Selected project
Developing spectroscopy methods and instruments for material characterization, optical measurements and XPS analysis.
← Back to projectsMeasuring weak optical absorption in powders and thin films is difficult. To solve this problem, I developed a spectrometer at a time when funding was scarce. Data acquisition used the parallel port of a PC-XT; wavelength scanning was controlled through an analogue circuit; and the lock-in amplifier was synchronized with the light modulator.
Solar energy applications require spectral properties of materials from visible sunlight to infrared thermal losses. I manufactured a spectrometer able to measure reflection and transmission from 0.4 to 20 micrometers using silicon, germanium, PbS and pyroelectric detectors.
Researchers were using only a fraction of the information contained in XPS spectra. I wondered whether the energy-loss structure could reveal additional physical properties. This question led us to develop a methodology able to extract the dielectric function of materials.
