845 W. Taylor St.
MC 273
Room 2360SES
Chicago, IL 60607
The Microphysics Laboratory (MPL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is currently the only university laboratory in the U.S. performing fundamental research on mercury cadmium telluride (MCT), grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). It has been involved in this field since its inception in the early 1980s. It is a center for basic and applied physics research with an emphasis on II-VI materials and devices for infrared sensing and imaging and for the development of multijunction II-VI photovoltaic cells. Since 1982, MPL has been awarded over $30 million in external research support to facilitate the development of high-quality night vision and of photovoltaic technology. Dr. Sivalingam Sivananthan has been the director of MPL since 1994 and has worked in semiconductors and infrared and night vision detector technology for many years. He has helped to pioneer the development and fabrication of the now-dominant high-end infrared detecting/night vision semiconductor material, MCT. MPL’s research is focused on the optimization of the MBE growth of MCT, the study of in-situ/ex-situ doping and transport, and the growth of high-quality, alternative, composite CdTe/Si substrates to be used for the growth of large area MCT. MPL’s fundamental research activities have resulted in the education of highly qualified and trained MCT scientists, who have transferred the lab’s knowledge base and traditions of excellence to the industry and government research agencies, such as the U.S. Army Night Vision Laboratory, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, DRS Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging. MPL consists of faculty, research members, students and staff. Currently eight graduate and three undergraduate students are working on-site and off-site on various research projects and thesis topics. In order to be able to have access to use these instruments at MPL, pre-qualified users, whose pre-qualifications will be evaluated and determined by senior research staff, need to go through proper trainings by MPL research personnel and take UIC's online safety trainings given by the Dept of EHSO at UIC. Please contact Dr. Sivananthan for MBE Chamber Access Fees. Discounted rates are available for monthly, quarterly and annual access.
© Illinois Science and Technology Coalition
Illustration by Dieter Braun
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