November 2009

Dr. Dr. Thomas Szkopek from McGill University
Canada Research Chair in Nanoscale Electronics
Monday, 23 November 2009, 6:00 P.M.
McGill University
Otto Maass Building, Room OM-10


Peel apart the layers of graphite and carefully observe the resulting flakes; you will find graphene, a single atomic sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. The newest member of the graphitic family to join the fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, many of graphene's unique physical properties can be attributed to electrons behaving like massless particles. I will show how the optical properties of graphene are described by a fundamental constant of nature, the fine-structure constant, and how this allows us to count atomic layers using only a simple optical microscope. I will also describe the electronic properties of graphene, including its ability to function as a transistor and the sensitivity of its electrical conductance to the environment. Future research directions and potential applications of graphene will be briefly discussed.

Thomas Szkopek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering at McGill University. He holds a Canada Research Chair
in Nanoscale Electronics, and directs a research group investigating the
optical and electronic properties of low-dimensional materials including
graphene and III-V quantum wells for applications in sensing and
telecommunications.

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