Arba Minch University College of Natural Sciences Department of Physics

ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

PhD CURRICULUM IN PHYSICS (Materials Physics Specialization)

JULY, 2020 ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA

Curriculum Developers:

1. Dr. Paulos Taddesse (Associate Professor) 2. Dr. Sintayehu Mekonnen (Assitant Professor) 3. Dr. Tesfay Gebremariam (Assitant Professor)

Table of Contents 1. Background ...... 5 2. Program Rationale ...... 7 3. Objectives of the PhD Program………………...... …...…………….………………….8 3.1. General Objective……………..………..…………………………...………..……….8 3.2. Specific Objectives ...... 8 4. Research Thematic Areas…………...... …………………………..…………….…….9 5. Graduate Profile………...…………………………………………….…………………9 6. Program Profile…………………...………………………………………….…..…….10 6.1. Admission Requirements ...... 10 6.2. Graduation Requirement ………….………………………………………….……...11 6.3. Program Duration ...... 12 6.4. Degree Nomenclature ...... 12 7. Mode of Delivery…………….…………………………………….…………………..12 8. Educational Philosophy……………………………………………….……………...... 12 8.1. Teaching and Learning Approaches………………………………………..………..12 8.2. Assessment Strategies and Decisions………………………………………....……..13 8.2.1. Assessment of Course Work……………………….………………….…….……..13 8.2.2. Assessment of the PhD Dissertation ………………………………………....……13 9. Governance and Management of the Program……………………….……….………..14 9.1. Coordinating Bodies of the Program……………………....……………….…….….14 9.2. Advisory committee…………………………….……………………………………14 9.3. The Department Graduate Council ……………………………………….…………14 10. Quality Assurance Mechanisms…….……………………………...…………...……15 11. Resource Profile……………...………………………………………………………16 11.1. Human Resources…………………...………………….…………………………..16 11.2. Infrastructures and Laboratory Facilities Available……..……………………….…16 11.3. Collaborators for the Success of the Program…………………………………....…17 12. Additional Resources Required…………………...……….…….….…………….…..18 12.1. Human Resource……………………….………….………………………….....….18 12.2. Material Resources………..…………………...………………….………….……..18

12.3. Office Facility………..…………...…………...………………….…………….…..18 12.4. International Collaboration …………………...………………….…………….…..18 13. Course Coding and Listing……..…...…………………..….…….…………………..19 13.1. Course Coding……………………...………………….…….……………………..19 13.2. List of Courses……………………...………………….……….…………………..19 13.3. Course Breakdown…………….…...…………………..…………………………..20 14. Course Syllabus of the PhD Program…………….…...………………………….…..21 15. References…………….…...……..…………..………….…………….……………..53

1. Background For any successful economy development, particularly in today’s quest for knowledge based economies, science and technology are the basic requisites. Development at any phase is always linked with technology, and technology happens when there is advancement in science. This means that for every country to get developed, the application of both science and technology has to go hand in hand. Presently, countries are classified as developed and developing countries. The major categorization is based on economy and the application of science and technology. Various indicators reveal that countries which have a strong base in science and technology are the ones that developed faster. Ethiopia has also given a great emphasis for science and technology to transform the country into a lower middle income economy. In this regard, the government of Ethiopia has been focusing on the development of adequate human resource required in PhD level to generate and apply science and technology to satisfy the needs of the nation. Arba Minch University (AMU) being one of the well-established universities is expected to play a significant role in helping the government’s policies by designing and launching appropriate PhD programs in the areas that the government has serious demands.

Physics is one of the core science fields that deals with energy and matter, and their interactions. It contributes greatly to the production of instruments and devices that provide tremendous benefits to the human race. Apart from this, the knowledge of Physics plays a very significant role for technological advancement of any nation. The Department of Physics is one of the seven departments at Natural Science College, actively involved in teaching and research at the undergraduate and graduate levels over a period of more than fifteen years.

When the AMU was launched, the university was organized into different Faculties, like the Faculty of Applied Science, and the Faculty of Education. Until 2008 G.C, Applied Physics Department was situated in Applied Science Faculty, and Physics Education Department was also situated in the Education Faculty with a mission of training teachers for secondary schools. In 2008 G.C, the two duplicated departments were merged together, and the physics department was already a joint department under the college of natural science. For several years, the department of physics offers courses at the undergraduate

5 level leading to a bachelor’s degree in physics. The program emphasizes the fundamental concepts and principles of physics and their roles in a variety of disciplines.

The Department has started postgraduate program in 2013. Currently, the Department offers postgraduate programs in Pure Physics (with specializations in astrophysics, quantum optics & information, condensed matter physics), Physics Education, and Materials Science & Engineering. Current major research activities of the Department are divided into three main research areas, namely experimental physics, computational physics, and theoretical physics. Under these categories, a large number of research works related to these fields are actively pursued by members of the Department. The courses designed under these programs enable the students to understand, explain and predicate the natural phenomena based on the fundamental principles and theory of physics, chemistry and the like. They are also contributing to produce qualified professionals and researchers for the industry, government or private organizations, and academic settings.

Now with the experience it has gained, the department of physics has planned to launch a PhD program in physics with materials physics specializations. In the past few years, very few universities have been started post graduate programs in this field of specialization. The students who receive PhD degrees from this program will have a good chance to work at universities, institutes, companies, industries, and in other related areas. The vision and mission of the depart are discussed as follows:

Vision The Department of Physics aspires to be a center of excellence in physics and materials science research and education.

Mission The Department of Physics aspires to provide the best scientific methods in teaching a demand driven practical based scientific education in physics and materials science, all experimental theoretical as well as computational, and puts most of time to keep the level of education, scientific research and community service.

2. Program Rationale

The advanced solid materials we currently know are based on the achievements of modern theoretical, computational and experimental methods, that ensure research and development of numerous processing techniques. The continuous rise in requirements for improvement of material properties and extension of possibilities of devices, created on their base, support tremendous interest to fast development of the theoretical, computational and experimental methods. Nowadays, Materials Physics is one of the most active research areas in both basic science and technological applications through experiments, computational and theoretical analysis in ranges from macroscale to nanoscale. Accordingly, this program is designed with the intention to produce qualified experimentalist as well as theorists who can engage themselves in various research activities at the industry, government or private organizations, and academic settings. This can be accomplished through the program’s core courses, selection of electives, and completion of defendable dissertation work.

With the development of new technologies, materials play an increasingly important role in modern society. Thus, Materials Science has now become established as a discipline in its own right as well as an important area in the fields of Physics, Chemistry and Engineering. A sound knowledge in Science and Technology of materials is necessary for the efficient use of materials in industry. This aspect is particularly important for a developing country like Ethiopia in achieving its development goals. The broad aim of this PhD program is to give a basic knowledge in Materials Physics with emphasis on technologically important materials. Therefore, this PhD program will provide an opportunity to train graduate students required for various industries and also to improve the knowledge and skills of personnel already employed in the higher educational institutions and industrial sectors.

The department of physics has conducted the need assessment. The objective of the need assessment was to acquire information on manpower demand, courses suitability for the program, appropriateness of the program for producing experimentalist as well as theorists, and research areas that would be relevant to the needs of the stakeholders (higher

7 educational institutions, and research institutes) and other sector bureaus related to the program. Accordingly, the need assessment result revealed that:

 there is high manpower demand in the field of Materials Physics;  the courses are suitable to the PhD program;  the program has the capability of producing graduates who are knowledgeable and equipped with adequate skills in experimental, computational and theoretical analysis;  the program has also the capability of producing graduates who can work in higher educational institutions, research institutes, industries, government and non- governmental organizations;  the program will enhance the research activities in the diverse field of applied physics and technology through the joint efforts of academic staffs, collaborators and PhD students;  the presence of a strong need by the stake holders to work with the department of physics, as well as to provide their experts and laboratory facilities for experimental work.

