Joy Lee

Having received her diploma in materials science at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), Joy Lee is pursuing her Ph.D. in the field of materials science and engineering under the guidance of Professor Jiyoung Kim.

With the rise of power devices and the push toward high power density integrated circuits, thermal management has been a much more prominent and vital area of research. Excellent thermal management can not only extend the lifetime of devices, but also promote more efficient and more predictable performance from each device.

Characterization of the thermal conductivities of device stacks and investigation of thermally conductive materials at the nano scale can suggest improvements to the existing thermal management system for next-generation devices.

Joy is currently investigating improvements to the low temperature synthesis and characterization of the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) growth of highly crystalline graphite films on metal catalysts. Systematic study of the graphite film thickness, quality, and stacking behavior provides insight into the plasma growth mechanism at low temperatures and outlines factors that prove crucial for high quality plasma-enhanced growths.

To aid in this study, a custom-built inductively coupled plasma (ICP) UHV (low 10-8 Torr) system has been fashioned, boasting a maximum temperature of 800°C and a unique internal mechanism to deliver both (PE)CVD and (PE)ALD (atomic layer deposition) capabilities.