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Professor John Finlay Mc Gilp

Fellow Emeritus (Physics)
      
Profile Photo

Professor John Finlay Mc Gilp

Fellow Emeritus (Physics)

 John.McGilp@tcd.ie

 


Internationally known for: establishing the field of epioptics in Europe (optical characterisation of surfaces and interfaces); developing the first sol-gel, caged chromophore, evanescent wave optical sensor. Invited talks (last 5 years): given at seven international conferences on optical probes for surfaces, interfaces and thin films (epioptics). Over 100 peer-reviewed publications, with ~ 1400 S.C.I. citations.
  2ND HARMONIC GENERATION   Condensed matter, optical and dielectric properties   ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE   ELLIPSOMETRY   EPIOPTICS   FILMS   GLASSES   HYPERPOLARIZABILITIES   INTERFACES   LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON DIFFRACTION (LEED)   Magnetism and spin electronics   METAL-SEMICONDUCTOR INTERFACES   METAL-SURFACES   MOLECULAR-ORIENTATION   MONOLAYERS   Nanotechnology   OPTICAL-PROPERTIES   PHOTOEMISSION   QUANTUM CHAINS   QUANTUM DOTS   REFLECTANCE   SECOND HARMONIC GENERATION   Semiconductor physics and technologies   SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES   SILICON   Surface and interface physics   Surface Physics   SURFACES   VICINAL SI(111) SURFACES
Project Title
 Band structure engineering of atomic wires on semiconductor surfaces
From
1/10/2011
To
30/9/15
Summary
The electrical properties of nanostructures is of huge importance, because progress in ICT is driven by making electronic devices with smaller active regions that are faster and more energy efficient. Aligned atomic chains of gold have recently been grown on silicon and germanium surfaces by self-assembly. Band-gap engineering of these ultimate atomic nanostructures appears possible, but the physics is controversial. A new interface optical probe, combined with state-of-the-art calculations using high-performance computers, will be used to solve this frontiers research problem and to probe whether band-gap engineered atomic wires can be protected from degradation by capping.
Funding Agency
Science foundation Ireland
Programme
Research Frontiers Programme
Project Type
Basic research
Person Months
10
Project Title
 Chiral structures at crystalline interfaces
From
1/7/08
To
30/6/11
Summary
The molecules of life are chiral. For ICT, advanced materials for biological recognition and biochemical sensing will need chiral molecular structures attached to silicon surfaces to functionalise them. Biological amino acids are levorotatory, but circular dichroism cannot detect chirality in monolayers at surfaces, as the response is very weak. Progress is slow in this important materials area. The project will grow chiral structures on crystalline silicon, gold and silver, using second-harmonic (SH) generation to detect the chirality. Femtosecond laser pulses will be amplified and tuned into electronic resonances at the SH frequency to produce measurable signals without damaging the material.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
Research Frontiers
Project Type
Basic Research
Person Months
4
Project Title
 In situ characterization and control of defects at the interface between new high-k dielectric materials and silicon
From
1/6/07
To
31/5/10
Summary
Progress in ICT requires making electronic devices with smaller active regions, because these are faster and more efficient. Nanoscale features of 45nm on silicon are being developed, requiring SiO2 gate oxides <1nm thick, which then leak by quantum mechanical tunneling. High-k dielectrics offer the possibility of using thicker layers to deliver the required performance with the same chip architecture. Growing new, high-k gate oxide is very difficult and will be optimized by a new application of electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation to make in situ, contactless measurements of the band offset and defect density at the oxide interface during growth.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
Research Frontiers
Project Type
Basic Research
Person Months
4
Project Title
 Nanoscale magnetism in atomic wires protected by capping layers
From
1/8/05
To
31/1/09
Summary
Progress in ICT is driven by making electronic and magnetic devices with ever smaller active regions, because these produce faster and more efficient devices. Single atomic wires of cobalt, possessing unusual magnetic properties, have been successfully grown on platinum single crystal surfaces but, to be useful, such nanowires must be capped by ultra-thin films to protect them from contamination. The interfacial region formed by capping will affect the properties of these nanoscale magnetic structures. New linear and nonlinear magneto-optic techniques, using a femtosecond laser, will be used to probe the crystallographic and magnetic structure of this critical interfacial region.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
Research Frontiers
Project Type
Basic Research
Person Months
4
Project Title
 Protecting nanowires grown on planar silicon
From
1/6/06
To
31/5/09
Summary
Progress in ICT is driven by making electronic devices with ever smaller active regions, because these produce faster and more efficient devices. Aligned atomic wires of indium have been successfully grown on silicon single crystal surfaces by nucleation at atomic steps but, to be useful, such nanowires must be capped by ultra-thin films to protect them from contamination. The interfacial region formed by capping will have a critical effect on the properties of these nanowires. New linear and nonlinear optical techniques, using a femtosecond laser, will be used to probe the crystallographic and electronic structure of this unexplored interfacial region.
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
Research Frontiers
Project Type
Basic Research
Person Months
4

Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Royal Irish Academy, Institute of Physics, American Vacuum Society, Materials Research Society
S. Banerjee, C. H. Patterson and J. F. McGilp, Group V adsorbate structure on vicinal Ge(001) surfaces determined from the optical spectrum, Applied Physics Letters, 110, (23), 2017, p233903-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Duignan, M.J., Cunniffe, J.P., Glans, P.-A., (...), Mcguinness, C., Mcgilp, J.F. , Temperature dependent studies of capped magnetic nanowires using XMCD, physica status solidi (b), 253, (2), 2016, p241-246 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
L. Persechini and J. F. McGilp, Probing chiral monolayers of cysteine on Au(110) using reflection anisotropy spectroscopy and second-harmonic generation, Physica Status Solidi B, 252, (1), 2015, p95 - 99, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Banerjee, S., McGilp, J.F., Patterson, C.H., Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy of clean and Sb covered Ge(001) surfaces and comparison with clean Si(001) surfaces, Physica Status Solidi (B) Basic Research, 252, (1), 2015, p78 - 86, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Lina Persechini, Ruggero Verre, Christopher M. Smith, Karsten Fleischer, Igor V. Shvets, Mukesh Ranjan, Stefan Facsko, and John F. McGilp, Optical characterisation of plasmonic nanostructures on planar substrates using second-harmonic generation, OPTICS EXPRESS, 23, (20), 2015, p26486 - 26498, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Lina Persechini, Ruggero Verre, Christopher M. Smith, Karsten Fleischer, Igor V. Shvets, Mukesh Ranjan, Stefan Facsko, John F. McGilp, Optical characterisation of plasmonic nanostructures on planar substrates using second-harmonic generation , Optics Express, 23, (20), 2015, p26486-26498 , Notes: [DOI:10.1364/OE.23.026486], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
L Persechini, R Verre, N McAlinden, J J Wang, M Ranjan, S Facsko, I V Shvets and J F McGilp, An analytic approach to modeling the optical response of anisotropic nanoparticle arrays at surfaces and interfaces, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 26, 2014, p145302-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
K. Fleischer, R. Verre, O. Mauit, R. G. S. Sofin, L. Farrell, C. Byrne, C. M. Smith, J. F. McGilp, and I. V. Shvets, Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy of magnetite (110) surfaces, Physical Review B, 89, 2014, p195118-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Jorgji, S., McGilp, J.F., Patterson, C.H., Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy of Si(111)-(3×1)Li and Ag surfaces, Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 87, (19), 2013, part. no. 195304 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Oral Ualibek, Ruggero Verre, Brendan Bulfin, Victor Usov, Karsten Fleischer, John F. McGilp and Igor V. Shvets, Manipulating and probing the growth of plasmonic nanoparticle arrays using light, Nanoscale, 5, (11), 2013, p4923 - 4930, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
  

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Award Date
Member of the Royal Irish Academy 2003
Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin 1991
Fellow of the Instutute of Physics 1988
Surface and interface physics; epitaxial growth of nanostructured material on planar surfaces; low dimensional magnetic nanostructures. Linear and nonlinear optical response of surfaces, interfaces and ultrathin films. Optical response of capped nanostructures.