Therefore, the need assessment survey has revealed that launching the PhD program in Materials Physics is appropriate and timely for reducing the dearth of academic staff in the academic institutions and, for producing highly qualified experimentalists, theorists and computationalists in the field of materials physics.

3. Objectives of the PhD Program 3.1. General Objective

The general objective of the PhD program is to produce highly qualified and competent professionals who are capable of working in higher educational institutions, research centers, industries, and others government and non-government organizations.

3.2. Specific objectives

Specific objectives of the PhD Program are to:

 produce graduates who are knowledgeable and equipped with adequate skills in experimental, computational and theoretical analysis;  engage students on experimentation and research in the field of different Materials,  develop research capacity in the country that generate knowledge, technology and understanding for solving different problems in the field of materials physics;  develop the students’ skills in writing scientific papers for peer-reviewed national and international journals;  train competent and responsive professionals who can address the community's problems through innovative and practical means.

4. Research thematic areas

This would enable the students to produce highly qualified and competent human resource for research, education, policy advice, etc., focusing on the following general thematic areas in relation to physics materials:  Nanomagnetic Materials,  Superconducting Materials,  Piezoelectric and Ferroelectric Materials,  Multiferroic Composite Materials,  Nanoelectronic Materials,  Thermoelectric Materials,  Energy Conversion and Storage Materials,  Glass Materials,  Polymer Materials,  Theoretical and Computational Materials Physics. Based on the scientific developments and future professional human recourses, additional research thematic areas will be considered.

5. Graduate Profile

Upon successful completion of the program, the PhD graduates in physics with specializations materials physics are expected to:

 carry out applied and basic research work of international standard;

 teach physics courses related to his/her particular field of specialization in higher educational and research institutions;  provide advice and consultation to government, non-government and the private sectors on different project works;  apply interdisciplinary concepts or ideas for interdisciplinary application of Physics;  analyze as well as to interpret the experimental, computational as well as theoretical results;  develop interest to have sense of responsibility and commitment to serve the community;  contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories, methods, interpretations, and forms of documentation in the field of specialization,  use different media to continuously upgrade their knowledge in Materials Physics and other related fields,  organize national/ international workshops, conferences or/and seminars,  publish research results in national and international scientific journals.

6. Program Profile

6.1. Admission Requirements

The students admitted into the PhD program in Physics (Materials Physics Specialization) shall;.  have an MSc degree in either physics (applied physics), materials science, materials science & engineering, chemistry (applied chemistry), or other related fields from accredited universities or institutions. Foreign applicants shall have equivalent grads from a recognized Institute, or University. Any admitted student, if needed, has to take bridge course(s) parallelly or before he/she starts the PhD courses as recommended by the Department Graduate Committee (DGC). For bridge courses, the students must obtain a minimum CGPA of 3.00 with no “C, D or F” grade, and the grades will not be considered for SGPA and/or CGPA calculation but will appear on the transcript.

 pass/sufficient performance in entrance examinations prepared by the department; written exam (50%) - applicant will take written exam about general knowledge of the subject matter; and oral exam (50%) - applicants are required to present a seminar of previous master dissertation or any research outputs,  bring letters of recommendation from at least two faculty members capable of evaluating scholarly achievements and potential for independent research,  provide sponsorship letter from the respective institutions/organizations. Self- sponsored applicants can also join the PhD program;  fulfill all other requirements set by the Arba Minch University.

On the other hand, this PhD program is a full time program and female applicants are strongly encouraged to join the PhD program. The potential candidates can be admitted and enrolled for the program at any time within the academic calendar of the university.

The number of candidates admitted to the program in a given year will depend on the number of places available in that year. The intake capacity of the program can be determined by the DGC of the department upon available resources such as supervisors.

6.2. Graduation Requirements

The potential candidate is eligible for graduation when he/she fulfils the following requirements:  The PhD candidate must complete a minimum of 8 compulsory courses, equivalent to 32 credit hours; one elective course, equivalent to 3 credit hours.  Score a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the course work, and no “C” grade in all courses;  The candidate should publish at least one first-authored article from his/her PhD work in reputed and peer reviewed journal, which is indexed in at Scopus or Science Citation Index (SCI). For publication at national journal which is not indexed in at Scopus or SCI, the journal should be recognized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Moreover, the candidate should have at least one publication as first author.  Successfully defense of doctoral dissertation with satisfactory minimum evaluation result;

 The candidate must fulfill all other requirements set by the Arba Minch University.

6.3. Program Duration

The PhD program shall be completed three to four academic years. However, a PhD candidate may be allowed to continue for up to a maximum of six years if it can be shown that the extension is required by force majeure and if it is recommended and approved by the DGC every semester (AMU legislation 2013, Article 125). For such extension of time, the student should provide valid reasons in written form with justified plan of activities for the requested extension period, and this should be confirmed by his/her dissertation supervisor.

6.4. Degree Nomenclature

The nomenclature of the PhD program will be as follows:

English: Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Physics (Materials Physics)

Amharic: የፍልስፍና ዶክተር ድግሪ በፊዚክስ (ማቴሪያልስ ፊዚክስ)

7. Mode of Delivery

The mode of delivery of the PhD courses is semester based under regular program basis, which means that the department of physics follows a face-to-face as well all available modern teaching aids such as online teaching, field-oriented teaching and experimentation approaches.

8. Educational Philosophy

8.1. Teaching and Learning Approaches

The department of physics follows a teaching and learning philosophy that ensures active participation and self-learning motives of the students. In particular, the instructors will take a leading role in creating active participation and self-learning motives of the students. Moreover, the instructors will give a particular attention to enhance the capacity of the students in practical data acquisition, instrumentation, computational skills, processing and analysis of laboratory works, and to carry out practical works independently. About the PhD dissertation research, the students will be guided by their respective supervisors and the department encourages the academic supervisors to help their students to publish their work

12 during their stay in the university or/and after graduation. This gives the students a chance to learn much scientific knowledge and skills.

8.2. Assessment Strategies and Decisions

8.2.1. Assessment of Course Work

The methods of course assessment vary depending on the nature of the courses. Theoretical based courses will be assessed and evaluated on the basis of how much the students understand the theoretical and analytical aspects of the subject. In the case of Laboratory or experimentation based course, the assessment methods focus on the students’ skill of data acquisition, analysis and interpretation as of the data. Besides, the students' course work will also be assessed by the quality of their review reports, oral presentations and written examinations.

The grading courses follows the international letter grading system where mark evaluation follows the AMU Senate Legislation for post-graduate students. A student should complete each course with minimum grade of “B” and maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.00 to be in good standing. The following letter grading system will be used for courses of the PhD program.

Table 1: Grading scale and letter grading System for the PhD program.

Raw Mark Letter Grade Grade Points

[95, 100) A+ 4.00 [90, 95) A 4.00 [85, 90) A- 3.75

[75, 85) B+ 3.50 [70, 75) B 3.00 [65, 70) B- 2.75

[58, 65) C+ 2.50 [50, 58) C 2.00

8.2.2. Assessment of the PhD Dissertation

The student will produce a PhD dissertation in accordance with the existing regulations of AMU. PhD dissertation format, submission, defense procedure, decision of the Board of

Examiners, and approval of the defended dissertation will also be in accordance with the existing SGS guidelines of the university. The originality of the research, the quality of the dissertation presentation in terms of content and language, and the capability of the student in defending the dissertation will also be considered. Once the dissertation reaches the final level for an official submission, the DGC will check the requirements and assign the chairperson, internal and external examiners in consent with the advisor.

