Academic · Note #02
University of Warsaw
Solid-state physics research
I came to the University of Warsaw (Faculty of Physics) in 2024 for a physics project linked to my master’s at FURG: building a device using graphite, lithography, exfoliation, metal evaporation and plasma etch.
The role
Since September 2024 I’ve worked at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, in Poland. The role is Research Scientist – Master’s Student in Physics.
I came to Warsaw to carry out a physics project. That project is what links my Physics master’s at FURG to the work at the University of Warsaw.
The physics project
In the project I worked on the whole process of building a device using graphite: from preparing the material to the finished device.
It was hands-on bench work from start to finish, in the same cleanroom and instrument setting described further down.
Lithography and materials preparation
Along the way I learned lithography and the full materials preparation process:
Exfoliation
Peeling thin layers off a larger crystal, such as graphite.
Lithography
Defining the device pattern on the sample.
Development
The step that reveals the pattern written by lithography.
Evaporator
Metal evaporation to deposit the metal contacts.
Plasma etch
Plasma etching to remove material in a controlled way.
The research
The research is in solid-state physics: exfoliation and structural characterisation of two-dimensional materials.
Instruments and environment
I operate and maintain the instruments and work in the lab’s controlled environments:
SQUID
Superconducting Quantum Interference Device: a superconducting sensor for very sensitive magnetic measurements.
AFM
Atomic Force Microscope: it maps the sample’s surface at the nanoscale.
High-precision vacuum
High-precision vacuum systems.
Cleanroom and glove box
Work in the cleanroom and in the glove box, the sealed box with a controlled atmosphere.
Research and publications
The work contributes to academic research and to scientific publications on how materials behave at the nanoscale.
The Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw is also listed as an affiliation, alongside FURG, on my article on data compression and encryption. And on the software side, Enneal LIMS is a tool for academic labs with MPMS/SQUID data capture.
Summary
- Institution
- Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw
- Role
- Research Scientist – Master’s Student in Physics
- Period
- Sep 2024 – present
- Location
- Warsaw, Poland
- Link
- Physics project of the Physics master’s (FURG), carried out in Warsaw
- Project
- Building a device using graphite, end to end
- Processes
- Lithography, exfoliation, metal evaporation, plasma etch, development
- Field
- Solid-state physics · two-dimensional materials
- Instruments
- SQUID, AFM, high-precision vacuum, cleanroom, glove box
Work with 2D materials, instrumentation or lab software? Write to me.
Write to me