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CurriculumVitae

Franco Gaspari, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Faculty of Science
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa,
ON L1H 7L7
Tel: (905) 721-8668 ext: 2980
Fax: (905) 721-3304
E-mail: franco.gaspari@uoit.ca
Web: http://science.uoit.ca/gaspari

Personal

Citizenship: Canadian, Italian
Languages: English, Italian
Married to Anna Gaspari (maiden name Celsi)
Two children (Sylvia b. 1983, Valeria b. 1987)
Home Address:
    1 Westover Hill Rd. Toronto, Ontario M6C 3J3
Tel: H (416) 782 6557-Cell. (647) 293 3065

Education

1991	Ph.D Thesis: Thesis: Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy of Hydrogen-Induced Gap States in Amorphous Silicon	University of Toronto Department of Physics
1985	M.Sc Thesis: Capacitive Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) Applied to Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon	University of Toronto Department of Physics
1980	B.Sc Thesis: Characterization of Highly Doped Thin Crystalline Silicon Films	University of Bologna Department of Physics

Employment

	2006-Present	Assistant Professor University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty of Science
	2004-2006	Adjunct Associate Professor/Instructor University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty of Science
	2004-2006	Research Associate University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty of Science
	2004-2006	Instructor/Teaching Assistant University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty of Science
	1991-2003	Senior Research Associate University of Toronto Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering Photonics Group
	2000-2003	Lecturer University of Toronto Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
	1983-1990	Teaching Assistant University of Toronto Dept. of Physics

Research Summary

For more than 20 years I have been working in the field of semiconductor physics both at the experimental and theoretical levels. I have focused on materials and devices research and development programs in the areas of thin film amorphous silicon and carbon and emerging nano-crystalline materials. Amorphous silicon and amorphous carbon have been the subject of considerable research in the past 20 years, in light of their great potential for application in the fields of renewable sustainable energy (photo-voltaic) and biomedical devices.

The main research objectives of my work include the modeling and study of electrical and optical properties of intrinsic and doped amorphous, micro-crystalline and nano-crystalline materials, the development and characterization of photovoltaic devices, the preparation and characterization of diamond-like carbon, carbon nanotubes and the investigation of the potential opto-electronic and biomedical applications of tritiated amorphous silicon and tritiated amorphous carbon.

In particular, I have developed, in collaboration with colleagues at UOIT, a novel treatment for modeling the optical, electronic and structural properties of amorphous materials based on ab-initio Molecular Dynamics simulations. The simulation aspects is complemented by an experimental research program aimed at exploring several opto-electronic properties of these materials and at providing feedback for the modeling results.

I am co-author of over 40 refereed publications, including two invited articles and three major scientific corporate reports, in renowned international journals, such as Journal of Applied Physics, Applied Physics Letters, Philosophical Magazine, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, and Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids.

I was also the principal organizer of the symposium "Italian-Canadian Workshop on Amorphous Materials Science and Technology", with the collaboration of the University of Toronto, the Turin Polytechnic Institute (Italy), the Italian National Research Center and the University of Trento (Italy). This symposium has produced an ongoing collaboration between the Turin Polytechnic Institute and the University of Toronto.

Here I outline my major past contributions to research (reference numbers indicate the relevant papers as listed in the publications section):

