Suzanne Mohney | Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State

Suzanne Mohney

Suzanne Mohney
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering
N-209 Millennium Science Complex
(814) 863-0744
mohney@matse.psu.edu
www.esm.psu.edu/mohney/

Biographical Sketch:

Suzanne Mohney has been a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering since 2004 and holds the title of Professor of Electrical Engineering. Prior to 2004, she was an Associate or Assistant Professor at Penn State. She earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of Wisconsin in 1994 and a B.S.Ch.E. summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 1987. She has been a recipient of research awards from The Electrochemical Society and the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Science, as well as an award for outstanding teaching from the College. She currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the TMS-IEEE Journal of Electronic Materials.

Research Interests:

Electronic materials
Metals in electronics
Compound semiconductors
Wide band gap semiconductors

Areas of Research:

Our research group investigates electronic and photonic materials. Many of our projects focus on metal/semiconductor contacts for electronic and optoelectronic devices. We are also investigating semiconductor nanowires for nanoscale electronics and quantum dots for more efficient white lighting. In addition, we study metallic thin films for interconnects, electronic packaging, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
The metal/semiconductor contacts we study are an essential part of electronic and optoelectronic devices, including transistors, laser diodes, and solar cells. Controlled metallurgical reactions between the contact metals and the semiconductor are required to engineer the electrical properties of the contacts. On the other hand, uncontrolled reactions can result in nonuniform contacts and poor thermal stability during processing, packaging, or long-term operation. Through an examination of the thermodynamics and kinetics governing interfacial reactions, contacts with greatly improved thermal stability, uniformity, and electrical performance can be designed. This work also involves study of current transport in the contacts and materials characterization using techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, Auger depth profiling, and atomic force microscopy. We work with many families of semiconductors, some of which have been commercialized and others that are in the early stages of development. These materials include III-V compound semiconductors, GaN, SiC, and Si.
Our research on semiconductor nanowires and quantum dots, MEMS, and novel semiconductors is very interdisciplinary, involving collaborations with faculty in electrical engineering, physics, chemical engineering, and other materials disciplines. We also frequently work with researchers from government laboratories and industry.

Technology Impacted By Research:

Microelectronics
Energy
Communication
Lighting

Journal Articles and Publications:

C. M. Eichfeld, S. S. A. Gerstl, T. Prosa, Y. Ke, J. M. Redwing and S. E. Mohney, “Local Electrode Atom Probe Analysis of Silicon Nanowires Grown with an Aluminum Catalyst,” Nanotechnology 23, 215205 (2012).
F. Zhang, J. Liu, G. J. You, C. F. Zhang, S. E. Mohney, M. J. Park, J. S. Kwak, Y. Q. Wang, D. D. Koleske, and J. Xu, “Nonradiative Energy Transfer Between Colloidal Quantum Dot-Phosphors and Nanopillar Nitride LEDs,” Optics Express 20, A333–A339 (2012).
J. A. Howell, S. E. Mohney, and C. L. Muhlstein, “Developing Ni-Al and Ru-Al Thin Films for Microelectromechanical Systems,” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 29, 042002–13 (2011).
B. P. Downey, J. R. Flemish, and S. E. Mohney, “Investigation of Polarity Effects on the Degradation of Pd/Ti/Pt Ohmic Contacts to p-type SiC Under Current Stress,” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 29, 061205 (2011).
K. Sarpatwari, S. E. Mohney, and O. O. Awadelkarim, “Effects of Barrier Height Inhomogeneities on the Determination of the Richardson Constant,” J. Appl. Phys. 109, Article 014510 (2011).
B. P. Downey, S. Datta, and S. E. Mohney, “Numerical study of reduced contact resistance via nanoscale topography at metal/semiconductor interfaces,” Semicond. Sci. Tech. 25, Article 015010 (2010).
K. Sarpatwari, N. S. Dellas, O. O. Awadelkarim, and S. E. Mohney, “Extracting the Schottky barrier height from axial contacts to semiconductor nanowires,” Solid-State Electron. 7, 689–685 (2010).
N. S. Dellas, J. Liang, B. J. Cooley, N. Samarth, and S. E. Mohney, “Electron microscopy of MnAs/GaAs core/shell nanowires,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 072505 (2010).
R. Dormaier, Q. Zhang, B. Liu, Y. C. Chou, M. D. Lange, J. M. Yang, A. K. Oki, and S. E. Mohney, “Thermal Stability of Pd/Pt/Au Contacts to InAlAs/InAs Heterostructures for High Electron Mobility Transistors,” Journal of Applied Physics 105, Article 044505 (2009).
N. S. Dellas, B. Z. Liu, S. M. Eichfeld, C. M. Eichfeld, T. S. Mayer, and S. E. Mohney, “Orientation Dependence of Nickel Silicide Formation in Contacts to Silicon Nanowires,” Journal of Applied Physics 105, Article 094309 (2009).