The graduate dissertation which is accepted by the board of examiners shall be rated as "Excellent", "Very Good", "Good" or "Satisfactory" which may appear on the transcript but will not be used for calculation of the CGPA of the student. A dissertation will be rejected if the work does not meet the standard, is plagiarized as judged by the board of examiners or has been already used to confer a degree by the same or other universities. A dissertation that has been rejected shall be rated ‘Fail’. The ratings shall be based on points given by the external and internal examiners following the standard guideline and grading format of the university graduate program.

9. Governance and Management of the Program

9.1. Coordinating Bodies of the Program

The PhD Program is managed and coordinated by the head of the department in coordination with college postgraduate coordinator.

9.2. Advisory committee

Each PhD student is required to have a PhD Advisory Committee composed of two members with a minimum rank of Assistant Professors in addition to the academic supervisors. This committee in a close contact with the respective student will decide on the type of courses, topics for seminars and title of independent study to be taken by the students.

9.3. The Department Graduate Council

The department graduate council (DGC) will approve the decisions of the PhD advisory committee and oversees the overall progress of the PhD student. The DGC will also hear complaints and make measurable contributions to the quality of the PhD Program through guiding the department.

10. Quality Assurance Mechanisms

The quality of learning outcomes can be assessed by a number of quality assuring indicators and standards. In order to ensure the highest international level of excellence, quality of the program shall be maintained through the implementation of the following mechanisms:  establishing an academic standards and quality assurance team in the department level;  strengthening the student advising service;  prepare and provide laboratory and field manuals containing adequate number of practical activities;  invite international professional or scientific presentations and let students to attend;  let students to read and present recent scientific findings to the university community;  encourage students to attend as well as participate at national and international conferences;  encourage students to publish articles;  periodic review of the curriculum by taking feedback from students, teachers, alumni, recruiting organizations, etc.);  undertaking continuous evaluation of instructors (teaching-learning) and teaching- learning resources by students and colleagues;  communicate evaluation results with instructors for necessary adjustments in accordance with the evaluation results;  recruiting highly trained academic and technical staff in areas of deficiency;  strengthening the infrastructure and facilities as well as continuous update of the teaching materials and methods employed in the program; and  create a collaborative link with international universities and adapt better strategies in teaching and conducting research.

11. Resource Profile 11.1. Human Resources

Currently, the department of physics has one potential supervisor in associate professor academic rank position for this PhD Program. The department also has a strong potential advisor at assistant professor level who is expected to be associate professors in the near future. In general, the current list of the academic staff members with their field of specialization, rank and qualifications for the PhD program is shown in the following table.

Table 2: Academic staff members for the PhD Program.

No. Name Academic Status Area of Specialization

1 Dr. Paulos Taddesse Associate Professor Solid State Physics, (Materials Science & Engineering) 2 Dr. Sintayehu Mekonnen Assistant Professor Condensed Matter Physics 3 Dr. Tesfay Gebremariam Assistant Professor Quantum Optics and Information 4 Mr. Gishu Semu Assistant Professor Materials Science 5 Mr. Kunsa Haho PhD Student Condensed Matter Physics 6 Mr. Muez G/giorgis PhD Student Condensed Matter Physics 7 Mr. Manyazewal Kebede PhD Student Materials Science & Engineering 8 Mr. Mulugeta Deresa PhD Student Condensed Matter Physics

11.2. Infrastructures and Laboratory Facilities Available

The department of Physics by now has one advanced laboratory for experimental work, and a new post graduate computer lab equipped with about 30 computers, installed Latex and advanced software for computation.

Table 3: Laboratory Facilities in Arba Minch University.

No Instrument Type Department 1 Potentiostat/galvanostat Physics Department 2 Impendence Analyzer Physics Department Thermogravimetric Analysis-Differential Thermal 3 Chemistry Department Analysis

4 Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy Chemistry Department

5 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Chemistry Department

6 Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Chemistry Department

7 Argon Filled Glove Box Physics Department

8 Hot Air Oven Physics Department

9 Furnaces Physics Department

Table 4: Laboratory facilities available in local institutes.

No Instrument Type Department 1 X-ray Powder Diffractometer Adama Science and Technology University 2 Scanning Electron Macroscopy Adama Science and Technology University 3 Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy Adama Science and Technology University Addis Ababa Science and Technology 4 I-V characterization device University 5 Thin film sputtering Hawasa University

11.3. Collaborators for the Success of the Program

The following higher institutions are the potential collaborators for the success of the PhD program: 1. Adid Ababa Science and Technology University: for providing research laboratory facilities; 2. Addis Ababa University: for providing potential expertise;

3. Adama Science and Technology University: for providing research laboratory facilities as well as potential experts; 4. Jima University: for providing potential experts; 5. Ethiopian leather industry development institute: for providing research laboratory facilities;

12. Additional Resources Required

Qualified professionals and laboratory facilities are fundamental requirements to be fulfilled and are indicated as follows:

12.1. Human Resource

One associate or full professor in polymer and glass materials with physics background.

12.2. Material Resources

The following additional laboratory facilities are required in the near future:  Vibrating sample magnetometer;  Teflon-lined stainless steel autoclave;  Platinum as well as Alumina Crucibles & foils;  CASTEP code advanced software,

12.3. Office Facility

Office for the PhD students

12.4. International Collaboration

The department shall create a collaborative link with at least one international university or institute for the same mission and objectives depending on mutual needs and facilities. However, for some advanced instruments, such as Raman Spectroscopy, and Spin Resonance Spectroscopy, we have already started international collaboration with Andhra University, India.

13. Course Coding and Listing 13.1. Course Coding

Coding of the course offered by the program is represented by “Phys” which stands for physics and followed by a three digit numbers. In the course coding and numbering, the first number will be either 8 or 9 that indicate PhD level course, the second number refers to course category (1 for compulsory courses, and 2 or 3 for elective courses). The last digits stand for a semester at which the course is offered: odd for first semester, and even for second semester.

13.2. List of Courses

The courses are designed as compulsory, and elective courses where the students are required to choose from a group of courses. Of these courses, Advanced Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials (Phys 814) will be given for experimental materials physics field, and Advanced Computational Methods in Materials Physics (Phys 816) for theoretical as well as computational materials physics fields. Due to the diverse background of entering students, the elective courses (Phys 8xx) will first be selected by the students and then it will be administratively approved by the DGC depending on the individual student’s background. The courses are structured as follows:

Table 5: List of courses of the PhD program.

Course Credit Course Type Course Title Code hours Phys 811 Advanced Materials Physics 3 Phys 812 Independent Self Study 3 Phys 813 Research methodology and Scientific Writing 2 Advanced Synthesis and Characterization of Compulsory Phys 814 Nanomaterials Course or or 3 Phys 816 Advanced Computational Methods in Materials Physics Phys 815 Quantum Mechanics for Materials Physics 3

Phys 817 Physics of Nanomaterials 3

Phys 818 Seminar I 1 Phys 819 Seminar II 2 Phys 911 PhD Dissertation 12

Phys 822 Nonmagnetic Materials and Devices 3 Physics of Semiconducting Materials and Phys 824 3 Devices Phys 826 Glasses and Glass Ceramics 3 Elective Phys 828 Advanced Polymer Physics 3 Courses Phys 832 Magnetism and Superconductivity 3 Advanced Materials for Energy Storage and Phys 834 3 Conversion Phys 836 Nanophotonics and Devises 3 Phys 838 Selected Topics in Materials Physics 3

13.3. Course Breakdown

Table 6: Course schedule for the program per semester. Year I First Semester

Course Code Course Title/Name L T/P Cr.Hrs Phys 811 Advanced Materials Physics 3 0 3 Phys 813 Research methodology and Scientific Writing 2 0 2 Phys 815 Quantum Mechanics for Materials Physics 3 0 3

