The Center For The Accelerated Maturation of Materials

Arda's main focus in research is application and development of Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy (ATEM) techniques such as electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM). His work also includes deposition and characterization of metallic thin films by UHV magnetron sputtering for various applications.

Recently, he has been working on quantum confinement (QC) effect in nanocrystal thin films and microstructure and electronic property characterization of these nanocrystals by using EELS and HRTEM. Since, nanocrystals show interesting electronic properties, strongly influenced by the size of the nanocrystal. Common belief, if the nanocrystal size is reduced under a critical value (< 1-2 nm), electronic properties of the crystal changes, nanocrystal loses its electric conductivity and becomes an insulator. All these interesting features can be examined by the detailed analysis of surface, bulk plasmons and certain characteristic of ionization edges in the EEL spectrum. These materials may be good future candidates for the ultra-low dielectric applications in the electronic industry.

Arda Genc graduated with a BS/MS in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. Before joining to the Fraser group at OSU, Arda had worked as a research assistant at the electron microscopy laboratory of ITU in 1998-2001. During this period, he had research collaboration with Dr. F .H. (Sam) Froes at University of Idaho and in 1999 and 2001, respectively, he had worked on transmission electron microscopy characterization of nanomaterials developed by powder metallurgy techniques (i.e. mechanical alloying, gas atomization) at UI. In 2001, He is awarded with a visiting scholarship by the ITU education council and joined to the Fraser group as a visiting scholar. He is currently pursuing his PhD under the advice of Dr. H. L. Fraser.

"Music is Magic, Magic is life", while Arda is not doing microscopy at the basement of Fontana labs, he is jamming with other people. Recently, he got a new PRS Santana, which he says “sounds awesome, recommended”. He also likes clubbing, dancing and talking until he gets tired of it.