9713602 Agarwal Description: This award is for the US-India Cooperative Research: Laser and Plasma Deposition and Adhesion of Diamond and Diamond Like Films. The collaboration in materials science is under the direction of Jagdish Narayan, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh and S.C. Agrawal, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. The investigators will examine the structural and electronic characteristics of diamond and diamond like films using laser and plasma processing techniques. Complimentary research will be conducted by researchers at the IIT, Kanpur. Additional research will be done to improve the adhesion of the films by employing electron donating elements to stabilize SP3 bonding. Scope: Diamond and diamond like films constitute a very useful class of advanced materials with applications ranging from corrosion and erosion resistant protective coatings to advanced microelectronics and display devices. This research contributes to fundamental knowledge about the basic physics of these films. The NCSU group headed by Narayan is a world-leader in this area; the IIT group has complimentary expertise in the electronic properties of thin films. The scientific results will be published in the public domain. This research will provide training for graduate students in advanced materials, nonequilibrium phenomena, and advanced materials characterization. This new collaboration supports INT objectives. ***