Phys 817 Physics of Nanomaterials 3 0 3 Total 11

Year I Second Semester

Course Code Course Title/Name L T/P Cr.Hrs Phys 812 Independent Self Study 0 0 3

Phys 814 Advanced Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials or or 3 0 3 Advanced Computational Methods in Materials Phys 816 Physics

Phys 818 Seminar I 0 0 1 Phys 8XX Elective 3 0 3 Total 10

Year II First Semester

Course Code Course Title/Name L T/P Cr.Hrs Phys 819 Seminar II 0 0 2

Phys 911 PhD Dissertation Total 2

Year II to Year IV Course Code Course Title/Name L T/P Cr.Hrs Phys 911 PhD Dissertation 0 0 12 Total 12

14. Course Syllabus of the PhD Program

Course Title: Advanced Materials Physics Course Code: Phys 811 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 understand the fundamentals of structure of solids and free electron in crystals,  acquire knowledge about group theory and defects in crystalline solids,  understand the basic concepts of energy bands, and methods to calculate many body problems,  develop a deep knowledge about the dielectric, ferroelectrics, magnetism and elementary excitation in solids,  understand the fundamentals of superconductivity.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

 describe different types of structural parameters, and transport phenomena of electrons in a confined system,  identify the influences of defects on the properties of materials, and different types of group theories,  explain different types of approximations that determines the electronic properties of solids,  describe the basic concepts of magnetism and elementary excitation in solids,  Explain the principle and basic concepts of dielectric, ferroelectrics, and superconductivity.

Course contents:

Unit I: Structure of Solids

Crystal structure, Crystal binding, Unit cells, Crystal planes and Miller indices, Reciprocal lattices and its applications, Brillouin zone and high symmetry k points, Structure determination, Octahedral and tetrahedral cites.

Unit II: Free Electrons in Crystals Electron in one dimensional potential well, Electron in three dimensional potentials well, Quantum state and degeneracy, Density of state, Fermi Dirac distribution function, Effect of temperature on Fermi distribution function, Electronic specific heat.

Unit III: Group Theory and Defects in Crystalline Solids

Influences of defects on the properties of materials, Elements of crystallography, Point groups and space groups

Unit IV: Vibrations in Solids

Classical treatment, Quantum treatment, Phonons, Anharmonic effects, Measurements of phonons frequencies and inelastic scattering, Scattering mechanisms.

Unit V: Dielectric and Ferroelectrics

Macroscopic electric field, Local electric field at an atom, Dielectric constant and polarizability, Dielectric loss factor, Frequency and temperature dependent dielectric

22 constant, Relaxation time and activation energy, Ferroelectricity, Antiferroelectricity, Piezoelectricity.

Unit VI: Magnetism and elementary excitation in solids

General ideas of dia- and para- magnetisms, Quantum theory of paramagnetism: unfieled electron shells, Jahn-Teller effect, Hund’s rules, Crystal field splitting, Van vleck temperature dependent, Collective magnetism: molecular field theory for ferro-, antiferro- and ferri-magnetism, spin glass. Direct and indirect exchange interactions, Itinerant magnetism, domains and domain walls, magnetic hysteresis, ferrites & garnets, and their application, Magnon, plasmon,exicition , polaron, plariton.

Unit VII: Superconductivity

Cooper argument, Messnor effect, Types of super conductivity, Thermodynamics of super conducting transitions, Isotope effect, London equation, Coherence length, BCS theory, Josffson’s effect, High temperature super conductivity: Introduction, High temperature cuprate super conductors

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%,  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. Philip Philip, Advanced solid state physics, overseas press, 2012. 2. Rolf Haug, Advances in solid state physics, Springer, 2009. 3. C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, John Wiley, 1996. 4. H. P. Myers, Introduction to Solid State Physics, Viva books, 1998. 5. A. J. Dekker, Solid State Physics, Macmillan, 1986.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%,  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

Course Title: Scientific Research Methodologies and Techniques

Course Code: Phys 813 Credit Hour: 2 (1-1-2) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:  develop understanding of the basic framework of scientific research methodologies and techniques,  develop an understanding of various research designs and techniques.  identify various sources of information for scientific writing,  understand variety phases of project design  develop an understanding of formulating standard project proposals  develop an understanding of the ethical dimensions of conducting applied research.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

 apply the knowledge in scientific writing and research methodology and use this knowledge to write a scientific report, paper, dissertation, and grant research project,

 apply scientific methodologies, methods, as well as techniques for performing investigation and evaluation of scientific reports, papers, dissertations, and research projects.

Course contents:

Unit I: Introduction

Overview of research methods, Types of research: Descriptive vs. Analytical, Applied vs. Fundamental, Quantitative vs. Qualitative, Conceptual vs. Empirical, Thinking like a researcher, Scientific and critical reasoning skills

Unit II: Research Formulation

Defining and formulating the research problem, Selection of research topic and problem, Defining the research problem, Experimental and Non-experimental research design, Field research, and Survey research, Importance of literature review in defining a problem, Literature review, Primary and secondary sources, Identifying gap areas from literature review, Development of working hypothesis.

Unit III: Data Collection and Analysis

Execution of the research, Observation and Collection of data, Methods of data collection, Data Processing and Analysis strategies, Data Analysis with Statistical Packages, Generalization and Interpretation.

Unit IV: Scientific Writing

Technical report writing, Proposal writing, Research paper writing, Dissertation/Thesis, Literature revision writing.

Unit V: Project Design Project identification and selection, Project proposal preparation, Techniques in project programming, Project progress monitoring, Project evaluation, Project reporting, Project proposal negotiation

Unit VI: Ethics in Scientific Research

Ethical issues and behavior, Responsible conduct, Copy right, Intellectual property rights and patent law, Reproduction of published material, Plagiarism, Citation and acknowledgement, Reproducibility and accountability.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions.

Mode of Assessment:

 Assignments and oral presentation: 20-30%,  Research proposal preparation, Preparation of journal articles: 40-50%,  project proposal preparation: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References

1. John W.Best and James, Research in education. Pearson Education Inc., 2006. 2. Hancock E., Ideas into words: Mastering the craft of science writing, 2003. 3. D. Potts, Project planning and analysis. Lynne Reinner Publishers, 2002. 4. Can Akdeniz Project Design Explained: Project Management Books Volume 2 Kindle, 2015. 5. Barbara Gastel and Robert Day, how to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Ed. 2012, ISBN: 978-1- 107-67074-7.

Course Title: Quantum Mechanics for Materials Physics Course Code: Phys 815 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 understand the theory of quantum mechanics, and an ability to apply the quantum theory to materials physics,  understand concepts of identical particles, quantum confined materials, and the idea of quantum dynamics,  acquire the knowledge of the fundamentals of quantum field theory and interactions,  understand the fundamentals of quantum devises.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

 identify the principles of identical particles, quantum confined materials, and quantum dynamics,  have the fundamental understanding of the quantum field theory and interactions,  have the fundamental and quantitative understanding of quantum devises.

Course outline:

Unit I: Identical Particles

Symmetric and antisymmetric wave functions: Bosons and Fermians, symmetrization postulates, Pauli's exclusion Principles, Spin-statistics connection, Self consistent field approximation: Slater determinant, Hartree-Fock method.

