Rudolf M. Tromp
Encyclopedia
Dr. Rudolf M. Tromp is a scientist at IBM Research
Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center
.
More recently, his studies have focused on the dynamics of surface and interface processes such as phase transition
s, chemisorption
and etching, epitaxial growth
, and aspects of nanotechnology. Ultrahigh-vacuum transmission electron microscopy and low-energy electron microscopy allow detailed, real-time, in situ observations of such processes with high spatial resolution. Using those techniques, the studies have shed new light on the thermodynamics of epitaxial growth, the dynamic evolution of the surface morphology of epitaxial films, the self-assembly of quantum dots, the spatio-temporal character of first- and second-order phase transitions at surfaces, etc.
He has also developed a novel Low Energy Electron Microscopy instrument, including energy filtering and aberration correction.
Dr. Tromp is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
, the American Vacuum Society
and of the Boehmische Physical Society.
IBM Research
IBM Research, a division of IBM, is a research and advanced development organization and currently consists of eight locations throughout the world and hundreds of projects....
Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for the IBM Research Division.The center is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.- Overview :The...
.
Education
- 1982 Ph.D. in physics from the University of Utrecht (The NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - 1982, completed a thesis on medium-energy ion scattering (MEIS) studies of the structure of silicon surfaces.
Biography
In 1983 he joined IBM at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, where his scanning tunneling microscopy studies revealed the Si(001) dimer structure for the first time, as well as the spatial distribution of the Si(111) (7 × 7) electronic surface states and their relation to the underlying atomic structure. Using MEIS he co-invented “surfactant-mediated epitaxial growth,” a technique which allows much- improved control over the morphology of epitaxial films and superlattices.More recently, his studies have focused on the dynamics of surface and interface processes such as phase transition
Phase transition
A phase transition is the transformation of a thermodynamic system from one phase or state of matter to another.A phase of a thermodynamic system and the states of matter have uniform physical properties....
s, chemisorption
Chemisorption
Chemisorption is a sub-class of adsorption, driven by a chemical reaction occurring at the exposed surface. A new chemical species is generated at the adsorbant surface...
and etching, epitaxial growth
Epitaxy
Epitaxy refers to the deposition of a crystalline overlayer on a crystalline substrate, where the overlayer is in registry with the substrate. In other words, there must be one or more preferred orientations of the overlayer with respect to the substrate for this to be termed epitaxial growth. The...
, and aspects of nanotechnology. Ultrahigh-vacuum transmission electron microscopy and low-energy electron microscopy allow detailed, real-time, in situ observations of such processes with high spatial resolution. Using those techniques, the studies have shed new light on the thermodynamics of epitaxial growth, the dynamic evolution of the surface morphology of epitaxial films, the self-assembly of quantum dots, the spatio-temporal character of first- and second-order phase transitions at surfaces, etc.
He has also developed a novel Low Energy Electron Microscopy instrument, including energy filtering and aberration correction.
Awards
- 1981: Wayne B. Nottingham PrizeWayne B. Nottingham PrizeThe Wayne B. Nottingham Prize is awarded annually at the Physical Electronics Conference, a conference that focuses on new research results in surface science and in the chemistry of surfaces and interfaces. The prestigious Nottingham Prize was established from contributions given in memory of...
of the Physical Electronics Conference - 1995: Materials Research Society Medal
- 2003: American Physical Society Davisson-Germer PrizeDavisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface PhysicsThe Davisson–Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics is an annual prize that has been awarded by the American Physical Society since 1965. The recipient is chosen for "outstanding work in atomic physics or surface physics"...
- 2004: American Vacuum Society Medard W. Welch Award
- 2009: Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellow
- and four IBM Outstanding Innovation and Technical Achievement Awards.
Dr. Tromp is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, the American Vacuum Society
American Vacuum Society
AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing is a not-for-profit learned society founded in 1953. AVS is a member society of the American Institute of Physics. AVS has approximately 5000 members worldwide from academia, governmental laboratories and industry...
and of the Boehmische Physical Society.