ORCID Identifier(s)

ORCID 0000-0002-1755-9367

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Surface analytical techniques are essential for engineering nano-detectors allowing characterization of their chemical composition, electromechanical properties, and physical structure. In the first chapter, the positron impact-induced secondary electron (PIISE) energy spectra and yield from single-layer graphene (SLG) and multi-layer graphene (MLG) grown on a polycrystalline Cu substrate have been presented. In the second chapter, an extensive catalog of Positron Induced Auger Spectra is presented to aid in the analysis of elemental composition of various materials. Additionally, in the third chapter, a novel detection scheme utilizing the piezo-pyroelectric properties of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films have been demonstrated for its application as a zero-bias vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) detector. It is shown that stress induced in ZnO thin films through interface strain v engineering can enhance the VUV photoinduced signals, measured both at room and cryogenic temperatures. Such a photodetector can have applications in rare event searches in high energy physics using liquid noble detectors, as a UV detector for space-based sensors, and in other environments where low-power cryogenic performance is needed.

Disciplines

Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics | Condensed Matter Physics | Engineering Physics | Optics

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Language

English

Faculty Mentor of Honors Project

Alex Weiss, Jonathan Asaadi, Varghese Chirayath

Comments

The work related to positron spectroscopy have been supported by NSF Grant No. CHE – 2204230, NSF Grant No. NSF-DMR-1338130, NSF-DMR1508719 and the Welch Foundation (Y-1968-20180324). The R&D for nano-detector engineering have been supported by Department of Energy and the Office of Science under award number: DE-0000253485, and the Nanotechnology Research Center, Shimadzu Institute, UTA. I acknowledge the contributions and mentorship of Dr. Nader Hozhabri and Dr. David Nygren. Futhermore, I acknowledge the contributions of my fellow collaborators Nicholas Hancock, Ilker Parmaksiz, Dr. Vivek Khichar and Iakovos Tzoka.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Available for download on Sunday, August 17, 2025

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