Unit II: Quantum Dynamics

Time development of the wave function, Time evolution operator, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, and Interaction pictures of quantum dynamics, Time evolution, Free particle wave packet, One-dimensional harmonic oscillator, Two-state quantum systems. Photoelectric effect and de Broglie waves, The Bohr model and Electron diffraction, Zeeman effect, Many electron atoms and the exclusion principle,

Unit III: Quantum Confined Materials

Quantum wells, quantum wires, quantum dots, quantum rings, Manifestation of quantum confinement: optical properties, nonlinear optical properties, Quantum confined stark effect, Dielectric confinement effect, Super-lattices, Core-shell quantum dots and quantum- dot-quantum wells, Quantum confined structures as lasing media.

Unit IV: Quantum Field Theory and Interactions

Need for quantum field theory, Quantization of electromagnetic field, Quantum equation for field, Canonical quantization of scalar field; Dirac and electromagnetic fields, First & second order coherence; photon detection & quantum coherence functions. Photon counting & Photon statistics; Optical properties of quantum wells, Band and inter-band transitions in quantum wells, Excitons in quantum wells.

Unit V: Quantum Devices

Charge and spin in single quantum dots, Coulomb blockade, Electrons in mesoscopic structures. single electron transfer devices, Electron spin transistor, resonant tunnel diodes, tunnel FETs, quantum interference transistors, quantum dot cellular automata.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions.

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%.

References:

1. J.J. Sakurai, Modern quantum mechanics; Pearson; 1994. 2. Katiyar, Relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum fields; Campus Books Int.; 2009. 3. Lahiri, a first Book on quantum field theory, Narosa Book Distributors, Pvt Ltd; 2005. 4. Dick and Rainer, Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Materials and Photons, 2016.

Course Title: Physics of Nanomaterials Course Code: Phys 817 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 understand the fundamentals of nanomaterials;  explain how size affects the structure and properties of nanomaterials;  acquire the knowledge of various applications of nanostructured materials.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  describe fundamental concepts of structure and properties of nanomaterials;

 identify how particle size affects the structure and properties of materials;  evaluate the applications of carbone nanotubes, graphene, nanoelectronics.

Course contents:

Unit I: Nanostructures

Overview of nanomaterials; Scale of materials; Fabrication methods: Top-down (Breakdown) and bottom-up (Buildup) approaches; Surface in nanomaterials;

Unit II: Physical Properties of Nanostructured Materials

Thermal properties: Thermal conductivity, Thermal expansion, Electrical properties: Electrical conductivity, Band gap tuning, Band gap determination, Hall effect and its applications; Dielectric properties: Dielectric constant and its significance, Piezo electric and ferro electric materials and their behaviour and applications, Magnetic properties, Superparamagnetism, Optical properties, Photoconductivity, Electroluminescence, Photoluminescence, Jablonski diagram, fluorescence and phosphorescence;

Unit III: Carbon Nanotubes

Nature of carbon bonds; Allotropies of carbon; Structure of carbon nanotubes; Types of carbon nanotubes: Single wall & multi walled nanotubes, Zigzag & armchair nanotube, Growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes, Purification techniques of carbon nanotubes, Properties of carbon nanotubes: Optical, electrical, electronic, mechanical, thermal, and vibrational properties, Applications of carbon nanotubes in field emission, fuel cells, hydrogen storage, solar panels, bio-sensors, and gas sensors.

Unit IV: Graphene

Structure of graphene, Electrical and magnetic properties of graphene, Band structure of graphene, phonons and Raman modes in graphene, Graphene in solar cell, gas sensors, photo-catalytic activities applications.

Unit V: Nanoelectronics

Electronic devices based on nanostructures, MOSFET structures, Heterojunctions: Modulation-doped heterojunctions, SiGe strained heterostructures, Resonant tunneling,

MODFETs –Heterojunction bipolar transistors, Resonant tunnel effect, Resonant tunneling transistor, Single electron transistor, Molecular electronics.

Unit VI: Nanomaterials in Energy Technology

Nanomaterials for Photovoltaic solar energy conversion systems, Energy conversion systems, Energy storage (batteries) systems,

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%,  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. L.H. Madkour, Introduction to Nanotechnology (NT) and Nanomaterials (NMs) Chapter, Springer Publications, 2019 2. Handbook of Nanotechnology by Bharatbhushan, Springer Publications, 2010. 3. J.K. Klabunde, Nanoscale Materials in Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons Inc. 2001. 4. H.S. Nalwa, Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2004 5. Linden, Hand book of Batteries and fuel cells, Mc Graw Hill, 1984. 6. Hoogers, Fuel cell technology handbook. CRC Press, 2003. 7. G.A. Nazri and G. Pistoia, Lithium Batteries: Science and Technology, Kulwer Acdemic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands (2004).

Course Title: Advanced Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials Course Code: Phys 814 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 enhance knowledge about the various nanosynthesis techniques;  understand characterization techniques involved in nanomaterials;

 describe fundamental principles and operation of materials characterization instruments;  apply knowledge of the different synthesis techniques to prepare different types of materials.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  synthesize different types of nanomaterials;  analyze and interpret data;  use different techniques and skills to identify the structure and properties of nanostructured materials.

Course contents:

Unit I: Synthesis of Nanomaterials

Nanoparticles employing solid-state phase synthesis, ball milling, Sol-gel process, solution combustion technique, coprecipitation, microemulsions, hydrothermal, nanolayers by chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering, ion beam deposition, chemical bath deposition, lithography.

Unit II: Thermal Analysis

Thermogravimetric analysis: Instrumentation, Determination of weight loss and decomposition products, Differential thermal analysis, Differential scanning calorimetry: instrumentation, specific heat capacity measurements, determination of thermomechanical parameters.

Unit III: Structural and Crystallographic Characterization

X-ray diffraction, Low-energy electron diffraction, Reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: working principle and instrumentation, Data collection, processing and analysis.

Unit V: Electron Microscopy Techniques

Working principle & Instrumentation, Data collection, processing and analysis for Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive x-ray analysis and Transmission electron microscopy.

Unit VI: Optical Spectroscopy

Working principle & Instrumentation, Data collection, processing and analysis for Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy,

Unit VII: Magnetic Measurement Techniques

Vibrational sample magnetometer, Electron spine resonance spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometer, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Temperature and field dependent magnetic measurements using Physical Property Measurement System and SQUID: Working principle & Instrumentation, Data collection, processing and analysis.

Unit VIII: Electrical Measurements

Two probe and four probe methods, Van der Pauw method, cyclic voltammetry (CV) characteristics, Hall probe and measurement, Schottky barriers capacitance, electrochemical CV profiling.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions, Field teaching on how to collect data and for further refining the data collection protocols.

Mode of Assessment:

 Field report, oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%,  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References

1. C.N.R. Rao, A. Muller, A. K. Cheetham, the Chemistry of Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications, Wiley-VCH Verlag (2004). 2. L.D. ’Souza, Ryan Richards, Synthesis, properties, and applications of oxide nanomaterials, JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey (2007). 3. Schroder, D. K., Semiconductor material and device characterization. 4. Zhang, S., Li, L. and Kumar, A., Materials characterization techniques. 5. Wendlandt, W.W., Thermal Analysis, John Wiley & Sons (1986). 6. Wachtman, J.B., Kalman, Z.H., Characterization of Materials, Butterworth-Heinemann, (1993).

Course Title: Advanced Computational Methods in Materials Physics Course Code: Phys 816 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 make students to have thorough knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts and principles of computational techniques,  equip with skill of computation and apply the knowledge gain to describe the structure and properties of materials,  understand the density functional theory and its application to many body problems.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  explain modern computational approaches for solving many body problems,  explain the structural and electronic properties of bulk and low dimensional periodic systems,  describe the application of density functional techniques to investigate the structure and physical properties of materials.

Course contents: Unit I: Introduction Linux operating system, advantages and disadvantages of Linux operating system over windows, tools for latex writing, Win edit, Kile etc. revision of programming language, C++, Matlab, Fortran and python.

