Alexander A. Balandin

Alexander A. Balandin
Residence United States
Nationality United States and Russia
Fields Nanotechnology, Graphene Devices, Phonon Engineering, Thermal Transport
Institutions University of California, Riverside, University of California, Los Angeles
Alma mater University of Notre Dame, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Known for Thermal Transport in Graphene; Phonon and Exciton Confinement Effects in Nanostructures, 1/f Noise
Notable awards IEEE Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology, National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, Merrill Lynch Innovation Award, Fellow of APS, SPIE, OSA, IOP and AAAS

Alexander A. Balandin is an electrical engineer and materials scientist known for his studies of phonons and excitons in nanostructures, experimental and theoretical investigation of thermal properties of graphene, electronic 1/f noise in novel materials and devices as well as for his works on practical applications of semiconductor nanostructures and graphene in electronics, optoelectronics and energy conversion.

Academic career

Alexander A. Balandin received his BS (1989) and MS (1991) degrees Summa Cum Laude in Applied Physics and Mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology (MIPT), Russia. He received his second MS (1995) and PhD (1996) degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, USA. From 1997 to 1999, he worked as Research Engineer in the Device Research Laboratory at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1999 he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California – Riverside (UCR), where he is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Founding Chair of Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E). He is Director of the Nano-Device Laboratory (NDL), which he organized in 2000. In 2005, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, U.K. As the Founding Chair of the interdisciplinary MS&E program, he led the UCR efforts for introducing BS, MS and PhD degrees in MS&E.

Research

Professor Balandin’s research interests are in the area of advanced materials, nanostructures and nanodevices for electronics, optoelectronics and renewable energy conversion. He conducts both experimental and theoretical research. Balandin and coworkers were among the pioneers of the field of phonon engineering.[1] In 1998, he published an influential paper on the effects of phonon spatial confinement on thermal conductivity of nanostructures[2] (where the term “phonon engineering” likely appeared for the first time in a journal publication). Phonon engineering finds application in thermoelectric energy conversion and thermal management of advanced electronics. He has contributed to development of GaN technology by investigating heat conduction in GaN films[3] and studying 1/f noise in GaN devices.[4] He advanced ZnO technology by studying excitonic effects, confined phonon and optical properties of wurtzite nanostructures.[5] In 2008, Balandin’s group authored a highly cited paper on the first measurement of thermal conductivity of suspended graphene.[6] In order to perform the first measurement of thermal properties of graphene, Balandin invented a new optothermal experiment technique based on Raman spectroscopy. He and his coworkers explained theoretically why the intrinsic thermal conductivity of graphene can be higher than that of bulk graphite,[7][8] and demonstrated experimentally the evolution of heat conduction when the system dimensionality changes from 2D (graphene) to 3D (graphite).[9] Balandin’s group advanced the graphene field by demonstrating the low-noise top-gate graphene transistor[10] and graphene triple-mode amplifier and phase detector. The layman description of the unusual thermal properties of graphene can be found in IEEE Spectrum feature article.[11] Balandin's group has also reported the first "graphene-like" mechanical exfoliation of atomically thin films of topological insulators[12][13] and other materials.[14] Balandin group’s research achievements were highlighted in Nature, Nature Nanotechnology, IEEE Spectrum, MIT Technology Review, Materials Today, Physics World, nationally syndicated radio programs and other media worldwide.

Honors and Awards

Balandin received the following honors and awards:

Nano-Device Laboratory - Balandin Group

A

NDL research group conducts theoretical and experimental research on nanostructures and novel materials and their applications in electronics, optoelectronics and renewable energy conversion.

References

  1. "Phonon Engineering"
  2. A.A. Balandin and K.L. Wang, “Significant decrease of the thermal conductivity due to phonon confinement in quantum wells,” Phys. Rev. B, 58, 1544 (1998) "Link to journal"
  3. D. Kotchetkov, J. Zou, A.A. Balandin, D.I. Florescu and F.H. Pollak, “Effect of dislocations on thermal conductivity of GaN layers,” Appl. Phys. Lett., 79, 4316 (2001). "Link to journal"
  4. A.A. Balandin, S. Morozov, S. Cai, K.L. Wang, G. Wijeratne and C.R. Viswanathan, “Low flicker-noise GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field-effect transistors for microwave communications,” IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory & Tech., 47, 1413 (1999). "Link to journal"
  5. V.A. Fonoberov and A.A. Balandin, “Ultraviolet photoluminescence in ZnO quantum dots: Confined excitons vs. surface excitons,“ Appl. Phys. Lett., 85, 5971 (2004). "Link to journal"
  6. A.A. Balandin, S. Ghosh, W. Bao, I. Calizo, D. Teweldebrhan, F. Miao and C.N. Lau, “Superior thermal conductivity of graphene,” Nano Lett., 8, 902 (2008). "Link to journal"
  7. D.L. Nika, S. Ghosh, E.P. Pokatilov and A.A. Balandin, "Lattice thermal conductivity of graphene flakes: Comparison with bulk graphite," Appl. Phys. Lett., 94, 203103 (2009). "Link to journal"
  8. D.L. Nika, E.P. Pokatilov, A.S. Askerov and A.A. Balandin, "Phonon thermal conduction in graphene: Role of Umklapp and edge roughness scattering," Phys. Rev. B 79, 155413 (2009). "Link to journal"
  9. S. Ghosh, W. Bao, D.L. Nika, S. Subrina, E.P. Pokatilov, C.N. Lau and A.A. Balandin, “Dimensional crossover of thermal transport in few-layer graphene,” Nature Mat., 9 555 (2010). "Link to journal"
  10. G. Liu, W. Stillman, S. Rumyantsev, Q. Shao, M. Shur and A.A. Balandin, “Low-frequency electronic noise in the double-gate single-layer graphene transistors,” Appl. Phys. Lett., 95, 033103 (2009). "Link to journal"
  11. The layman description of the unusual thermal properties of graphene can be found in IEEE Spectrum feature article "Link to journal"
  12. D. Teweldebrhan, V. Goyal, M. Rahman and A.A. Balandin, "Atomically-thin crystalline films and ribbons of bismuth telluride," Applied Physics Letters, 96, 053107 (2010). - Issue's Cover "Link to journal"
  13. D. Teweldebrhan, V. Goyal and A.A. Balandin, "Exfoliation and characterization of bismuth telluride atomic quintuples and quasi-two-dimensional crystals," Nano Letters, 10, 1209 (2010). "Link to journal"
  14. J. M. Khan, C. Nolen, D. Teweldebrhan, A. A. Balandin, 218th ECS Meeting, Volume 33, Issue 13 - October 10–15, 2010 , Las Vegas, NV State-of-the-Art Program on Compound Semiconductors 52 (SOTAPOCS 52) Editor(s): M. Overberg, J. Brown, P. Hesketh, W. Johnson, H. Ma, P. Vanysek "Link to journal"
  15. IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC): "Link to site"
  16. Physics Org: "Link to site"
  17. SRC Highlight: "Link to site"
  18. University of California News Room: "Link to site"
  19. Nanowerk Highlight: "Link to site"
  20. UCR EE: "Link to site"
  21. Press Enterprise: "Link to site"
  22. The Optical Society "Link to site"
  23. Th International Society for Optical Engineering SPIE"Link to site"
  24. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) "Link to site"

External links

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