Mohammad Mostafa Al Mahfuz - ECE PhD Student of the Month - July 2023
Mohammad Mostafa Al Mahfuz is a Ph.D. candidate at the Helen and John C. Hartmann Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He is currently working in the Nanoelectronic Materials and Devices Lab (NMD) under the supervision of Professor Dong-Kyun Ko. His research focuses on colloidal quantum dots for infrared detectors and vertical thin film transistors.
What would you say that could be the next big thing in your area of research?
Quantum dots are intriguing due to their tunable optical and electronic properties, opening up potential applications in a wide range of fields, from energy harvesting to advanced optoelectronic devices such as detectors and lasers. Low-cost facile fabrication compared to bulk semiconductor has already been demonstrated for colloidal quantum dots in near infrared region.
With proper choice of non-toxic materials, the performance of the quantum dots in mid infrared and long infrared region catches up and it would change the way we see the world around us. Simple mobile devices camera sensor would be able to capture image with infrared light through smoke and fog, wearable sensors will be able to detect toxic chemicals in air. Furthermore, medical and space imaging will become much more efficient and simpler.
The semiconductor industry is facing a major revitalization globally. What opportunities do you see for Ph.D. students in the field?
The increasing demand and utilization of advanced semiconductor chips in our advancing society creates expanding opportunities for PhD students in the field. The recent resurgence of the semiconductor industry has embarked numerous prospects for doctoral students. The current miniaturization of FET (field effect transistor) is reaching its limit. This has opened up lots of research opportunities not only for new material and architecture but also for novel fabrication processes to improve yield and reliability.
Ph.D. candidates are witnessing a rise in opportunities in fields such as Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, and neuromorphic computing. Moreover, there is an increasing availability of internships in prominent companies, allowing students to gain practical knowledge and experience in real-world processing and applications.
Your group has strong collaboration with other universities. How do you enjoy doing research with collaborative institutes?
One of the enthralling parts of working in the NMD lab is working in collaboration with other universities. These collaborations not only grant us access to researchers with diverse expertise and resources but also strengthen our ability to tackle research challenges comprehensively.
Through one of these collaborative works, I got the chance to work at Nano3 cleanroom facility in University of California San Diego, which is shared with not only the students of the university but also many companies. It has provided me with the chance to learn about cutting-edge microfabrication techniques in a state-of-the-art environment and engage with experts from various research fields.
