Rising from the Embers, 2023
This polarized light optical microscope image (width = 10 mm) features a cross section of high-entropy aluminum garnet single crystal cut from the tail-end of a boule grown by the Czochralski method. The Czochralski method is a commonly used pull-from-melt technique used in the semiconductor industry. Buoyancy-driven convection, crystal rotation, and melt surface tension drive segregation of certain chemical species, resulting in higher strain and higher concentrations of defects at the tail end of the boule. Cerium doping leads to the crystal’s yellow coloring, causing those defects to look like fiery embers.
Eye of the Tiger, 2022
This picture was taken 16 hours after starting Czochralski growth of a Ce-doped multi-component aluminum perovskite. The crystal has been pulled to the length of approximately 2 mm and 4.3 g. Convection currents are visible in the melt, and a solid island appears to have formed behind the seed. This crystal is being synthesized in order to investigate its scintillation properties and explore the use of multicomponent oxide crystals in radiation detection.
Glowing Hand Turkey (November 2019)
Materials:
- GaN-InGaN Quantum Wells
- GaN-InGaN-ZnGeN2 Quantum Wells
I was taking low temperature photoluminescence measurements on these samples, and they were pretty, so I took a picture.
Totoros Invade PL Spectra (August 2019)
Materials:
- Colored Pencil
- PL spectra of ZnGeN2 on GaN-coated sapphire substrate
The first time I saw this spectra, these Totoros popped into my mind, so I printed the spectra and colored in the Totoros. Notice that there are two gray Totoros; the gray Totoro at higher wavelength is second order diffraction of the gray Totoro at lower wavelength.
Green Extraterrestrial Gazes through a Kaleidoscope (April 2019)
Materials:
- Laserglow 532 nm DPSS laser
- Mirrors, apertures, and PL apparatus
This is what I imagine a glowing extraterrestrial would look while gazing through a Kaleidoscope or o of those paper-roll-telescopes that kids make. However, it is just green laser light bouncing between the optical equipment.
Starry Sky over Desert Landscape (September 2018)
Materials:
- SiO_2 substrate
- Gold nanoparticles
- PbTe globs
- Dust
Dropping a substrate is absolutely not something to brag about, but my first time using a tube heater to try to optimize growth parameters for some nanowires, I did drop the first substrate I ever tried to remove from the set up. Luckily, there were other substrates in the furnace that were at more ideal locations and no important work was lost. I also very quickly learned how to handle substrates after that!
This image is taken on my phone through the lens of a microscope. The “stars” are actually where the gold nanoparticles are. The diagonal line is definitely a scratch on the substrate. The desert boulders are globs of PbTe deposited on the inner edge of the substrate. That lovely purple moon is a piece of dust.
Who would have thought that a mistake could be so beautiful?