Undergraduate Research
Group Alumnus, Dane Wheeler
2003 Winner of the Intel Student Research Contest
Professor Hall has directed more than twenty undergraduate student research projects. Kevin Payne, one of three students that Dr. Hall directed in 2007, won first place in the Notre Dame undergraduate research symposium with his project titled "Thermal Impedance Measurements of Laser Diodes." In 2003, Dane Wheeler won first place in Intel's nation-wide student research contest. We encourage you to join the team and begin excelling in research early in your academic career. Students directed by Dr. Hall have gone on to excellent graduate schools such as Yale, Stanford, UCSB, and Notre Dame.
Student Projects
"Audio Technology Curriculum Development," Mark Wurzelbacher, Summer 2010(supported by $5,000 summer research grant from the Notre Dame Reilly Program), Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Summer 2011.
"Waveguide material and structure development and optimization," Benjamin Andersen, Summer 2011.
"Post-implantation annealing optimization of structures for use in Erbium Doped Waveguide Amplifiers," Eric Nolan, Summer 2011.
"Development of advanced holography laboratory and outreach program", Andrew Velzen, Spring 2011. Paid undergraduate research assistantship.
REU project advisor, Summer 2010: Benjamin Andersen, John Plunkett.
REU project advisor, Summer 2009: Mark Pomerenke, James R. Irving, Odaro Omusi, and Tom Enzweiler.
"Angle lapping for preparation of samples for scanning electron microscopy studies of sidewall roughness and oxidation smoothing," Odaro Omusi, Fall 2009.
"Oxygen Enhanced Wet Thermal Oxidation of GaAs",” Riley Fenlon, Fall 2008-Spring 2009.
"“Double Trench Laser Process,” W. H. (Hank) G. Dettlaff, Undergrad research project approved in liu of Senior Design", Fall 2008-Spring 2009.
"Semiconductor optoelectronic device packaging and characterization," W. H. (Hank) G. Dettlaff, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project, Summer 2008.
"Optimization of photoluminescence characterization system for characterizing InAlP native oxide MOS interface quality," Riley Fenlon, Spring 2008.
"Implementation of dicing and bonding capability for heat sinking of semiconductor diode lasers," John Garro, Spring 2008. Paid undergraduate research assistantship.
"Photoluminescence characterization of GaAs native oxide/GaAs interfaces," Jared Bauters, Spring 2008. Paid undergraduate research assistantship.
"Development of diamond saw laser diode bar dicing capability," Kevin Payne, Fall 2007.
"Leakage Current and Capacitance-Voltage Studies of O2-enhanced Nonselective GaAs Oxide Capacitors," Jared Bauters, Fall 2007.
"Investigation of Wet-Thermal Native Oxides Grown on GaAs," Jared Bauters, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project, Summer 2007.
"Growing Native Oxide on GaAs through the Controlled Addition of Oxygen: A New Method to Oxidize Gallium Arsenide," Jared Bauters, Spring 2007.
"Laser Diode Thermal Impedance Measurements," Kevin Payne, Spring 2007. First place winner in Department of Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Research Symposium, May 3, 2007.
"Laser Diode Beam Analysis," Jason Kulick, Spring-Summer 2007.
"Development of Laser Diode Die Bonding Capability," Jason Stoller, Fall 2006. Paid undergraduate research assistantship.
"High-Index-Contrast Visible Laser Diode Fabrication and Characterization," Jeffery Hennig, Fall 2005-Spring 2006. Participated in Student Poster Competition at the 2006 ASEE Illinois-Indiana and North Central Joint Section Conference, Fort Wayne, Indiana (March 2006).
"Theological exploration of engineering as vocation," Joshua Benz, Joseph Nava and Joshua Henderson, Fall 2004.
"Kinetics of oxygen-enhanced wet thermal oxidation of low-Al content AlGaAs," Sean Weller, Summer 2004-Spring 2005.
"Design and Fabrication of Optical Logic Gates in Silicon," Dane Wheeler, Fall 2002-Spring 2003. Work supported by Mr. Wheeler's Intel Student Research Award. Project received FIRST PLACE prize($5,000) in Intel Student Research Contest (Santa Clara, CA, April 2003).
"Native-oxide-confined semiconductor laser diode fabrication and characterization," Patrick B. Shea, Fall 2001-Spring 2002.
"Development of deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) system for characterization of electrical traps in semiconductors," J. Randall Eubanks, Summer 2000, Fall 2000, Spring 2001.
"Evaluation of MSI Electronics mercury probe for IV and CV measurements on oxide films," Jeffrey T. Steedle, Spring 2000.
"III-V compound semiconductor native oxide refractive index variations with structure and chemical composition," Lezlie Potter (now graduate student at Stanford U.), Fall 1998.
"III-V compound semiconductor oxidation studies: the feasibility of a residual gas analysis (RGA) monitoring system and lateral oxidation from diamond-scribed microcracks," Ryan Epstein (now graduate student at UCSB), Spring 1998.
"Atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization of surface roughness of III-V native oxides and study of the sensitivity of ellipsometry to substrate index variations," Julie Streb, Fall 1996.
"Prism coupling studies of hygroscopic behavior in III-V compound semiconductor native oxides," Ryan Epstein (now graduate student at UCSB), Fall 1996-Spring 1997.
"Design and implementation of III-V compound semiconductor oxidation system," Brendan Gaffey (Ph.D. earned from Yale U., 1999), Fall 1994-Spring 1995.