Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad

Group Leader

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad received his Master of Science (M. Sc.) degree from Govt. College Lahore and ranked first in the state. He completed his master’s and doctoral programs from Texas Tech University in 2003 and 2005, respectively, in the field of wide bandgap semiconductors. He has gone through post-doctoral training at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, in the growth processes involving molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques. He joined the University of South Carolina as a post-doctoral fellow in 2007 and later worked as a research assistant professor. His research focus was the growth and characterization of wide bandgap semiconductors-based materials and devices. Dr. Ahmad worked for the industry as a Senior Scientist from 2010 to 2018, where he developed high-quality ultra-wide bandgap materials for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). Dr. Ahmad joined the University of South Carolina in 2018 as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor to establish his research is ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors. His research involves traditional III-nitride-based semiconductors like AlGaN and recently emerging semiconductor materials like boron nitride and gallium oxides. The research focuses on exploring the novel approaches to MOCVD growth of emerging materials and their application in the devices based on traditional III-nitrides.

Courses:
ELCT 363- Introduction to Microelectronics
ELCT 571- Electronics
ELCT 574- Semiconductor Materials and Device Characterization
ELCT 874- Advanced Semiconductor Materials

Mohammad Ghulam Zakir

Researcher

Md Ghulam Zakir graduated from Rajshahi University of Engineering Technology in 2011 with a B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He started the M.Sc. program in Nuclear Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology, which he completed in 2015. Currently, Zakir is focused on wideband gap semiconductors. To expand his semiconductor growth knowledge, he joined Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad's lab to pursue another MSc at the University of South Carolina. During his tenure here, Zakir is focusing on the development of a thin film Ga2O3 based semiconductor material which will show improved results of electrical parameters for an Avalanche Photo detector. This is a type of Ultra wideband gap semiconductor which has a crucial impact on the next generation of power electronic devices. In 2015, Zakir secured a lecturer position at the Military Institute of Science and Technology in Bangladesh, where he served for seven years as an instructor and was promoted to Assistant Professor. His current research involves the study of the Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) mechanisms of thin film epitaxial growth on insulating material. He is involved in a Gallium Oxide based project which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Zakir also performed thermal and electrical simulation based work applied on Gallium Oxide based semiconductors, representing the significance of its viability in typical hostile environment.

Nifat Jahan Nipa

Researcher

Nifat Jahan Nipa is currently pursuing M.Sc under the supervision of Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad at the electrical engineering department of University of South Carolina. Her research focuses are on nano-electronics, growth and characterization of ultra wide-band gap materials and UV LED. She completed her B.Sc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET, Dhaka) in 2018. She worked in the R & D department for a leading electronics product manufacturing company in Bangladesh.

Muhammad Hassan Tahir

Researcher

Muhammad Hassan Tahir is a graduate student in Dr. Ahmad's lab pursuing his research in thin film epitaxy. He has a strong foundation in fundamental processes critical to semiconductor chemistry and fabrication. He did his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 2022, focusing on physical chemistry.