XUV Research Group

The XUV (extreme ultraviolet) Group of Brigham Young University specializes in the application of thin films to the extreme ultraviolet spectrum.

Research Opportunities

David Allred (Atomic, Molecular, and Optical)

Advanced Materials for Nuclear Energy
We are able to produce as thin films existing and novel materials for nuclear energy that cannot easily made at other universities.
Advanced Mirror Coatings for Hubble's successor
In 1999 the IMAGE spacecraft was successfully launched and functioned for over 6 years studying the various plasma filled regions surrounding the earth (ionosphere to magnetosphere) in wavelengths from radio through EUV. We designed and coated mirrors for the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) instrument, which was one of about four observational components of the IMAGE Mission. IMAGE, which stands for Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration, was a NASA funded Medium Explorer (MIDEX) program) [1].

We are now working with NASA scientist and engineers in the process of designing, fabricating and testing novel mirror coatings for the next generation space observatory. The flag-ship mission that comes after the James Web Telescope and WFIRST.
Atomic layer & chemical vapor infiltration of C nanotube forests.
Atomic layer and chemical vapor infiltration of carbon nanotube forests with metals such as tungsten to make three-dimensional microstructures for MEMS applications. This work is closely aligned with that of Prof. Robert C. Davis and Richard R. Vanfleet.
BYU's Entry into the University Rover Challenge
Help prepare mars simulation rover for annual competition near Hanksville, UT June 1 http://urc.marssociety.org/home/about-urc Specifically help the science team design on-rover test for life.
Heavily doped p-type zinc oxide for UV optoelectronic devices
Zinc oxide- especially heavily doped p-type material. This is a promising material for UV optoelectronics applications including UV lasers, light emitting diodes, and visible light-blind detectors. It also has applications in piezoelectricity, spintronics, transparent electronics, and as a substrate for the growth of other materials.
optical constants of metals, semiconductors & insulators
1. we use ellipsometer in Chemistry C387 BNSN
2. we measure Optical Constants in VUV in U161 with R. Steven Turley

Steve Turley (Atomic, Molecular, and Optical)

Effects of Roughness of Reflectance
Simple calculations of optical reflection and transmission from surfaces assume flat surfaces with abrupt interfaces. These assumptions are often sufficiently incorrect to lead to significant errors in computing the optical properties of mirrors and coatings in the extreme ultraviolet. We have several projects which involve computing the of surface roughness on the optical properties of thin films. The projects involve numerically solving Maxwell's equations from first principles on representative surfaces and developing algorithms to apply the results to general surfaces.
Extreme Ultraviolet Optics
I am working on a project with Prof. David Allred and a group of undergraduate and graduate students that began with designing and testing a mirror for the Medium Exploror (MIDEX) Program. The research involves computer-aided optical design, multilayer mirror fabrication, measurement of optical properties of materials, and design and fabrication of test and measurement components. Measurements are made both at our facilities at BYU and at the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.