Unit II: Basic Algorithms

Random number generators; Metropolis rejection technique, Markov Chain, Application of Monte Carlo simulation of 2D Ising model, Limitations of Metropolis algorithm, Wang- Landau algorithm. Basics of computer simulation and Monte Carlo Simulations

Unit III: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Statistical Mechanics-Entropy and temperature-Ergodicity-Molecular dynamics simulation-Initialization-The force calculation-Integrating the equation of motion- Molecular dynamics

Unit IV: Curve Fitting

Error analysis, Importance of sampling, Evaluation of linear parameters, Weighted least square fitting, Binomial, poission, Normal distribution, Chi-square goodness of fit test, Random Spectral data analysis.

Unit V: Electronic Structure Methods

Modeling solids with DFT, Density of states and band structure, Modeling solids with DFT, Density of states and Band structure, Computational micro- mechanics Multiscale coupling. Application of Multiscale Modeling: Modeling dislocation behavior, Phase field modeling, Modeling of grain growth and microstructure in polycrystalline materials, Modeling of structural materials. Finite element method of determining the property of a nonmaterial.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions, Practical work.

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%

 Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. J.M. Thijssen, Computational Physics, Cambridge, 1999. 2. Tao Pang, An Introduction to computational phsyics, Cambridge 1997. 3. Rubin H. Landau and Manuel J P Mejia, Computational Physics: problem solving with computers, John Wiley, 1997. 4. Sarhan M. Musa, Computational Nanotechnology Modeling and Applications with MATLAB, CRC Press Taylor & Francis, 2012. 5. James B. Foresman, Aleen Frisch, Exploring Chemistry with Electronic Structure Methods, Second Edition, Gaussian, Inc.1995-96.

Course Title: Nanomagnetic Materials and Devices Course Code: Phys 822 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 provide physical explanation of transport phenomena involved in electron spins in magnetic resistance effects;  enhance knowledge about the various types of magnetic resistances;  understand the magneto-transport in nanoscale systems.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  identify different types of magnetoresistances;  describe factors affecting different types of magnetoresistances;  explain the applications of different types of magnetoresistances;

Course contents:

Unit I: Giant Magnetoresistance

Introduction to spintronics, magnetoresistance (MR) in normal metals, MR ratios, Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in ferromagnetic multi layers and superlattices, co-operative phenomena and magnetization reversal, applications in spin valve and read heads, comparison of GMR and anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), oscillation of coupling energy, non-coupling type GMR, current perpendicular to plane (CPP) and current in plane (CIP) GMR, GMR in nanograins, mechanism of GMR.

Unit II: Tunnel Magnetoresistance

Introduction to tunnel magneto resistance (TMR), ferromagnetic tunnel junctions, experiments for TMR, phenomenological theory of TMR, MR ratio and spin polarization, factors influencing TMR, MR ratio for Fe/MgO/Fe system, oscillations in TMR, tunnel junctions with manganites, Heusler alloys, nanoscale graunules, Coulomb blockade in tunnel junctions.

Unit III: Ballistic Magnetoresistance and Magnetic Nanostructures

Ballistic magneto resistance, conductance quantization in quantum confined semiconductors, metals. Anisotropic maneto resistance and applications, magnetism of nanoparticles, nanoclusters, nanowires, hard and soft magnetic materials and their applications, media for extremely high density recording, magnetic sensors, ferro fluids, spinglass- magnetic properties and electronic structure

Unit IV: Latest Developments and Applications

Essentials of crystal field theory, Exposure to Ligand field theory, Magnetic sensors, Magnetic multilayer, Magnetic recording media, Stoners model, Andersons model explaining electrical conduction of ferrites (Localized bands).

Unit V: Interdisciplinary Topics

Current magnetic materials research topics, Piezoelectric materials, Multiferroic materials, Pyroelectric materials

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions.

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. Derek craik, Magnetism: Principles and Applications, John Wiley & Sons LTD, 1995. 2. B.Viswanathan, Ferrite Materials: Science and Technology, Narosa Publishing, VRK Murthy house, 1990. 3. L.A.Shuvalov, Modern Crystallography, Berlin Helidelberg Springer, Verlag New York, 1981. 4. B.S.Saxena, P.N.Saxena, Fundamentals of Solid State Physics, Pragati Pragasam R.C.Gupta Meerut 18th edition, 2000. 5. D. Sellmyer, R. Skomsk, Advanced magnetic nanostructures, Springer, 2009. 6. M.A. Reed, Magnetic nanostructures, American Scientific Publishers, 2002.

Course Title: Physics of Semiconducting Materials and Devices Course Code: Phys 824 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 identify different types of band gaps;  acquire the knowledge of basic sciences required to understand the fundamentals of doping and degeneracy;  understand the underlying physical processes governing the working principles and applications of different types of semiconductor devices;

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  classify types of superconductors with their specific structure and properties;

 explain the applications of different types of semiconductor devises;  identify the principles and processing technology of semiconductor devises.

Course contents:

Unit I: Physical Mechanisms

Essential semiconductor physics concept of band gap, Electrical and optical band gaps; Direct and indirect bands in semiconductor, Degenerate and non-degenerate semiconductors.

Unit II: Doping and Degeneracy

Carrier concentration in intrinsic and doped materials; Fermi level, Carrier generation and recombination process.

Unit III: Semiconductor Continuity Equation

Recombination process, excitons, allowed, forbidden and phonon assisted optical transitions, Concept of photo conductivity, Band bending, Effect on bulk properties effective masses and their measurement, Carrier transport and carrier lifetime.

Unit IV: Effect of traps & Defects, Metal Semiconductor Contact

Effect of traps & defects: Diffusion and drift currents, Variation of mobility with temperature and impurities, Impurity profiling through capacitance measurement, unction capacitance, depletion layer formation.

Metal semiconductor contact: Semiconductor superlattices and heterostructures

Unit V: P-N Junction Diodes:

Zener diodes, Avalanche diodes, Junction field effect transistors (JFETs), FETs, Schottky barrier diodes, MOSFET.

Unit VI: Microwave and Photonic Devices

Microwave Devices: Tunnel diode, MIS tunnel diode, MIS switch diode, Transferred Electron Devices (TEDs), Photonic devices: LED, LASER diodes, Photo detectors, Solarcell.

Unit VII: Power, High Speed and High Frequency Devices

Power devices: Thyristors, Heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). High speed and high frequency devices: Hot electron injection transistors, Resonant tunnelling diodes, Single electron devices.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions.

Mode of Assessment:

 Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. Smith, Introduction to Semiconductors, John Wiley, 1962. 2. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, Wiley, 1969. 3. Singh, Semiconductor Devices Basic Principles, John Wiley, 2000. 4. Grove, Physics and Technology of Semiconductor Devices, Wiley, 1967. 5. Sharma, Metal/Semiconductor Schottky Barrier Junction and their Applications, Plenum Pub Corp, 1984. 6. Rhoderick and Williams, Metal-Semiconductor Contact, Oxford University Press, 1988.

Course Title: Glasses and Glass Ceramics Course Code: Phys 826 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

 acquire knowledge of the different synthesis techniques to prepare different types of materials;  understand characterization techniques involved in glass materials;  understand the types, structure, properties, and applications of amorphous glasses.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  synthesize different types of glass materials;  analyze and interpret data;  use different techniques and skills to identify the structure and properties of amorphous glass materials.

Course contents:

Unit I: Synthesis and Structure of Glasses

Fundamentals of amorphous solids, Amorphous solids vs crystalline solids, Glass preparation by quenching, roller quenching, melt spinning, ion & neutron irradiation, and pressure induced amorphization; Short-range order; Medium-range order; Structural relaxation;

Unit II: Types of Glasses

Soft and hard glasses, Chalcogenide glasses; Heavy metal fluoride glasses; Halide glasses; Metallic glasses; Oxynitride glasses; Oxide glasses: Silicate glasses, Borate glasses, Vanadium glasses, Germanate glasses, Tellurium glasses, Phosphate glasses.

