Placement Information
Year you started your placement
2018
Placement period
May – August, September – December
Supervisor’s name
Simone Altendorf
Project Details
Overview
Over the past eight months I have been working in the Max Planck in Dresden in the thin films group. My day to day work varies a lot but I tend to wait for my turn on the chamber, grow EuO thin films, and then characterize the properties the next day. Over my time, I have grown 10 thin films of EuO, with the majority being bismuth doped.
Project objectives
My project goal was to insert bismuth metal into EuO thin films in order to increase the Curie temperature. This involved learning MBE technique and synthesis methods, as well as the various characterization techniques used. More specifically I leaned SQUID, XPS, XRD, MBE, and RHEED techniques. I also needed to optimize the growth conditions as they are chamber dependent.
Research outcomes
The outcome was that the bismuth could not be integrated by substitution into the EuO lattice. The bismuth would instead form aggregate metal clusters that did not disrupt the growth of the EuO thin film (as seen from the single crystal in RHEED). This was further exhibited as the Bi was being incorporated (observed in the XPS), but as a metallic species with no oxidation change and no influence on the magnetic properties of the film. The progress moved to possibly using bismuth as a capping material because the metallic species was so difficult to oxidize and the metal oxide could not be synthesized by MBE.
Project status
Completed
My Co-op Experience at MPI/ UTokyo
Why did you apply for this placement?
I applied for this position because I felt Max Planck would offer a lot of resources for research. They are known for their scientific success and I was given the impression that it would be a very conducive learning environment. I also knew that I wanted to live abroad for one of my Co-op positions because I think it’s a very valuable learning experience.
What recommendations do you have for students who wish to participate in this exchange program?
I would suggest that this should not be their first Co-op position. The position is very independent, and mainly focuses on self-teaching. I think in order for the student to be successful they must be able to set and obtain their own goals and they must be entirely self motivated in the research. This means they have to be really inspired by the project and also extremely mature and autonomous.
Tell us about your travels and cultural experiences
I traveled many weekends. Near Dresden is the Czech Republic as well as Poland. Some of the best times I had during Co-op were traveling and learning how to navigate new countries with foreign languages. I think learning how to rely on yourself is a very valuable skill and navigating Germany and other countries has really taught me this. I learned not to undervalue the small things. For example, knowing how to get on public transit and where to stamp the ticket or knowing how to say “thank you” and “sorry” in other languages. It’s really the small things that make a significant difference when traveling.
Naples_Italy in Pompeii
Barcelona_Spain
Wroclaw Poland
