Arthur R. Smith, Associate Professor

Physics & Astronomy Department

Ohio University, Athens, OH  45701
 
Art with Lab 151 MBE/STM System
photo courtesy of Rick Fatica


Go back to:  Department of Physics and Astronomy Ohio University

Hot Stuff:  STM Image of GaN Spiral Growth Region on the Cover of Science Magazine



Awards



Research News
Articles published by
Ohio University Research Communications
Vice President for Research

  1. Receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers at the White House

  2. Regarding our First Paper on Spin-Polarized STM Published in Physical Review Letters

  3. Ohio University's Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute Members Attend Ohio Nanotechnology Summit in Force

  4. Regarding the Acquisition of Funds for the Purpose of Constructing a New Microscope/Epitaxial Growth System

  5. New - Fall 2007 PIRE!! Award

SPIRE - the Spin Triangle - is an international collaboration program focused on condensed matter research at the nanoscale. Participants include the Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Hamburg, Germany; the condensed matter group at the University of Buenos Aires and the National Atomic Energy Commission in Argentina; and the Nanoscale & Quantum Phenomena Institute at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, USA.





Research
My research interests include the following:
1) growth and investigation of novel semiconductor surfaces using RHEED, MBE, and STM
2) growth and study of metallic and magnetic surface structures
3) investigation of magnetic surface structure using spin-polarized STM

Research Group Members

Current Group Members
Jeongihm Pak
 Research Scientist
Yinghao  Liu
 postdoc
Wenzhi Lin
 6th Year Graduate Student
KangKang Wang
 5th Year Graduate Student
Abhijit Chinchore
 5th Year Graduate Student
Binay Prasal
 3rd Year Graduate Student
Meng  Shi
 2nd Year Graduate Student
Ramana Thota
 2nd Year Graduate Student
Tianjiao Chen
 Senior Undergraduate
Daniel Bergmann
 Senior Undergraduate
SooHyun Hwang
 Junior Undergraduate

Past Group Members
Haiqiang Yang
postdoc ('00-'02)
Hamad Al-Brithen
Ph.D. fall '04
Costel Constantin
Ph.D. fall '05
Muhammad Haider
Ph.D. fall '05
Rong Yang Ph.D. June '06
Erdong Lu postdoc ('04-'07)


Scripps (the School of Journalism) Students
 
Alyse Zimmer
 '09-'10
Jenna Miller
 '09-'10
Amy Wright
 '08-'09
Emily Hubbell
 '08-'10
Kristina Davis
 '07-'08
Stephanie Laird
 '07-'08
Liz Leitch
 '06-'07
Sam Stephens
 '05-'06
Christopher Gohlke
 '05-'06
Suzanne Wilder
 '04-'05
Lauren Van Arsdale
 '04-'05
Elizabeth Weinstein
 '04-'05
Sarah Laubacher
 '03-'05
Anita Martin
 '03-'04


Information about former students:

1.  Hamad Al-Brithen, Ph.D. 2004:  Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy Department, Department, King Saud University, 2005 – present.  Hamad Al-Brithen obtained his Ph.D. in fall 2004 with the thesis "Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of Rock-salt and Zinc-blende Nitrides Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy" and went directly into a tenure track assistant professor position at King Saud University, Saudia Arabia, in the Physics & Astronomy Department there.  Hamad is active in the nanoscience efforts at King Saud and is working to build up research efforts there.  Hamad has returned to Athens in three consecutive summers beginning in 2006, to continue some research activities here and to attend the international nanoscience conference hosted by the NQPI group in Athens in July 2008.  During 2008, Hamad also took up a mini sabbatical post at MIT.

2.  Costel Constantin, Ph.D. 2005:  Assistant Professor, Physics Department, Seton Hall University, 2007 – present.  Costel obtained his Ph.D. in fall 2005 with the thesis "Growth, Structure, Electronic and Optical Characterization of Nitride Semiconductors Grown by rf-Plasma Molecular Beam Epitaxy."  He took a postdoctoral position with Professor Randy Feenstra at Carnegie Mellon University at the end of 2005, where he stayed for one year.  After that, Costel began a tenure track assistant professor position at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, beginning in Fall 2007.  Costel continues to be interested in research and is setting up his own lab at Seton Hall.  Besides this, he is also continuing some collaborations with me on selected topics.

