Peter D. Persans

Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy
and Center for Integrated Electronics

Associate Department Head, Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, NY 12180-3590
  Telephone: 518-276-2934
FAX: 518-276-6680
email: persap(at)rpi.edu
web:http//www.rpi.edu/~persap

Office: Science Center, Room 1C10

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Course Information and Schedule - Spring 2011

Spring 2011

PHYS 1200 - Physics 2 resource site- also go to RPI LMS (registration required)

PHYS 1250 – Honors Physics 2 resource site

Physics Advising – Presentations

Finding Your Way Through Physics at Rensselaer

Preparation for Graduate School and the Physics GRE

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Education and Employment

BS Physics -1975 -Polytechnic Institute of New York
PhD Physics -1982 -University of Chicago (Thesis advisor: H. Fritzsche)
Research Physicist -Exxon Corporate Research (1981-1986)
Physics Faculty -Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1986-present)

Research interests and expertise:

• Optoelectronic and structural properties of amorphous, nanocrystalline, and quantum dot materials
• Optoelectronic devices and solar cells
• X-ray optics and interface roughness
• Waveguide optical interconnects

Selected Publications: (for a full publication list click here)

• H. Fritzsche, C.C. Tsai and P. Persans, “Amorphous Semiconducting Silicon‑Hydride Alloys", Solid State Technology 21, 55 (1978).
• E.A. Schiff, P. Persans, H. Fritzsche and V. Akopyan, "A Doping‑Precipitated Morphology in Plasma Deposited a‑Si:H", Appl. Phys. Lett. 38, 92 (1981).
• P. Persans, "Dual Beam Photoconductivity Modulation Spectroscopy in a‑Si:H", Philosophical Magazine B46, 435‑471 (1982).
• T. Tiedje, B. Abeles, P. Persans, G. Cody and B. Brooks, "Bandgap and Resistivity of Amorphous Semiconductor Superlattices”, J. Non‑Cryst. Solids 66, 345 (1984).
• P. Persans, A. Ruppert, S. Chan and G. Cody, "Relationship Between Bond Angle Disorder and the Optical Edge of a‑Ge:H", Solid State Commun. 51, 203 (1984).
• P. Persans, A.F. Ruppert, B. Abeles and T. Tiedje, "Raman Scattering Study of Amorphous Si‑Ge Interfaces", Phys. Rev. B32, 5558 (1985).
• B. Abeles, P. Persans, L. Yang, H. Stasiewski and W. Lanford, "Infrared Spectroscopy of Interfaces in Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon/Silicon Nitride Superlattices", Appl. Phys. Lett. 48, 168 (1986).
• P.D. Persans, "Vibrational Raman Studies of Amorphous Solid Interfaces," Phys. Rev. B 39 1797 (1989)
• P.D. Persans, A. Ruppert, Y.-J. Wu, B. Abeles, W. Lanford and V. Pantojas, "Stability of Tetrahedrally-Bonded Amorphous Semiconductor Multilayers," J. Non-Cryst. Sol. 114 771 (1989).
• P.D. Persans, A.F. Ruppert, V. Pantojas, B. Abeles, K. Liang, G. Hughes, "Interface roughness and x-ray reflectivity of amorphous semiconductor multilayers," Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 192 225 (1990)
• G. Dalakos, J. Plawsky, and P. D. Persans, "Topographic evolution during deposition of plasma-deposited hydrogenated silicon on glass", Phys Rev B 72 205305 (2005).

• George T. Dalakos, Joel L. Plawsky, Peter D. Persans, "Suppressed surface morphology instabilities in amorphous hydrogenated silicon deposition", Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 3462 (2004).

• G. Dalakos et al., "Surface roughness and structural aspects of anodic and cathodic plasma deposited a-Si:H at low-temperature" J. Non-Cryst. Sol.,349 285 (2004).
• GT Dalakos, JL Plawsky, PD Persans, "Smoothing of rough a-Si : H surfaces by ion-assisted deposition and sputter erosion" , Materials Letters 60 15-18 (2006)

Quantum Dots and Nanostructures

• P. Persans, A.F. Ruppert and B. Abeles, "Crystallization Kinetics of Amorphous Si/SiO₂ Superlattice Structures", J. of Non‑Cryst. Solids 102, 130 (1988).
• P.D. Persans, A. Tu, Y.J. Wu and M. Lewis, ”Size-distribution dependent optical properties of CdSSe nanocrystals”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 6, 818 (1989)
• P.D. Persans, E. Lu, A.F. Ruppert, G. Wagoner, and J. Haus, "Particle shape effects on optical absorption in semiconductor colloids," in Physical Phenomena in Granular Materials, eds. P. Sheng, G. Cody and T. Geballe, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 195 591 (1990)
• A.Tu and P. Persans, “Raman scattering as a probe of composition in II-VI ternary semiconductor-glass composites,” Appl. Phys. Lett., 58, 1506 (1991)
• H Yükselici, P D Persans, T M Hayes, "Optical studies of the growth of Cd1-xZnxS nanocrystals in borosilicate glass", Phys Rev B, 52, 11763 (1995).

