphology of PbTiO3
films grown by organo-metallic vapor phase epitaxy”)
Currently teaching in
Kartik Ghosh (postdoc 1998-2000)
Associate Professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science at
Marian Aanerud (M.S. 2002, thesis: “AFM studies of epitaxial films”) Lecturer
and Lab Coordinator,
About Carol
Thompson
1978
B.S. Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, CA
1980
M.S. Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
1987 Ph.D Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX
1987 postdoc at IBM T.J. Watson Research Laboratory in the
Physical Sciences, Yorktown Heights, NY
1989
assistant professor of physics at Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY
1995
associate professor of physics at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL
2001
professor of physics at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb,
IL
Also 1995-present : resident associate (i.e., frequent visiting
scientist) at Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory
2008-09: on sabbatical – Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory
2007-08: elected to NIU University
Council, NIU
representative to Illinois Articulation Initiative panel on Physical and Life
Sciences General Education, NIU
Committee on the Responsible Conduct of Scholarship, Northern Illinois University Press
Board, Symposium
Chair: Materials Research Society Fall 2007 Meeting Symposium: Materials in
Transition: Insights from Synchrotron and Neutron Sources
(Other recent past
service: NIU
Academic Planning Council, NIU University
Assessment Panel, 2005-06
Chair of Advanced Photon Source Users Organization Steering Committee
(APSUO-SC)-SC, Program committee
chair 2005 User Meeting Advanced Photon Source),
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