3.  Muhammad B. Haider, Ph.D. 2005, Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute of Nanotechnology/Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, 2006 – present. Muhammad received his Ph.D. in fall 2005 with the thesis " Surface and Bulk Properties of Magnetically Doped GaN and Their Dependence on the Growth Conditions."  Following graduation, Muhammad took a postdoctoral position at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, working in the group of Professor Robert Wolkow, internationally recognized expert in scanning tunneling microscopy and Chair in Nanoscale Information and Communication Technologies.

4.  Rong Yang, Ph.D. 2006:  Associate Professor, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, China, 2008 – present.  Rong Yang graduated with her Ph.D. in summer 2006 with the thesis "Atomic-scale and Spin Structure Investigations of Manganese Nitride and Related Magnetic Hybrid Structures Prepared by Molecular Beam Epitaxy" and went right away to work as a Postdoctoral Associate in the group of Professor Chris Palmstrom, at the University of Minnesota, within the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department.  One year later, Rong and her family moved to Beijing, China.  In early 2008, Rong was appointed to a faculty position within the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing, where she is currently employed.





picture of the group at IWN-2004


picture of group at IWN-2004
at the MRS International Workshop on Nitride Semiconductors, summer 2004:
(left to right) Costel Constantin, Rong Yang, Hamad Al-Brithen, Muhammad Haider, and Art


On the Occasion of Rong's graduation (l-to-r: Wenzhi Lin, Rong Yang, Art, Erdong Lu, Abhijit Chinchore, and KangKang Wang)





At the New Lab (l-to-r: Art, Yinghao Liu, Wenzhi Lin, KangKang Wang, Abhijit Chinchore, and Jeongihm Pak), 2009.


My research is concerned with surfaces of semiconductors and metals, particularly focusing on the growth of these materials using molecular beam epitaxy. The analysis techniques of choice in my lab are reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). RHEED gives information about the growing crystal surface as viewed in reciprocal space during growth; STM gives detailed views of the atomic-scale surface structure. Using these techniques in tandem allows a powerful approach to understanding the relationship between surface structure and growth.

Recently, I am investigating the use of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy in studying the magnetic structure of surfaces down to the atomic scale.



Full Publication List

Image Gallery
Laboratory Homepage



Teaching

currently:

PHYS 253 (General Physics/Electricity & Magnetism)


previously:

PHYS 731: Graduate Condensed Matter Physics (part 1)

PHYS 894 - Special Topics:
Surfaces, Surface Nanostructures, and Surface Analytical Techniques


    K-12 Outreach

NIRT NSNM Outreach program:
  
K-12 school presentations, nanoscience website, K-12 essay contests

NIRT Web Page:  OUNSNM (Ohio University Nanospintronics and Nanomagnetics)
A NIRT (Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team) grant from the National Science Foundation
has enabled us to begin a new line of research involving the study of nanoscale spintronic and magnetic structures.
This web site is devoted to the research, education, and outreach associated with the grant.

ATOMS PROGRAM

(Advanced Techniques of Microscopic Science)
With funding provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a program for K-12 teachers and their students, called ATOMS, was established.  The primary goal of ATOMS is to increase science and technology opportunities for Southeastern Ohio students by exposing them to Nobel Prize-winning technology.  This is achieved by making available to local students and their teachers a scanning tunneling microscope (STM).  The STM is capable of imaging surfaces with atomic resolution.
 New ATOMS Web Site



Physics and Astronomy Library Home Page



Collaborators
  • Randall Feenstra (Carnegie Mellon University)
  • Dave Greve (Carnegie Mellon University)
  • Toshio Sakurai (Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan)
  • Daniel Gall (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
  • Ron Cappelletti and Julie Borchers (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
  • Walter Lambrecht (Case Western Reserve University)
  • Joerg Neugebauer (Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, Max-Planck Str. 1, 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany)



    • Other links
    k-Space Associates, Inc.