REU Site: Semiconductor Electronics and Photonics at University of Dayton

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Non-Technical SummaryThe University of Dayton (UD) will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site that provides a fully immersive 10-week experience for undergraduate students to perform research and receive training in semiconductor materials, electronic and photonic devices, and manufacturing. Each REU participant receives a stipend, housing, a partial meal allowance, travel funds, and an allowance for materials and supplies. The REU includes a workshop on semiconductor manufacturing, which incorporates hands-on training at and use of the UD Nanofab Lab facility, and participants present the results of their research at the annual UD Summer STEM Research Symposium. Faculty mentors receive formalized mentoring training, and participants receive a focused mentoring experience. This REU is centered on diversity and inclusion, with recruiting efforts dedicated to recruitment of students from minority-serving institutions. This program helps to promote scientific progress in basic and applied scientific research in the field of semiconductors by providing additional resources for the host institution and research mentors, and it helps to develop a diverse workforce with the necessary skills to succeed in the quickly growing semiconductor industry, which is critical for the nation’s technology advancement and national security. Additionally, much of the research at UD is performed in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, which is located a few miles from campus, and the REU will help indirectly support Department of Defense-related research.Technical SummaryThe REU program is focused on research in the field of semiconductors. Participants will spend 10 weeks at University of Dayton (UD) performing research under UD faculty members. The departments of Physics, Electro-Optics and Photonics (EOP), and Chemical and Materials Engineering (CME) at University of Dayton have a long track record in semiconductor-related research, particularly for applications using optics and photonics. Research areas pursued by faculty at UD span the entire spectrum of semiconductor manufacturing, from studying new semiconductor materials to layout and design to device fabrication and testing to integrated circuit design. Recent grants and contracts awarded to UD have included research topics such as development of Si-based lasers and infrared detectors, phase change materials for reconfigurable devices, development of optical techniques for nanofabrication and nanomachining, design and testing of photonic integrated circuits, and laser direct writing of electronic devices. REU participants perform research under faculty members in these subject areas, often in cooperation with graduate students from EOP or CME and other undergraduate students in physics or engineering, which can result in conference presentations and/or peer-reviewed publications.This Site is supported in part by funds provided to the National Science Foundation by the Semiconductor Research Corporation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.