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CIFM
FCASST
AIP
NSF
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Laboratory for Advanced Materials Science and Technology (LAMSAT)
The Laboratory for Advanced Materials Science and Technology (LAMSAT) was founded in the Department of Physics at USF in 1992 and is co-directed by Professors Pritish Mukherjee and Sarath Witanachchi. Research at the laboratory explores innovations in pulsed laser ablation and plasma processes for the growth of thin films and nanoparticles of technologically significant materials. These include superhard materials, magnetic materials, thermoelectric materials, multiferroics, superconductors, and compound semiconductors for solar cells. Novel optical techniques for high-resolution, in-situ plasma imaging and the development of new laser-assisted plasma growth processes including microwave plasma and laser-assisted spray pyrolysis are being investigated. The research encompasses thin film-growth, nanostructures, in-situ dynamic optical process diagnostics, thin-film analysis, characterization, and process modeling leading to the fabrication of single-layer, hetero-structure, and multi-layer devices.
For example, NSF and DOE sponsored research projects have focused on the application of a patented dual-laser ablation process developed in this laboratory to grow large-area, particulate-free films. Applications have included thin-films of type-I clathrate Ba8Ga16Ge30 for thermoelectric material investigations, both Cu(InGa)Se2 and ZnO for solar-cell applications, and diamond and diamond-like carbon structures for MEMS applications. An NSF- funded project developed a hybrid process where chemical self-assembly and physical vapor deposition techniques were combined to grow vertically aligned nano-grained films of superhard materials. Current U.S. DoD-funded research at LAMSAT, in concert with the Center for Integrated Functional Materials (CIFM) at USF Physics, is directed at the generation of new nano-structured materials for biomedical diagnostics and chemical sensing, and multifunctional composites for communication and energy applications. Research at LAMSAT is also a key contributor to the Florida Cluster for Advanced Smart Sensor Technologies (FCASST), a joint USF Physics/UF MSE initiative that commenced in 2011.
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