RICHARD J. SMITH Professor Office: EPS 214   Phone: (406)994-6152 Fax: (406)994-4452 smith@physics.montana.edu

Dr. Richard J. Smith Department of Physics Engineering/Physical Sciences Bldg.    Rm 214 Montana State University PO BOX 173840 Bozeman, MT 59717-3840

Professor Smith is using MeV ion backscattering/channeling and electron spectroscopies to determine the atomic structure at solid surfaces and at solid-solid interfaces. At present, the emphasis of this research is on epitaxial growth and the formation of alloys at metal-metal interfaces.  Ion beam techniques are also used to measure the oxidation rates and thermal stability of metal surfaces on current collectors in solid oxide fuel cell stacks.

You can find out more about the Ion Beams Research Program at our home page.

Publications: 90 including the following papers from the past 5 years

“Atomistic modeling of Ag deposition on the low index faces of Al and Al deposition on Ag”, Guillermo Bozzolo, Jorge E. Garcés, and Richard J. Smith, Surface Science ( 2005 in press)

“Correlations between growth conditions, microstructure, and optical properties in pulsed laser deposited V₂O₅ thin films”, C.V. Ramana, R.J. Smith, O.M. Hussain, and C. Julien, Chemistry of Materials, 17 (2005) 1213-1219.

"Surface analysis of pulsed-laser deposited V₂O₅ thin films and their lithium intercalated products studied by Raman Spectroscopy”, C.V. Ramana, R.J. Smith, O.M. Hussain, M. Massot, and C. M. Julien, Surface and Interface Analysis 37 (2005) 406-411.

“Growth and surface characterization V₂O₅ thin films made by pulsed-laser deposited”, C.V. Ramana, R.J. Smith, O.M. Hussain, and C. Julien,     J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 22(6), 2453-2458, 2004.

“On the growth mechanism of pulsed-laser deposited vanadium oxide thin films”, C.V. Ramana, R.J. Smith, O.M. Hussain, and C. Julien,     Materials Science and Engineering B, 111 (2004) 218-225.

“High-temperature oxidation resistance and surface electrical conductivity of stainless steels with filtered arc Cr-Al-N multilayers and/or superlattice coatings”, P.E. Gannon, C.T. Tripp, A.K. Knospe, C.V. Ramana, M. Deibert, R.J. Smith, V.I. Gorokhovsky, V. Shutthanandan, D. Gelles, Surface and Coatings Technology 188-189 (2004) 55-61.

“Using CrAlN multilayer coatings to improve oxidation resistance of steel interconnects for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stacks”, R. J. Smith, C. Tripp, A. Knospe, C.V. Ramana, A. Kayani, Vladimir Gorokhovsky, V. Shutthanandan, D. S. Gelles, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 13(3) (2004) 295-302.

“NRA and ERDA investigation of helium retention in SiC as a function of irradiation and annealing”, R.J. Smith, Y. Zhang, V. Shutthanandan, L.J. Bissell, S. Thevuthasan, W. Jiang, and W.J. Weber, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 219-220 (2004) 631-635.

“Epitaxial growth of bcc Fe films on Al(100) surfaces using Ti as an interface stabilizer”, C. V. Ramana, N. Winward, R.J. Smith, and Bum-Sik Choi, Surface Science 551 (2004) 189-203.

“Grain size effects on the optical characteristics of pulsed-laser deposited vanadium oxide thin films”, C.V. Ramana, R.J. Smith, and O.M. Hussain, phys. stat. sol (a) 199 (2003) R4-R6.

“Ion Scattering Studies of the Formation and Thermal Stability of the Ti-Al Interface”, C.V.Ramana, B. -S. Choi, R.Hutchison, and R.J.Smith, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 212 (2003) 465-472.

“Low-Energy Ion-Beam Induced Effects in Al(100) Surface Studied Using Rutherford Backscattering and Channeling”, C.V.Ramana, B.S. Choi, and R.J.Smith, Applied Surface Science, 214 (2003) 338-350.

“Thermal Stability of Thin Ti Films on Al Single Crystal Surfaces”, C.V. Ramana, Bum Sik Choi, R.J. Smith, R. Hutchison, S. P. Stuk, Byoung Suk Park, Adli A. Saleh, Dong Ryul Jeon,  J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A21(4), 1326 (2003).

“Using MeV ion backscattering/channeling and MC simulations to characterize the composition and structure of buried metal-metal interfaces”, R. J. Smith, C.V. Ramana, Bum-sik Choi, Adli A. Saleh, N.R. Shivaparan, V. Shutthanandan, Applied Surface Science, 219 (2003) 28-38.

“Using metallic interlayers to stabilize abrupt, epitaxial metal-metal interfaces”, C. V. Ramana, Bum-Sik Choi, P. Masse and R.J. Smith, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 066101 (2003).

"Alloy formation at the Ni-Al interface for nickel films deposited on Al(110) surfaces", V. Shutthanandan, Adli A. Saleh, and R.J. Smith, Surface Science 450 (2000) 204-226.

"Composition and structure of the Co-Al interface for thin Co films deposited on Al(001) and Al(110) surfaces at room temperature",  N.R. Shivaparan, M.A. Teter, and R.J. Smith, Surface Science, 476 (2001) 152-160.

Previous Positions

1990 to present: Professor, Physics Department, Montana State University
1987 to 1988: Visiting Scientist, FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
1980 to 1989: Associate Professor, Physics Department, Montana State University
1978 to 1980: Assistant Scientist, Physics Department Brookhaven National Laboratory
1975 to 1977: Research Associate, Physic Department, Montana State University

Awards

MSU Alumni and Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in Teaching - 1982

Wiley Award for Meritorius Research - 1998

Invited Conference Papers and Presentations: 15

Contributed Conference Papers/Posters: 117

Member

American Physical Society
American Vacuum Society
American Association of Physics Teachers
Montana Association of Physics Teachers
Montana Academy of Sciences

Current grants

Epitaxial Growth of Transition Metals and Their Aluminides on Aluminum (NSF)

Oxidation of LAFAD coated steel plates for current collectors in solid oxide fuel cells (DOE)

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Page Maintained by:Dick Smith Send mail to Smith@physics.montana.edu