Vladimir A. Lobastov
California Institute of Technology
Date: 30 April 2008
Time: 2pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre C, room 2005, Building 46,
Miniaturization of electronic devices with atomic-scale active components is a great technological undertaking and presents a major challenge in metrology. To understand the underlying physics and behavior at the molecular level, which by the very definition is not a static but essentially dynamic process, it is essential to develop a new technology for direct imaging of the dynamics at the nanoscale. I will present results of the research efforts in development of ultrafast electron microscope (UEM). This methodology combines extreme spatial and temporal resolutions, which allows for the simultaneous characterization of spatiotemporal properties at relevant scales. The versatility of the UEM technology will be illustrated on examples of two distinct applications. The first is the “conventional” pump-probe imaging of ultrafast dynamics during a phase transition in vanadium dioxide, and the second is the direct visualization of a laser controlled reversible transformation in molecular crystals. I will also discuss challenges in the emerging field of structural dynamics and outline research opportunities for high impact applications in electronics, photonics and biotechnology.
Vladimir Lobastov received his MS degree from the Moscow State University in 1987. In the spring of that year, he joined the Center for Technological Lasers of the Russian Academy of Sciences where he earned his Ph.D. in laser physics in 1993. For his postdoctoral work, Vladimir pursued studies in the time-resolved electron diffraction and structural dynamic, working with Prof. Lothar Schafer at University of Arkansas. He moved to the California Institute of Technology in 1998 as a postdoctoral scholar in the group of Professor Ahmed Zewail and continue work there as an associate scientist. Dr. Lobastov’s research interests are in the fields of experimental structural dynamics, phase transitions, ultrafast electron microscopy and nanoscale dynamics.