SOP

I am interested in Microelectronics and Applied Physics, particularly the solid-state electronic devices, and its fabrication and characterization techniques. While I always had a natural inclination towards physics and electronics because of my mother who is a physicist, I got really passionate in the field of nano-electronics during my undergraduate study at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-GN) and the research internship at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

During my Summer Research Internship at Microphysics Laboratory at UIC, I got an opportunity to work with a research group on fabrication of thin film CdTe based photovoltaic cells. The objective of the project was to grow a CdTe layer of one micron thickness by ‘Close Space Sublimation’ (CSS) process on a CdS layer so that it could be later transferred to Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) for the growth of high p-type CdTe. Conventionally, full 6 micron thick CdTe layer is grown by CSS process. To achieve a uniform 1 micron thick CdTe layer, we tried different recipes by changing partial pressure of oxygen, chamber pressure and temperature of source and substrate. Besides, effects such as thermal oxidation and diffusion were properly analysed for post-deposition CdCl2 annealing. I lived up to it by reading a lot of literature and journals. For characterization of the wafers, Nomarski microscope was used to observe the grain size, spectrophotometer was used to analyse band-gap and thickness and Sun simulator was used to find the performance and efficiency of the solar cell. By appropriate design of the recipes and by understanding the effects of physical parameters on deposition, we achieved a uniform 1 micron deposition of CdTe. In addition to working in t...

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...uman being though field of my interest that is microelectronics and make my contribution towards enriching the society as whole. Unflinching efforts of researchers have reduced the cost of the electronic devices. For instance, Government of India has developed and distributed ‘Aakash Tablets’, a 35$ tablet computer, to the poor students in some underdeveloped regions of India. This has enabled the knowledge transfer through audio-visual means even to the most remote part of the country. Thus, I feel that they have great role to play in the society. I am confident that masters and then a PhD is a stepping stone towards my goal. I strongly believe that the opportunity to work with a research group at the CMU would make me capable of it. With this in mind, I am looking forward to be a part of the graduate program at the ECE department at the Carnegie Mellon University.