Darrell Schlom - Thin-Film Alchemy: Using Strain and Dimensionality to Unleash the Hidden Properties of Oxides

Department of Materials Science and Engineering and
Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science

Cornell University

Abstract: Guided by theory, unparalleled properties—those of hidden ground states—are being unleashed by exploiting large strains in concert with the ability to precisely control dimensionality in epitaxial oxide heterostructures.  For example, materials that are not ferroelectric or ferromagnetic in their unstrained state can be transmuted into ferroelectrics, ferromagnets, or materials that are both at the same time.  Similarly, new tunable dielectrics with unparalleled performance have been created.  Results of fundamental scientific importance as well as revealing the tremendous potential of utilizing multicomponent oxide thin films to create devices with enhanced performance will be shown.

Bio: Darrell Schlom is the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University.  After receiving a B.S. degree from Caltech, he did graduate work at Stanford University receiving an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.  He was then a post-doc at IBM’s research lab in Zurich, Switzerland in the oxide superconductors and novel materials group managed by Nobel Prize winners J. Georg Bednorz and K. Alex Müller.  He has received various awards including an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship and the MRS Medal.  He has published over 500 papers and 8 patents resulting in an h-index of 68 and over 21,000 citations.  He is a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Materials Research Society.