Dr. Atwater has been selected as Presidential Young Investigator. He is active in fundamental research on the use of ion beam techniques to study semiconducting materials. In the research program for the National Science Foundation he will pursue studies to include the following: (1) study of the interaction of a ion beam collision cascade with interfaces, (2) study of motion of interfaces in semiconductor, metal, and alloy thin films as a function of ion beam cascade density, (3) measurement and computer simulation (using molecular dynamics techniques) of grain growth during cascade events, (4) study of stability and crystal/amorphous phase transformations as a function of critical ion flux and temperature for silicon, (5) study of critical conditions for homogeneous nucleation of the amorphous phase for silicon/vapor interfaces. The research in this grant will have an impact on electronics and opto-electronic technology. The interactions with industry which are inherent with Presidential Young investigator grants will have implications for national competitiveness in this critical technology.
