MatPAC Home Universities Courses Offered Facilities Contacts

 

MatPAC Courses Offered - University of Pennsylvania

MSE 590 Surface and Thin Film Analysis Techniques

Textbook
Fundamentals of Surface and Thin Film Analysis, (L. Feldman and J. Mayer, North Holland,1986).

Prerequisites
MSE 221 or equivalent

Course Objective
One objective of MSE 590 is to study the fundamental physics of the interaction of ions, electrons, photons, and neutrons with matter. A second objective is to use the products of these interactions to characterize the atomic (or molecular) structure, composition, and defects of a semiconductor, ceramic, polymer, composite, or metal. Ion beam techniques will include Rutherford backscattering and forward recoil spectrometry, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Electron probe techniques will include electron energy loss spectrometry and low-energy electron diffraction. Photon techniques will include x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Neutron techniques will include neutron reflectivity. The strengths and weaknesses of each technique will be discussed. Examples will be drawn from metallurgy, electronic materials, polymer science, ceramic science, archaeology, and biology.

Course Description
The surface and near-surface regions of materials can be modified using lasers, ion beams, oxidation, adsorption, and a host of other methods. This ability to tailor a surface or interface is the key to our materials based future. Recently, new analytical techniques have emerged to meet the characterization demands of materials modification. Upon ion implantation of arsenic into silicon, how is the arsenic distributed? Upon welding two polymer layers, have molecules diffused across the interface? Upon growing a silicide on silicon, is the overlayer in registry with the substrate? To demonstrate techniques, these materials questions will prevade the course. This course is intended for seniors through graduate level. The purpose of this course is to answer two basic questions:

  • what are the fundamental physics governing the interation of ions, electrons, photons, and neutrons with matter, what particles or radiation emerge from the solid, and how do we measure this interation? and
  • what insight is accessable concerning atomic (or molecular) structure, composition and defects?

MSE 620 Electrical Properties of Ceramics

Course Description
Ionic conduction mechanisms, mixed electronic and ionic conduction, defects and grain boundary effects, ceramic electrolytes and electrodes, application to batteries, fuel cells and chemical sensors, ceramic capacitors, piezoelectric ceramics.

MSE 650 Micromechanisms of Deformation and Fracture

Course Description
Basic mechanisms of deformation and fracture, theory of dislocations(continuum theory and effects of the atomic structure), deformation properties of different crystal structures (fcc, bcc, hcp, ordered alloys, amorphous materials), hardening mechanisms (solid solution and dispersion hardening), creep deformation and fracture at high temperatures, micromechanisms of fracture.

Major References
D. Hull and D. Bacon, Introduction to Dislocations, Pergamon Press
R.W.K. Honeycombe, The Plastic Deformation of Metals, St. Martin's Press
J.P. Hirth and J. Lothe, Theory of Dislocations, McGraw-Hill
J. Friedel, Dislocations, Pergamon Press

MSE 660 Atomistic Modeling in Materials Science

Prerequisite
Basic condensed matter physics, differential equations, structure of materials and basic notions of point defects, interfaces and dislocations.

Literature
D.W. Heerman, Computer Simulation Methods in Theoretical Physics, Springer.
M.P. Allen and D.J. Tildesley, Computer Simulation of Liquids, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Computer Simulation of Solids, Lecture Notes in Physics, Springer; Editors, C.R.A. Catlow and W.C. Mackrodt.
A.P. Sutton, Electronic Structure of Materials, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
J.H. Harding, Computer simulation of defects in ionic solids, Rep. Prog. Phys. 53, 1403, 1990.
Selected papers.

MSE 670 Statistical Physics of Solids

Course Description
This course constitutes an introduction to statistical mechanics with an emphasis on application to crystalline solids. Ensembe theory, time and ensemble averages and particle statistics are developed to give the basis of statistical thermodynamics. The theory of the thermodynamic properties of solids is presented in the harmonic approximation an harmonic properties are treated by the MieGruneisen method. Free electron theory in metals and semiconductors is given in some detail, with the transport properties being based on conditional transition probabilities and the Boltzmann transport equation. The theory of order-disorder alloys is treated by the Bragg-Williams, Kirkwood and quasi-chemical methods.

MatPAC Home | Universities | Courses Offered | Facilities | Contacts