Prof. Pankaj Srivastava

Fields of Research Interest:

(i) Surface-interface and electronic structure studies of dielectric-semiconductor systems, metal nanocomposites and functional oxides.

(ii) Electronic structure and magnetic properties of nano-composites

Recent Research Activities:

1- Study of semiconductor-insulator surfaces and interfaces

· This work focuses on the studies of silicon nitride based dielectrics on silicon and various passivants (CdTe, ZnS etc.) on Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT).

· For silicon nitride based dielectrics, various studies with a target to modify various properties of these dielectrics to suit the device requirement were carried out. On passivants-MCT systems, a detailed work focusing on the composition of various passivants and their interface with MCT is carried out. Very import issues like Hg out-diffusion, which in turn changes the band gap of these materials resulting in drastic changes in the device properties are addressed.

· We are also growing silicon nanostructures in silicon nitride matrix. By controlling the size and distribution of these nanostructures, the optical properties of the system can be tailored. Therefore, these studies are very much relevant for developing optoelectronic devices.

2- Understanding origin of ferromagnetism in oxides through electronic structure studies

· We are studying different oxides, especially ZnO (undoped and doped), using X-ray Absorption and Photoemission to understand their electronic structure. The outcome of these studies is being correlated with the magnetic properties of oxides.

3- Electronic structure of metal nanocomposites embedded in dielectric matrix

• We are carrying out photoemission and X-ray absorption studies on metal nanocomposites for optimizing their field emission properties and magnetic storage.