• K L Stokes and P D Persans, "Excited states and size-dependent electro-optical properties of CdSSe quantum dots," Phys. Rev. B, 54, 1892 (1996).
• E B Stokes, P D Persans, and K L Stokes, "Superlinear energy dependence of photoluminescence from Cd(S, Se) nanocrystallites in glass", Proc. Electrochemical Society, 95-17, (1996).
• J Schroeder and P D Persans, "Spectroscopy of II-VI nanocrystals at high pressure and high temperature" (A review article), J. Lumin., 70, 69-84, (1996).
• P D Persans, P W Deelman, K L Stokes, L J Schowalter, A Byrne, T Thundat, "Optical studies of Ge islanding on Si(111)", Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 472 (1997).
• P D Persans and K L Stokes, "Embedded Nanocrystal Spectroscopy" in Handbook of Nanophase Materials ed. A. Goldstein, (Marcel Dekker, New York), 1997.
• G Wagoner, E Van Wagenen, G Korenowski, P D Persans, "Second harmonic generation in MoS2", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 15, 1017, (1998).
• T M Hayes, P D Persans, L B Lurio, J Pant,   "Growth and dissolution of CdS nanoparticles in glass," Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 6 (1999) 495.
• P D Persans, L B Lurio, J Pant, H Yükselici, G D Lian, and T M Hayes,  "Combining x-ray and optical spectroscopies in the study of dilute semiconductor nanoparticle composites," J Appl Phys 87 3850 (2000)
• P D Persans, L B Lurio, J Pant, G D Lian, T M Hayes, "Zn incorporation in CdS nanoparticles in glass," Phys Rev B  63 115320 (2001)
• T M Hayes, L B Lurio, J Pant, and P D Persans, "Order in CdS Nanoparticles in Glass", Sol State Commun 117 627 (2001)
• T. M. Hayes, L. B. Lurio, J. Pant, P. D. Persans, “Stability of CdS nanocrystals in glass”, Phys. Rev. B 63 155417 (2001).
• P. D. Persans, T. M. Hayes, and L. B. Lurio, "Size-dependent composition of semiconductor nanoparticles in glass", J. Non-Crys. Sol. 349 315 (2004).
• A. Filin, K. Babocsi, M. Schmitt, P. D. Persans, V. D. Kulakovskii, and W. Kiefer, “Exciton spin dephasing in CdSe nanocrystals embedded in glass”, Phys Rev B 73 125322 (2006).
• P D Persans, A. Filin, N. E. Berry, F. Huang, and E. Chan, " Exciton Lifetime in PbS Quantum Dots in Glass", Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., 974E, p.0974-CC06-01 (2006).

Thin Films, and Interfaces

• A. Jain, J. L. Plawsky, S. Ponoth, S. Rogojevic, N. Agarwal, W.N. Gill, P. Persans, "Porous Materials as Low-k Dielectrics for Electronic and Optical Interconnects", Thin Solid Films 398, 513 (2001).
• N. Agarwal, S. Ponoth, J. Plawsky, P. D. Persans, “Roughness evolution in polyimide films due to plasma etching”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 2294 (2001).
• S. Ponoth, N. Agarwal, P. Persans, and J. Plawsky, “PECVD Silicon Oxide-Aerogel and Polymer-Aerogel Optical Waveguides”, in Microphotonics – Materials, Physics and Applications, (Materials Research Society Proceedings Vol. 637, 2001).
• N. Agarwal, Ponoth, S; Plawsky, J; Persans, PD , “Optimized oxygen plasma etching of polyimide films for low loss optical waveguides”, J Vac Sci and Tech A, Vol. 20, 1587, (2002).
• P. D. Persans, N. Agarwal, S. Ponoth, J. Plawsky, “High-k Dielectrics: Waveguide and packaging applications”, in “Interlayer Dielectrics for Semiconductor Technologies”, ed. Shyam P. Murarka, Moshe Eizenberg, and Ashok K. Sinha, (Academic Press, San Diego))
• P. D. Persans, R. Ghoshal, S. Ponoth, J. Plawsky, N. Agarwal, A. Filin, Q.-Z. Fang, “Siloxane-based polymer epoxies for optical waveguides”, in Applications of Photonic Technology 6, ed. R. Lessard and G. Lampropoulos, SPIE Vol. 5260, 331 (2003).
• S. Ponoth, N. T. Agarwal, P. D. Persans, and J. L. Plawsky, "Fabrication of controlled sidewall angles in thin films using isotropic etches", J. Vac. Soc. Tech. B 21, 1240, (2003)
• B. N. Tran, J. C. Joseph, J. P. Ferris, P. D. Persans, “Simulation of Titan Haze Formation using a Photochemical Flow Reactor: Optical Constants of the Polymer”, Icarus 165, 379 (2003).
• Ponoth, S.S.; Agarwal, N.T.; Persans, P.D.; Plawsky, J.L., "Fabrication of micromirrors with self-aligned metallization using silicon back-end-of-the-line processes", Thin Solid Films, 472, 169-79 (2005).
• R. Castelli, P.D. Persans, W. Strohmayer, V. Parkinson, "Optical Reflection Spectroscopy of Thick Corrosion Layers on 304 Stainless Steel ", Corrosion Science, 49, 4396-4414 (2007).
• B. N. Tran, Michael Force, Robert Briggs, James Ferris, Peter Persans, John Chera, Titan's "Atmospheric Chemistry: Photolysis of gas mixtures containing hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide at 185 and 254 nm", Icarus, 193 224-232 (2008).
• "Light Emitting Diode Development on Polar and Non-Polar GaN Substrates," C. Wetzel, M. Zhu, J. Senawiratne, T. Detchprohm, P.D. Persans, L. Liu, E. A. Preble, and D. Hanser, J. Cryst. Growth 310, 3987-91 (2008)
• “Determination of the Complex Refractive Indices of Titan Haze Analogs using Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy”, Véronique Vuitton, Buu N. Tran, Peter D. Persans and James P. Ferris^, Icarus (2009)

Memberships and activities:

American Physical Society
Materials Research Society
New York State Section of the American Physical Society
Optical Society of America

Other interesting sites:

The Smalbanac - a useful guide to the Capital District

Metroland - a free weekly focused on local entertainment but with good political coverage