IRES: U.S.-Czech Research Experience for Students on Wide Bandgap Materials for Energy and Biosensing Applications

这一美国-捷克学生国际研究经验(IRES)项目为来自北卡罗来纳州立大学(NCSU)和附近的美国大学北卡罗来纳A&A；T和Shaw的研究生和本科生提供了在捷克科学院布拉格物理研究所进行职业生涯早期国际研究的经验。其目标是通过为18名美国学生提供每年6次的机会，在宽带隙材料(即氮化物和氧化物半导体材料)方面进行指导研究，从而为多元化和全球参与的科学和工程劳动力做出贡献。在捷克合作伙伴研究所，每个参与者都将获得先进的表征技术的实践经验。总体而言，IRES项目的研究目标是研究新型宽带隙半导体材料的基本特性和与生长相关的特性，确定当前的技术挑战，并探索解决问题的方法。这类材料之所以令人感兴趣，是因为它们展示了未来在能够在高功率和高频下运行的设备中的前景，以及在恶劣的大气条件或生物兼容环境中的应用。在首席研究员Tania Paskova和她的捷克同行的指导下，参与者的研究活动涵盖了材料科学、表面科学、半导体物理和化学。其目的是在各种化学处理之后，合作增加我们对宽带隙材料固有的电、光学和表面性质以及它们的改性的基本了解，以检查它们在能源和生物传感应用方面的潜力和限制。对具有不同晶体排列的宽带隙材料的表面性质、极性和掺杂效应的新认识和更好的理解有望有助于未来的应用，包括电力电子学、光电子学和化学和生物传感器。职业生涯初期的国际研究经历将使美国学生面临当前的技术挑战，并提高他们对新材料在对我们未来生活质量至关重要的领域的重要性的认识。

This U.S.-Czech International Research Experience for Students (IRES) project provides graduate and undergraduate students from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and nearby U.S. universities, North Carolina A&T and Shaw, with early career international research experience at the Czech Academy of Sciences' Institute of Physics, in Prague. The goal is to contribute to a diverse and globally-engaged science and engineering workforce by providing eighteen U.S. student participants, six annually, with the opportunity to pursue mentored research on wide bandgap materials, i.e., nitride and oxide semiconductors materials. At the Czech partners' institute, each participant will gain hands-on experience with advanced characterization techniques. Overall, the research objectives of this IRES project are to study the fundamental and growth related properties of novel wide bandgap semiconductor materials, to identify current technology challenges, and investigate approaches for problem solving. Such materials are of interest because they exhibit promise for future use in devices that would be capable of operating at high power and high frequency, and in harsh atmospheric conditions or biocompatible environments. Under the direction of Principal Investigator Tania Paskova and her Czech counterparts, participant research activities span materials science, surface science, semiconductor physics, and chemistry. The intent is to work cooperatively to increase our fundamental understanding of the inherent electrical, optical and surface properties of wide bandgap materials as well as their modifications, following a variety of chemical treatments to examine their potential and limitations for energy and biosensing applications. The new knowledge and improved understanding of the surface properties, polarity, and doping effects in wide bandgap materials with different crystallographic alignments are expected to contribute to future applications, including power electronics, optoelectronics, and chemical and biological sensors. The early career international research experience will expose the U.S. students to current technology challenges and increase their awareness of the importance of novel materials for areas essential to our future quality of life.