Sarit Dhar, PhD

Sarit Dhar, PhD

  • Professor
  • Physics
    • (334) 844-4755
    szd0024@auburn.edu
    Leach Science Center 2109
    Google Scholar
    LinkedIn
    Download CV
    Auburn Physics Webpage

    Sarit Dhar is a professor of physics at Auburn University. He received his M.Sc. in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in India in 2000 and his Ph.D. in materials science from Vanderbilt University in 2005.

    Prior to joining Auburn in 2012, he was a research scientist at Cree Inc. in North Carolina, now Wolfspeed Inc., where he was a member of the technical team that developed the United States' first commercial silicon carbide high-voltage MOSFET.

    At Auburn, he has been the PI or co-PI for multiple research projects related to silicon carbide technology, with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, U.S. Department of Energy, the II-VI Foundation and industry partners.

    His areas of interest include wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, devices for energy efficiency and high-temperature applications, thin-film processing, electronic and physical characterization of semiconductor-dielectric interfaces, and modification of materials using ion beams.

    He has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles and is the co-inventor on six patents. He received the American Physical Society's 5 Sigma Physicist Award in 2019 for outstanding science advocacy.

    Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, history, traveling, science fiction and music.

    Education

    • PhD Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 2005

    • MSc Indian Institute of Technology, Khragapur, India 2000

    • BSc Indian Institute of Technology, Khragapur, India 1997

    Professional Experience

    Professor, Auburn University.  2020-current

    Associate Professor, Auburn University.  2015-2020

    Assistant Professor, Auburn University   2012 - 2015

    Research Scientist, Cree Inc. 2008 - 2012

    Research Associate, Vanderbilt University 2005 - 2008

    Graduate Research Assistant, Vanderbilt University 2001 - 2005

    Graduate Teaching Assistant, Vanderbilt University 2000 - 2001

     

    Innovation

    Our group investigates physics of semiconductor materials and device processing for their application to electronic devices. Specifically, we study electronic properties at interfaces between dielectric thin film formed on wide band gap Silicon Carbide and other advanced materials for application to power transistors. We have a variety of thin film deposition (metal evaporation, sputtering, semiconductor thermal oxidation and chemical vapor deposition) semiconductor fabrication (thin film processing,lithography, etching etc.) and analysis tools (current-voltage, capacitance-voltage, Hall, scanning probe microscopy) available in our laboratories. We also use the 2 MeV ion accelerator available in our laboratory  for a variety of projects related to radiation damage studies, implantation doping of materials and perform Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry analysis of thin film materials.

    Engagement

    • Physics instructor for the ‘Emory-Tibet science initiative’ to teach Tibetan buddhist monks in Gaden Monastery, India. The goal of the program was to develop a basic science part to the monastic university curriculum (Summer 2017 and 2018)
    • Founder of ‘Semiconductor day’, an outreach event for high school students at Auburn University supported by the National Science Foundation, to get local students exposed to the world of semiconductors.(2012-2017).
    • Event supervisor for regional Middle and High School Science Olympiad (2012-current)
    • Published op-eds for general community in collaboration with the American Physical Society.

    Selected Publications (out of 70+)

      1. Rummel ,B.D.; Dhar, S.; Kaplar R.J. The completed High-Low method for interface state analysis in MOS capacitors. Journal of Applied Physics, 139, 185708, 2026https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0305772
      2. Das, S.; Gu, H.; Wang, L.; Ahyi, A.C.; Feldman, L.C.; Garfunkel, E.; Kuroda, M.A.; Dhar, S. Trap Passivation of 4H-SiC/SiO2 Interfaces by Nitrogen Annealing. Journal of Applied Physics, 133, 215701, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0139185
      3. Sardar, A.; Isaacs-Smith, T.; Lawson, J.; Asel, T.; Comes, R.B.; Merrett, N.; Dhar, S. High Conductivity Beta-Ga2O3 Formed by Hot Si Implantation. Applied Physics Letters, 121, 262101, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0127457
      4. Das, S.; Ahyi, A.C.; Kuroda, M.A.; Dhar, S. Study of Carrier Mobilities in 4H-SiC MOSFETs Using Hall Analysis. Materials, 15(19), 6736, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196736
      5. Das, S.; Isaacs-Smith, T.; Ahyi, A.C.; Kuroda, M.A.; Dhar, S. High Temperature Characteristics of Nitric Oxide Annealed p-Channel 4H-SiC Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors. Journal of Applied Physics, 130, 225701, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0073523
      6. Jayawardhena, I.U.; Ramamurthy, R.P.; Morisette, D.; Ahyi, A.C.; Thorpe, R.; Kuroda, M.A.; Feldman, L.C.; Dhar, S. Effect of Surface Treatments on ALD Al2O3/4H-SiC Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors. Journal of Applied Physics, 129, 075702, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0040586
      7. Jayawardena, A.; Ramamurthy, R.P.; Ahyi, A.C.; Morisette, D.; Dhar, S. Interface Trapping in Beta-Ga2O3 MOS Capacitors with Deposited Dielectrics. Applied Physics Letters, 112, 192108, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5019270
      8. Zheng, Y.; Isaacs-Smith, T.; Ahyi, A.C.; Dhar, S. 4H-SiC MOSFETs with Borosilicate Glass Gate Dielectric and Antimony Counter-Doping. IEEE Electron Device Letters, 38, 1433, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2017.2743002
      9. Armstrong, A.M.; Crawford, M.H.; Jayawardena, A.; Ahyi, A.C.; Dhar, S. Role of Self-Trapped Holes in the Photoconductive Gain of Beta-Gallium Oxide Schottky Diodes. Journal of Applied Physics, 119, 103102, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4943261
      10. Jiang, J.; Kuroda, M.A.; Ahyi, A.C.; Isaacs-Smith, T.; Mirkhani, V.; Park, M.; Dhar, S. Chitosan Solid Electrolyte as Electric-Double-Layer in Multilayer MoS2 Transistor for Low-Voltage Operation. Physica Status Solidi A, 212, 2101, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201532284

    Professional Activities

    • Panel and proposal reviewer for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and other agencies.
    • Peer reviewer for journals including IEEE Electron Device Letters, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Solid-State Electronics, Journal of Applied Physics, Applied Physics Letters and Semiconductor Science and Technology.
    • Technical Program Committee member, IEEE Semiconductor Interface Specialists Conference, 2024-present.
    • Technical Program Committee member, International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials, 2019 and 2022.
    • Member, American Physical Society, Materials Research Society and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.