MSc/PhD in Nanotechnology

· The students from Physics, Electronics, Materials, Chemistry, and Computer Science etc. are welcome to apply to pursue their MSc/PhD in Nanotechnology.

· We also offer one year MSc in Electronics (Nanotechnology by research).

· The main themes of the MSc and PhD research projects are the development of nano scale materials and devices and nano fabrication techniques for advanced information storage and microelectronics industries. The research emphasizes both fundamental science and industry applications.

· Please see “Research areas” for the details of the research in the Laboratory.

· The applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Yongbing Xu (yx2@ohm.york.ac.uk) for any further information.

PhD Studentship in Nanotechnology and Spintronics

An EPSRC funded project PhD studentship is available starting from October 2008 in the University of York. The studentship will cover the full tuition fee at the home/EU rate (£3,245 per year) and an annual stipend (above £12,940 per year) for a period of three years starting from October 2008.

The project:

The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics celebrated the discovery of giant magneto-resistance (GMR) in magnetic multilayers in 1988, which lead to an exciting new area of spintronics. The GMR heads have increased the magnetic data storage density by more than 20 times. Spintronics is also expected to have a major impact on microelectronics, automotive sensors, communication and quantum computing in a way comparable to the development of the transistor 50 years ago.

During this project, the PhD research student will investigate the magnetic nanocontacts and current-induced magnetization switching by exploring both Synchrotron Radiation and laboratory based measurement techniques. There is a growing interest in the use of spin-polarised current rather than the external magnetic fields to switch the spintronic devices - another major discovery in spintronics after the GMR effect. The current-induced magnetization switching, well known as spin-torque effects, can locally switch a magnetic element to avoid cross-talk and reduce the power consumption.

There are internationally leading expertises and advanced facilities in York to carry out this EPSRC funded project. The university have recently invested about £5M in establishing the York Center of Nanofabrication and Analysis with the state-of-the-art facilities for nanofabrication.

The project student will have the great advantages to work in the newly established Diamond NanoScience beamline in Oxford (http://www.diamond.ac.uk/) and the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley, California, (http://www-als.lbl.gov/als/ ).

If you are interested in applying for this studentship and would like to know more about the project, please contact the supervisor: Prof. Yongbing Xu (email: yx2@ohm.york.ac.uk ), head of Spintronics and Nanodevice Laboratory, Deparment of Electronics, The University of York, UK.

Eligibility:

The students with a first degree in Physics, Materails and Electronic Enginering are encouraged to apply. The studentship is open to home, EU and oversea students.

How to apply:

Application forms and details of the application procedure for graduate study can be found at http://www.york.ac.uk/graduatestudy/applying/paper/paperapply.htm.

Please indicate on the application form that you are applying for the PhD studentship with Prof Yongbing Xu in Department of Electronics (http://www.elec.york.ac.uk ).