Unit III: Properties of Glasses

Mechanical properties; Thermal properties; Thermal conductivity; Electrical Properties, dielectric properties; Optical properties.

Unit IV: Characterization and Applications of Glass Materials

Characterization of glasses by XRD, UV-vis optical spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy; Impendence spectroscopy, Applications of glass materials.

Unit V: Glass Ceramics

Concept of glass-ceramics, Properties and application of glass-ceramics. Glass ceramic composites.

Unit VI: Interdisciplinary Topics

Current glasses research topics, polymer glasses.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References

1. Richard Zallen, the physics of amorphous solids, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1983. 2. P. Boolchand Insulating and Semiconducting glasses, World Scientific Co. Pvt. Ltd., S.R. Elliot Singapore, 2000, 3. S.R. Elliot, physics of Amorphous Materials, Longman Group Ltd. 1983. 4. C. A. Angell, spectroscopy & structure of glasses.

Course Title: Advanced Polymer Physics Course Code: Phys 828 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:  understand why materials form amorphous rather than crystalline solids;  compare crystalline and amorphous solids in terms of their structure and properties;  acquire knowledge of polymerization and characterization techniques, understand characterization techniques involved in polymers;  understand the types, structure, properties, and applications of polymers.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Course contents:

Introduction to polymers; Classification of polymers; The physical state of polymers: Rubbery state, Kinetic theory of rubber elasticity; Glass transition temperature of polymers; Crystallinity in polymers: Degree of crystallinity, factors affecting crystallinity of polymers, effect of crystallinity on the properties of polymers; Thermal properties of polymers: Heat capacity of crystalline and non-crystalline polymers, Einstein theory, Debye theory; Thermal conductivity of crystalline and non-crystalline polymers, Thermal expansion of polymers; Conducting Polymers: Structural characteristics and doping concept, Charge carriers and conducting mechanism, Classification of conducting polymers: Intrinsic and extrinsic conducting polymers, Chemical and electrochemical methods of the synthesis of conducting polymers, Applications of conducting polymers in corrosion protection, sensors, electronic and electrochemical energy devices; Polymer Nanocomposites; Polymerization mechanisms; Characterization techniques; Polymer research problems; Current and promising polymer research topics.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. W.F. Billmeyer, Text Book of Polymer Science, 3rd Ed., John Wiley, 1994.

2. Alfred Ruiden, Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering, Elsevier Science, 1998, 3. Bill Meyer, A Text Book of Polymer Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, Singapore, 1994. 4. Gowariker and Viswanathan, Polymer Science, Wiley Eastern, 1986. 5. Nanostructured Conductive Polymers, Editor. Ali Eftekhari, Wiley, 2010. 6. Nanocomposites - Science and Technology - P. M. Ajayan, L.S. Schadler, P. V. Braun, Wiley-VCH, 2004.

Course Title: Magnetism and Superconductivity Course Code: Phys 832 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:  understand the principles related to magnetism and superconductivity,  provide knowledge of the important and current applications of superconducting and magnetic materials. Intended Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  discuss the fundamental principles of magnetism and superconductivity,  explain the fundamental properties of magnetic and superconducting materials,  discuss the applications of magnetic and superconducting materials.

Course contents:

Magnetism: Crystal-field effects, John-Teller effects, Adiabatic demagnetization, Molecular field theory of ferromagnetism, Heisenberg-exchange interaction, Superexchange, Ruderman-Kasuya and Yosida interaction, Series-expanison and Bethe- Peierls-Weiss methods, Spin Waves, Ginzburg-Landau theory of the ferromagnetism. Slater-Puling Curve, Shape, Magnetocrystalline and other types of anisotropy, Micromagnetics, Origin and observation of ferromag – neticdomins, Soft and hard magnetic materials, magnetic exchange bias, Different stages of magnetic ordering in alloys, Kondo,

43 spin-glass, cluster spinglass, inhomogeneous long-range characterization and the relevant theoretical concepts, Applications of bulk and thin film magnetic materials and multi layers, Dynamic Phenomena: Linear Response Theory: Magnetic response and relaxation, Generalized magnetic susceptibility, Kramers-Kronig relations.

Superconductivity: Basic properties of superconductors, Phenomenological thermodynamic treatment, Two fluid model, Magnetic behaviour of superconductors, intermediate state, London’s equations and penetration depth, quantized flux, Pippard’s non-local relation and coherence length, Ginzburg-Landau theory, Variation of the order parameter and the energy gap with magnetic field, Isotope effect, Energy gap and its measurement, Magnetization, Specific heat and thermal conductivity; electron-phonon interaction and cooper pairs, Brief discussion of the B.C.S. theory, its results and experimental verification; (p- and d- wave pairs). Tunneling in superconducting-insulator- normal and superconducting-insulator-superconducting sandwiches, practical details, Coherence of the electron-pair wave, Weak links, dc and ac Josephson effects, superconducting Quantum Interference Devices, Type II superconductivity, magnetization of type-II superconductors, mixed state, surface energy, specific heat, critical currents of type-II superconductors flux lattice, flux flow (creep), Superconducting materials (only qualitative description) conventional low temperature superconductors, High temperature superconductors, Applications of superconductor.

Interdisciplinary Topics: Coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism, Current research topics in superconductivity.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. A. H. Morrish, Physical Principles of Magnetism, R. E. Krieger Pub. Co., 1980.

2. S. Chikazumi, Physics of Magnetism, R. E. Krieger Pub. Co., 1978. 3. Wolfgang Nolting, AnupuruRamakanth: Quantum Theory of Magnetism, Springer, 2009. 4. R. M. White, Quantum Theory of Magnetism, Springer, 2007. 5. S. Dattagupta, Relaxation Phenomena in condensed matter, Academic Press, 1987. 6. M. Tinkham, Introduction to Superconductivity, McGraw Hill, 1996. 7. P. G. deGennes, Superconductivity of Metals and Alloys, Advanced Book Program, Perseus Books, 1999. 8. K. H. Bennemann, J. B. Ketterson: The Physics of Superconductors, Springer Verlag, 2003.

Course Title: Advanced Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion Course Code: Phys 834 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 acquire adequate knowledge on wind energy and photovoltaic devices;  gain exposure to the various applications of wind energy and photovoltaics;  understand working principles and applications of fuels cells, electrochemical capacitors and rechargeable batteries;  provide the basic principles for evaluation of fuels cells, electrochemical capacitors and rechargeable batteries performance.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  explain the working principles of photo voltaic cells;  acquire the knowledge of modern energy conversion technologies,  analyze electrochemical devices including battery, supercapacitor, and fuel cell;  identify materials used for fuel cells, rechargeable batteries and super capacitor.

Course contents:

Unit I: Wind Energy

Overview of wind energy conversion principles (ECS); Types and classification of WECS; Aerodynamic theories; Blade element and combine theory; Maximum power coefficient; Wind turbine design considerations; Wind pumps: Performance analysis, design concept and testing; Principle of WEG; Stand alone, grid connected and hybrid applications of WECS; Economics of wind energy utilization; Wind energy in Ethiopia.

