Mauro Sardela

Education

• Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden Materials Science Ph.D. (1994)
• Universidade de São Paulo, S. Paulo, Brazil Physics M.Sc. (1987)
• Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil Physics B.Sc. (1985)

Academic Positions

• 1994 – 1996 Research Scientist, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• 1996 – 1998 Principal Analyst, Charles Evans & Associates, Sunnyvale, CA
• 1998 – 2012 Research Scientist, Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• 2012 – 2015 Senior Research Scientist, Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• 2014 – present Affiliated, The Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• 2015 - present Affiliated, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• 2015 - present Director, Central Research Facilities, Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Research Statement

• General materials characterization and device processing.
• Thin film growth. Nano and soft materials.
• X-ray scattering methods.
• Surface analysis.
   

My research experience and interests cover several fields of materials fabrication and characterization. I have been involved in the growth and characterization of various thin film and multilayer systems including epitaxial heterostructures (III-V and group IV semiconductors, such as InGaAs, GaN, AlGaN, SiGe, SiSn, etc.), nitrides (TiN, CrN, etc.), oxides (SiOx, STO, LMO, etc.), and metals (Cr, Ni, Co and related silicides) by various growth techniques including MBE, PLD, ALD, sputtering, etc. I have also been involved in the fabrication of nanomaterials (nanoparticles such as Fe oxides and Au), soft materials and bio materials, including a recent project on microstructural changes of wood under fungi attack and deterioration. I have considerable hands-on experience on all x-ray analysis techniques with a focus on diffraction and scattering methods, applied to materials systems ranging from steel, metals, superlattices, superconducting structures, oxides, and nitrides, to soft/bio materials (polymers, lipids, proteins, etc.). I have also been involved in surface analytical methods including SIMS, XPS and Auger electron spectroscopy, spanning years of commercial analytical work in a corporate environment. I am particularly fascinated by multi-technique characterization methods and issues involving technique development and cross-technique comparison.

Selected Articles in Journals

• C.H. Jang, M.R. Sardela Jr., S.-H. Kim, Y.-J. Song and N.-E. Lee, “Strain relaxation of epitaxial SiGe layer and Ge diffusion during Ni silicidation on cap-Si/SiGe/Si(001)”, Applied Surface Science 252, 5326-5330 (2006).
• B. Howe, J. Bareno, M. Sardela, J.G. Wen, J.E. Greene, L. Hultman, A.A. Voevodin, and I. Petrov , “Growth and physical properties of epitaxial metastable Hf1-xAlx N alloys deposited on MgO(001) by ultrahigh vacuum reactive magnetron sputtering”, Surface & Coating Technol. 202, 809-814 (2007).
• C.H. Lei, J.G. Wen, M. Sardela, J. Bareno, I. Petrov, S.-H. Kang and D.P. Abraham, “Structural study of Li2MnO3 by electron microscopy”, Journal of Materials Sciences 44, 5579-5587 (2009).
• I. Hussainova, I. Jasiuk, M. Sardela and M. Antonov , “Micromechanical properties and erosive wear performance of chromium carbide based cermets”, Wear 267, 152-159 (2009).
• A.F. N. de Azeredo, A.M.P. Carneiro, G.A. de Azerêdo and M. Sardela, “Hardened Properties of Lime Based Mortars Produced from Kaolin Wastes”, Key Engineering Materials, 600, 282-296 (2014).
• “Large area and depth-profiling dislocation imaging and strain analysis in Si/SiGe/Si heterostructures”, X. Chen, D. Zuo, S. Kim, J. Mabon, M. Sardela, J. G. Wen and J-M. Zuo, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 20, 1521-1527 (2014).
• “Practical Materials Characterization”, ed. M. Sardela, Springer, New York (2014), ISBN: 978-1-4614-9280-1.
• “Epitaxial growth of three dimensionally structured III-V photonic crystal via hydride vapor phase epitaxy”, Q. Zheng, H. Kim, R. Zhang, M. Sardela, J.-M. Zuo, B. Manavaimaran, S. Lourdudoss, Y.-T. Sun and P.V. Braun, Journal of Applied Physics, 118, 224303 (2015).

Honors

• “Natural biocides and heat treatment on Brazilian tropical woods: changes in crystallinity after fungal decay” with Prof. Leal (UIUC MATSE) and Prof. Goncalves (USP, Brazil). (2015)
• American Vacuum Society Award for Excellence in Leadership (2016)