Browsing by Author "Michael Paesler, Committee Member"

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    Alignment of Silicon wafers for 3D Packaging
    (2007-07-27) Walker, Ernest Marshall; Hans D. Hallen, Committee Chair; Michael Paesler, Committee Member; Laura I. Clarke, Committee Member
    Wafer level self-alignment is investigated with a Self assembled monolayer (SAM) deposition, SAM termination modification, friction dry and capillary alignment forces. SAMs are deposited on oxide layer, and characterized by ellipsometry and contact angle. Vinyl-terminated SAMs are oxidized to carboxyl-termination, which changes the wetting characteristics. Measurements for characterizing the layers are presented. The relative surface energies can also be estimated. From these characteristics it will be shown how surface energy is modified for the purpose of generating surface energy gradients in use with a self-alignment process. Self-alignment is observed using capillary forces, and exhibits a reasonable capture range. The self-alignment masks are used to increase this force and will be discussed.
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    Electronic Structure Calculations of Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 Superlattices for Thermoelectric Applications
    (2009-11-13) Krishnan, Mandayam Gomatam; Wengchang Lu, Committee Member; Marco Buongiorno Nardelli, Committee Member; Mark Johnson, Committee Member; Michael Paesler, Committee Member
    The electronic structure of Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3/BiSbTe3 in quintuple layers is calculated at the atomic level for applications in thermo electric applications of micro refrigeration and power generation. The trigonal lattice structure is used for these combinations of materials in bulk and the hexagonal lattice approximation is used for quintuple layers of these materials (Te1- Bi-Te2-Bi-Te1) for super-lattice structures. Electronic Structure Calculations on various combinations of alternating quintuple layers (1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1:3, 3:1, 1:4, 2:3, 3:2) are made using Local Density Approximations (LDA) for band gaps and charge distributions and the results compare well with other published methods such as Linearized Augmented Plane Waves (LAPW) used as a reference. The results for (2:1, 1:3, 3:1, 1:4, 2:3, 3:2) super lattices are new for this work without any references.
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    Physics Instructors Are Not Blank Slates Either: An Exploratory Study of Introductory Physics Instruction
    (2009-07-22) Mitchell, Willyetta Adele; John Hubisz, Committee Member; Michael Paesler, Committee Member; Len Annetta, Committee Co-Chair; John Penick, Committee Co-Chair
    The purpose of the study was to investigate the views of the nature of science and the classroom practices of instructors who teach introductory physics at a research intensive university. A study of this nature is necessary because calls to change how science is taught have been made since the 1800’s, yet the methods of instruction have remained virtually unchanged. The disconnect between how science is taught and how students learn science can be remedied by effective professional development at the university. However, training on the change process is virtually nonexistent in teacher education programs and in teacher professional development workshops at all levels. The Views About Science Survey (VASS) was first administered to a sample of twenty-nine physics instructors and graduate assistants who have taught introductory physics courses within the last five years. To assess instructional practices in introductory physics at a research extensive university, a purposeful, stratified sample of 56 classes was observed. The interactions between the students and teachers were analyzed using the Flanders Interaction Analysis. The findings suggest that the physics instructors hold a mixed view of the nature of science. The instructors’ views do not necessarily indicate how they teach physics. The results also showed that the professors reported that they use elements of effective teaching practices throughout their instruction. The results of the classroom observations revealed that non interactive lecture is the dominate instructional method used. The Flanders' confirms that the majority of the class time is spent with the teacher talking and the student passively listening.