June 30, 2010
By Robin Donovan
Mohammad Ebdah was awarded the Graduate College Fellowship after a university-wide competition.
After months of anticipation, Mohammad Ebdah, a doctoral student in physics, won the annually-awarded Graduate College Fellowship on May 17. The award includes a $14,487 stipend and a tuition and fee waiver.
"I was so, so excited at that time because when I checked the results, I was at home and my wife was also waiting. When I checked, it was a very good surprise," he said. Graduate students from every department on campus were eligible for nomination.
As part of the application process, Ebdah and his advisor, Dr. Marty Kordesch, detailed Ebdah's proposed research for the next year. The Graduate Council reviewed a C.V., project summary, and three letters of recommendation from Drs. Kordesch, David Drabold and Saw-Wai Hla.
Kordesch, who has worked closely with Ebdah since becoming his advisor in 2007, described him as, “Fast, smart, motivated…He’s all the things you want,” and noted that Ebdah works as rapidly as he speaks.
The fellowship will allow Ebdah to research thin films that have implications for the future of energy technologies. His work deals specifically with a semiconductor thin films made from amorphous indium zinc oxide that is prepared using a reactive magnetron sputtering technique. Amorphous zinc oxide is typically is an insulating material, but the addition of indium yields some semiconductive properties.
To determine the electronic properties of the thin film, Ebdah will use ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. With this technique, a photon beam hits the thin film, causing some valence electrons to be emitted. These photoelectrons are captured by a hemispherical detector and studied to reveal properties of thin films prepared with varying proportions of indium.
Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy allows Ebdah to study the electronic properties of amorphous indium zinc oxide. Courtesy of Mohammad Ebdah.
Other techniques Ebdah uses to determine optical and electrical properties of the thin film are spectroscopic ellipsometry and Hall Effect measurements, respectively. When light is reflected off the thin film, spectroscopic ellipsometry helps scientists measure the change in polarization of the light. This information reveals optical properties of thin films. The Hall Effect characterizes charged carriers by measuring a specific voltage change in relation to an electrical current and a magnetic field.
Ebdah's research has practical applications for nanoscale devices including thin-film transistors, solar energy panels, optical coating and anti-reflectors. Astronomers, for example, require telescopes that minimize reflectivity in order to maximize the intensity and resolution of images of faraway stars and galaxies.
After completing his master's degree in physics at Massachusetts' Clark University, Ebdah came to Athens in 2006 to begin work on a doctoral degree. Although his master's work focused on molecular magnetism, Ebdah's work with Kordesch deals with transparent conductive oxides, seeking to uncover the optical, electronic and electrical properties of thin films.
He expects to earn his degree at the completion of the fellowship, in the spring of 2011.
Ebdah cites the support of Kordesch as instrumental to his success. Along with helping Ebdah to publish papers, travel, attend conferences, and conduct research, Kordesch helped him to develop the habits of a scientist by giving Ebdah space to pursue his ideas. "When I come [to him] with some idea, he doesn't restrict me much. He has trust in his students." Ebdah noted that this helps foster self confidence, creativity and the ability to discuss and deliberate ideas in the academic community.
After graduation, Ebdah hopes to join the growing solar cell/solar energy industry, which he sees as the future of energy. "If you look at the last century, the whole world depended on oil. Right now, we can feel as scientists that it's the era of solar energy to replace the other energy sources," he said.
The Graduate College Fellowship is one of five full-tuition, stipend-bearing fellowships awarded annually to graduate students. Departments across campus that house graduate students can nominate one student for the awards.