People - Faculty - Robert J. Lad
Robert J. Lad
Professor of Physics
- 1980 B.S., Northwestern University
- 1986 Ph.D., Cornell University
Director of the Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology
Office: 265 ESRB (Barrows Hall)
Phone #: (207)581-2257
EMail Link: rjlad@maine.edu
Research Interests:
- Surface and Interface Properties of Materials
- Synthesis and Processing of Ceramic and Semiconducting Thin Films
- Electronic Properties of Materials;
- Thin Film Sensor Materials
- Metal-Ceramic and Ceramic-Ceramic Interfaces
- Defect Microstructure of Surfaces
- Scanning Probe Microscopy
- Tribology of Hard Coatings
- Reactivity and Degradation of Ceramic Surfaces
- Chemical Sensors
- Biosensors
Robert J. Lad is a Professor of Physics and the Director of the Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology at the University of Maine. His research focuses on the broad area of surface, interfacial, and thing film properties of ceramic and semi-conductor materials. Recent topics include synthesis of oxide and thin film properties of ceramic and semiconductor materials. Recent topics include synthesis of oxide and nitride films using ion-assisted molecular beam epitaxy techniques; characterization of electronic and chemical behavior of thin films for sensor applications; structure, adhesion and stability of metal/oxide and oxide/oxide interfaces; and friction, wear, and nano-mechanical response of thin film systems.
His laboratory contains a multi-million dollar Thin Film Synthesis, Processing & Characterization facility that is equipped with instrumentation including plasma-based thin film deposition, x-ray and uv photoelectron spectroscopies, electron diffraction, scanned probe microscopies, and Hall effect measurements of sensor devices.
He has authored or co-authored over 60 journal publications and review articles, presented over 90 invited and contributed lectures at scientific meetings, and has received more than 25 grants from agencies, including ONR, DARPA, DOE, NSF, NASA, AFOSR, and several industries, to support his research programs. Prof. Lad has advised 11 graduate student theses, and has directed research for 6 postdocs and over 35 undergraduates. He is a member of the Materials Research Society, American Vacuum Society, American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Prof. Lad received his B.S. degree in materials Engineering from Northwestern University in 1980, and Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Cornell University in 1986 working on high temperature gaseous corrosion of metallic alloys. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maine in 1988, he was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Applied Physics at Yale University, where he studied the surface science of metal oxides, and at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory where he performed photoemission studies of the electronic structure of oxide materials.
Recent Publications:
"Diffraction Studies of Cubic Phase Stabillity in Undoped Zirconia Thin Films," S.C. Moulzolf and R.J. Lad, Journal of Materials Research 15, 369 (2000).
"Interaction of Organophosphorous Compounds with TiO2 and WO3 Surfaces Probed by Vibrational Spectroscopy", Chung Kim, R.J. Lad, and C.P. Tripp, Sensors and Actuators B 76, 441 (2001).
"Stoichiometry and Microstructure Effects on Tungsten Oxide Chemiresistive Films", S.C. Moulzolf, S.A. Ding, and R.J. Lad, Sensors and Actuators B 77, 375 (2001).
"Detection and Quantification of Nitric Oxide in Human Breath using a Semiconducting Metal Oxide Based Chemiresistive Microsensor", B. Fruhberger, N. Stirling, F.G. Grillo, S. Ma, D. Ruthven, R.J. Lad, B.G. Frederick, Sensors and Actuators B. 77, 226 (2001).
"Performance of Zr and Ti Adhesion Layers for Bonding of Platinum Metallization to Sapphire Substrates", G. Bernhardt, S. Silvestre, N. LeCursi, S.C. Moulzolf, D.J. Frankel, and R.J. Lad, Sensors and Actuators B 77, 368 (2001).
"Aggregation and Sticking Probability of Gold on Tungsten Trioxide Films", L.J. LeGore, R.J. Lad, J.F. Vetelino, B.G. Frederick, and E.A. Kenik, Sensors and Actuators B 76, 373,(2001).
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