Sarath Witanachchi, Associate Professor

Ph.D. electrical engineering, 1989, State University of New York at Buffalo

office:                     PHY368C              (813) 974-2789

lab:                         PHY027                (813) 974-9933

e-mail:                   switanac@cas.usf.edu

web:                      http://www.cas.usf.edu/physics/pdf%20files/lamsat.pdf

research interests: solid state & materials physics

·          laser ablation

·          thin films

·          high-Tc superconductors

research outline:

The Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technology (LAMSAT) explores innovations in pulsed laser ablation and plasma processes for the growth of thin films of technologically significant materials including super hard materials, magnetic materials, superconductors, and compound semiconductors for solar cells.  Past NSF and DOE sponsored research projects have focused on the application of a dual-laser ablation process discovered in this laboratory to grow large-area, particulate-free films of Cu(InGa)Se₂and ZnO for solar cell applications, and to fabricate diamond and diamond-like carbon structures for MEMS applications.  One of the recently funded NSF projects focuses on a hybrid process where chemical self-assembly and physical vapor deposition techniques are combined to grow vertically aligned nano-grained films of superhard materials.  Novel optical techniques for high resolution, in-situ plasma imaging, and development of new laser-assisted plasma growth processes are being researched.  The research encompasses thin film growth, nanostructures, dynamic optical process diagnostics, thin film analysis, characterization and process modeling leading to the fabrication of single-layer and hetero-structure devices.  

Curriculum Vitae