Brian Foley wins Graduate STEM Research Fellowship from VSGC!

Brian was recently awarded a Graduate STEM Research Fellowship for 2014-2015 by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC).  The title of his research proposal was the “Experimental investigation of thermal hot-spot generation in high-frequency transistors due to non-equilibrium electron-phonon energy transfer”, in which he will study the interactions between electrons moving in a semiconductor and the atoms that comprise the semiconductor while under operation.  This transfer of energy between the moving electrons and the semiconductor lattice results in an increased crystal temperature within the semiconductor, which can ultimately lead to the catastrophic failure of the device.  Brian’s goal is to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of these energy transfer processes on the nanoscale to help device engineers take a more “thermal-first” approach in future designs.  Congrats Brian!