Unit II: Solar Photovoltaic Energy Conversion

Overview of Intrinsic, extrinsic and compound semiconductor; Basic equations of semiconductor devices physics; Variation of efficiency with band‐gap and temperature; Efficiency measurements; High efficiency cells; Production of single crystal Silicon: Czokralski (CZ) and Float Zone (FZ) method: Procedure of masking, photolithography and etching; Design of a complete silicon, GaAs, InP solar cell; High efficiency Ill‐V, II‐VI multijunction solar cell; Si‐H based solar cells; CdTe/CdS and CuInGaSe2/CdS thin film solar cells, Quantum well solar cell, Thermophotovoltaics; PV system design process and optimization.

Unit III: Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion

Fuel Cells: Components, Working principles; Types: alkaline fuel cell, molten carbonate fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell, solid oxide fuel cell, polymer electrolyte fuel cell; Factors affecting fuel cells performance; Materials for fuel cells; Technological applications and challenges.

Electrochemical capacitors: Working principles; Types: Electric double layer capacitor, hybrid, pseudocapacitors, Supercapacitor parameters, Materials for supercapacitors: carbon materials, metal oxides, electrolytes, Technological applications and challenges,

Rechargeable electrochemical cells: Energy storage principle in Lead-acid batteries, Nickel Cadmium Batteries (Ni-Cd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, Application and challenges of Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries.

Lithium ion-batteries: Overview of lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion batteries), Components, Working principles parameters, Li-ion batteries, Role of individual components of Li-ion batteries: cathode, anode, electrolytes, separators, Current collectors; Applications and challenges of Li-ion batteries, Electrochemical methods of characterization: Cyclic voltammetry, Galvanostatic characterization.

Unit IV: Interdisciplinary Topics

Energy storage hybridization; Research topics in fuel cells & supercapacitors; Current Li-ion batteries research topics.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100% References:

1. G.L. Johnson Wind Energy Systems, Prentice Hall Inc, New Jersey, 1985. 2. Wind Turbines, Fundamentals, Technologies, Application and Economics, Erich Hau, Springer Verlag, 2000. 3. J. F. Manwell, J. G. McGowan, A. L. Rogers, Wind Energy Explained, John Wiley & Sons; 1st edition, 2002. 4. AL Fahrenbruch and RH Bube, Fundamentals of Solar Cells: PV Solar Energy Conversion, Academic Press, New York, 1983 5. RH Bube, Photovoltaic Materials, Imperial College Press, 1998 6. Da Rosa A.V., Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 2009. 7. Gholam Abbas nari, Lithium-ion Batteries: Science and Technology, springer, New York, 2009.

Course Title: Nanophotonics and Devises Course Code: Phys 836 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:

 provide physical explanation of light interaction at nanoscale;  understand the concepts of nanophotonics;  enhance knowledge about the various types of photonic crystals and devices;  understand the various aspects of nanotechnology for biophotonics.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  identify different types of photonic crystals and devices;  use different techniques and skills to identify the structure and properties of nanophotonic materials;  fabricate photonic crystals:  identify application of nanotechnology for biophotonics.

Course contents:

Unit-I: Introduction to photonics

Electromagnetic properties of nanostructures, Wavelength and dispersion laws, Density of states. Maxewells and Helmholtz equations, Photonic band-structure and photonic band gap, Propagation of light in periodic media. Band structure in periodic media.

Unit-II: Photonic Crystals

Fabrication of photonic crystals: Photonic crystals by self-assembly, Photonic crystals by microfabrication, Photonic crystals with tunable properties, Harmonic generation in photonic nanostructures: Metal nanoparticles, Nanoparticles in monolayer, planar photonics structures, photonic crystals.

Unit III: Photonic Devices

Metal semiconductor contacts, space charge region, schottky effect, ohmic contact, Basic microwave technology, tunnel diode, impatt diodes, transferred electron devices, quantum effect devices, light emitting diodes, basics of solar cells, lasers and quantumwell lasers, VCSEL, Plasmons.

Unit-IV: Nanotechnology for Biophotonics

Overview of biophotonics, the interface of bioscience, Semiconductor quantum dots for bioimaging, Metallic nanoparticles and nanorods for Biosensing, Up-converting nanophores, Inorganic nanoparticles, Pebble nanosensors for Invitro Bioanalysis, Nanoclinics for optical diagnostics and Targeted therapy.

Unit V: Interdisciplinary Topics

Current research topics nanophotonic materials, applications of nanophotonic materials.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Presentations and Discussions

Mode of Assessment:  Oral presentation, classroom discussion: 20-30%,  Assignments, quizzes, and mid-semester exam: 40-50%  Final examination: 30-40%. Total: 100%

References:

1. Sergey V. Gaponenko, Introduction to Nanophotonics, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2010. 2. C. Sibilia, T. M. Benson, M. Marciniak, T.Szoplik, Photonic crystals: Physics and Technology, (Eds.), 2008. 3. John D. Joannopoulos, Steven G. Johnson, Joshua N. Winn, Robert D. Meade, Photonic Crystals (2nd edition), Princeton University Press, 2008. 4. Paras N. Prasad,Introduction to Biophotonics, John Wiley and Sons, New Jersey, 2003.

Course Title: Independent Self Study Course Code: Phys 812 Credit Hour: 3 (0-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Objectives: at the end of the course, student will be able to:  develop identifying of the recent research topics in materials physics discipline,  develop a skill for independent thinking,  understand variety phases of scientific research report writing,  develop an understanding of conducting applied research.

Intended Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:  apply the knowledge in scientific writing and research methodology and use this knowledge to conduct research work related to materials physics discipline,  apply the knowledge in data collection and data analyses;  apply the knowledge in writing as well as interpretation of scientific findings, and produce a report.

Course Description:

The course is a full research activity which can be the experimental, theoretical or computational work on a specific scientific topic related to the field of research. The student will choose the topic in consultation with his/her supervioser. A report needs to be submitted and presented and the format of the report should include the following contents; title of the topic, abstract, background, literature review, materials and methods, results and discussion, summary, and references. This course will need to be completed before the students will start second year second semester courses.

Mode of Delivery: Lectures; Independent work; Regular follow up and interactions; Presentations, and Discussions.

Mode of assessment:

 Abstract: 5-10%

 Objectives: 5-10%  Statement of the problem: 5-10%  Literature review: 10-15%  Materials and Methods: 15-20%  Result and Discussion: 20-30%  Conclusion: 5-10%  Oral presentation: 20-30% Total: 100%

Course Title: Selected Topics in Materials Physics Course Code: Phys 926 Credit Hour: 3 (3-0-3) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Description: This course is designed to include those courses in the intended area of specialization of the students which are not included under the list of elective courses.

Course Title: Seminar I Course Code: Phys 818 Credit Hour: 1 (0-0-1) Pre-requisite Course: None

Course Description: This course focuses on the student’s seminars on the current topics in experimental, computational or theoretical work related to materials physics through which students develop their communication skills in scientific writing, literature search and organization of a scientific paper. At the end of the semester, the students will give a presentation and they will be evaluated on the basis of the existing SGS guidelines.

Course Title: Seminar II Course Code: Phys 819 Credit Hour: 2 (0-0-2) Pre-requisite Course: Phys 818

Course Description: Seminars prepared, presented, and defended on current topics in his/her area of specialization through which students develop their communication skills in scientific writing and literature search; organization of a scientific paper. The students will be evaluated on the basis of the existing SGS guidelines.

Course Title: PhD Dissertation Course Code: Phys 911 Credit Hour: 12 (0-0-12) Pre-requisite Course: All compulsory and required elective courses

Course Description: Conducting scientific research in the field of materials physics and writing up an independent- standard dissertation. The research is expected to deal with the experimental, computation, or theoretical work related to materials physics.

14. References

1. Adama Science and Technology, Ethiopia 2. Hawassa University, Ethiopia 3. Pondicherry University, India 4. Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad 5. University of Trento, Italy 6. National University of Singapore, Singapore 7. Tezpur University, India