• In 1980 I collaborated with the Italian National Research Center (CNR) in an experimental research aimed at the characterization of the electrical properties of highly doped silicon thin films, obtained by ion implantation and activated using laser pulses. This research was included in the program "Investigation on Ion Implantation as a Technique Suitable to Fabricate High-Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells", sponsored by the European Economic Community.
• I redesigned and optimized a system for semiconductor spectroscopy (Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy). [23]
• From 1993 to 1995 I was the supervisor of a project financed by ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) Advanced Battery Systems aimed at studying the failure mechanism of Al-SiO2-Si interfaces to be used for the development of chemical batteries. The research was conducted at the University of Toronto where I held the position of Senior Research Associate. Matching grants for the project were provided by NSERC and URIF. [18]
• From 1994 to 2000 I was the coordinator of a project aimed at establishing the luminescent properties of amorphous silicon and amorphous carbon. The project was under the financial assistance of Ontario Hydro in collaboration with the University of Toronto and with matching grants from NSERC and URIF. The research has led to several publications, including an invited article. [2, 8-9, 12-13, 16-17, 19, 37-39, 42-44]
• From 1994 to 1997 I was the research associate in a project sponsored by Litton Industries for the characterization of the failure mechanism of silicon based displays. Matching funds were provided by NSERC and URIF.
• In 1995, in collaboration with colleagues in my group, I was the first to initiate a systematic research of the properties and of the possible applications of tritiated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H:T). This project originated as a 10 year long R&D program between Ontario Hydro Research and University of Toronto. Financial support was provided by NSERC. The research has led to several publications, including an invited article summarizing the importance of the innovative approach of using Tritium for the analysis of several important properties of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon, including the Staebler-Wronski effect. The introduction of tritium into amorphous materials has spurred fundamental studies on the nature of dangling bond defects & metastability and on the influence of tritium on optical and electrical properties. The use of the tracer nature of tritium has led to the study of hydrogen bonding in a-Si:H:T by hydrogen effusion, a technique that complements FTIR. The latter study also showed that tritium in a-Si:H:T is immobilized extremely well (under ambient conditions only the hydrogen in the surface layers is desorbed) and hence the material is an excellent ‘cold’ electron source. This ongoing investigation has also evolved into collaboration between the University of Toronto and UOIT, which is aimed at combining the experimental data with theoretical modeling in order to provide a more detailed and complete understanding of the physics of amorphous semiconductors. [1, 7-8,15, 35-36, 39, 41]
• From 1997 to 2002 I was the co-supervisor of a project aimed at studying the properties of micro- and nano-crystalline semiconductors, in particular thin film hydrogenated silicon and carbon (n/μc-Si:H, n/μc-C:H), and their use in photo-voltaic technologies. This is a semiconductor materials and devices research program with long term development objectives in the area of thin film photovoltaics as well as microelectronics, photonics and biomedical applications. Financial support for this project was provided by NSERC and MMO. [8-9, 12, 32-34]
• From 2002 to 2003 I was the co-supervisor of a project sponsored by ARISE Technologies and MMO aimed at the development and optimization of thin film photovoltaics using the DC saddle-field technique. Financial support was provided by NSERC and MMO.
• I developed and patented, in collaboration with colleagues in the group, a new method for the preparation and processing of thin film materials, the Saddle Field Glow Discharge. The patents rights to the DC saddle-field deposition process for all photovoltaic applications reside with ARISE Technologies Corporation (Kitchener, Ontario) and for all non-photovoltaic applications reside with NexxDigm Technologies Inc. (Toronto, Ontario).

Research Grants and Contracts

• Recipient of OPIC grant for patent development. Amount awarded: Cdn. $10,000 (January 2009).
• Recipient an NSERC Discovery Grant Individual; "Staebler-Wronski effect in Tritiated Amorphous Silicon". Amount awardwd: Cdn. $13,084 (x 5 years) April 2008.
• Co-Investigator of "Sonus/PV (Photo-Voltaic) Highway Traffic Noise Barrier" project. Started Jan. 2006. UOIT is the Lead Institution. This is a joint project between Faculty of Science at UOIT, Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering University of Toronto, and Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Materials & Manufacturing Ontario (MMO). Project duration: 2 years, extended till August 2008. Funding: $400,000.
• Recipient of a CFI-LOF grant application for a FTIR spectrometer and a UV/VIS spectrometer for Materials Science Characterization Laboratory (Principal Investigator). Funding: $86,360.00
• Recipient as Co-applicant of an NSERC RTI Grant, titled "Thermochemical Analysis of Materials". Amount awarded: Cdn. $ 63,297.00. March 2007.
• University start-up grant $100,000

Past Contract Funding

Here I list the research contracts from industrial partners and government grants for which I was the senior research associate or the co-supervisor:

Year	Industrial Partner	Granting Agency	Total Amount
1993	ABB/Hydro	NSERC/URIF	$280,000.00
1994	ABB/Hydro/Litton	NSERC/URIF	$310,000.00
1995	ABB/Hydro/Litton	NSERC/URIF	$230,000.00
1996	Hydro/Litton	NSERC	$230,000.00
1997	Hydro/Litton	NSERC	$120,000.00
1998	Hydro	NSERC/MMO	$200,000.00
1999	Hydro	NSERC/MMO	$200,000.00
2000	Hydro	NSERC/MMO	$250,000.00
2001	Hydro	NSERC/MMO	$250,000.00
2002	ARISE/Hydro	NSERC/MMO	$370,000.00
2003	ARISE	NSERC/MMO	$250,000.00

Ongoing Research Collaborations

Turin Polytechnic Institute (Turin, Italy) Prof. A. Tagliaferro
	Optical, Electrical and Structural Properties of Diamond-like Carbon Amorphous Semiconductors, Carbon Nanotubes
Dept. of Physics, University of Tennessee (US) Prof. T. Allen
	Micro/Nano-Crystalline Materials Medical Applications
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto Prof. N. Kherani
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto Prof. S. Zukotynski
	Optical, Electrical and Structural Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors, Preparation and Characterization of Thin Film Based Solar Cells, Micro/Nano-Crystalline Materials, Photovoltaics and Medical Applications.
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto Prof. K. Plataniotis
	Electronic Monitoring and Integration with PV Technology
Faculty of Science, UOIT Prof. A. Chkrebtii
Faculty of Science, UOIT Prof. J.M. Perz
	Modeling of Hydrogenated and Tritiated Amorphous Silicon PV Applications

Publications Summary

Over 40 refereed publications, 3 corporate reports, 1 primary US patent, 1 Canadian patent, 2 invited articles.

Patents and Publications

For a full listing, please click here, to proceed to the publications section under the research tab.

Educational Activities

Recent Courses Taught

Physics for the Biosciences I (PHY-1030, Fall 2005, UOIT)
This course provides the student with an introduction to fundamental principles of classical mechanics and thermodynamics, which underlie further studies of Physics as well as many topics in Biology and other Sciences.  Course enrolment is 130 students. The course aims to provide students with a deep conceptual understanding of the subject matter, a systematic approach to problem solving, and skills and protocols for carrying out laboratory experiments and recording and reporting results.

Scientific Computing Tools (CSCI-1000U, Fall 2003, Summer & Fall 2005, UOIT)
A course covering the use of various software tools for use in the UOIT web-centric and laptop environment in Science. Modules are included on: scientific graphing (using SigmaPlot), mathematical tools (Maple, Matlab), data management (spreadsheets and databases), web authoring tools, scientific document processing and basic graphic tools, and scientific presentations (including the use of PowerPoint and LaTeX tools for preparing slides. In the summer of 2005, together with my colleague Dr. Brian Nixon, I began the task of redesigning the course structure, with the aim of providing the students with an introduction to the various software tools, with an emphasis on utilizing the tool for problem-solving in various areas of science (mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, computer science and forensics). Enrollment in the summer 2005 was 10 students; in the fall 2005 is 203 students.

Electronics (PHY-3030, Fall 2005, UOIT)
It is an introduction to the principles of electronics for third year students. The course deals with the fundamental concepts of electronic circuits, devices and logical operators, including the basics of passive circuits, resonant systems, DC power supplies, basic amplifier circuits, FET amplifiers, operational amplifiers, oscillators and digital devices. Enrollment is 7 students.

Physics I (PHY-1010, UOIT)
Fundamental principles of kinematics and dynamics in one, two and three dimensions; Newton's laws of motion; work, kinetic energy and potential energy; static and kinetic friction; momentum and collisions in one and two dimensions; angular momentum, torque and rotation of rigid bodies about a fixed axis; static equilibrium; universal gravitation and planetary motion; fluid mechanics; simple harmonic motion; wave motion and sound waves; standing waves and superposition of waves; temperature, heat and laws of thermodynamics; heat engines and entropy; kinetic theory of gases. I was a lab demonstrator for this course in 2004 and 2005, for a total of about 120 students.

Physics II (PHY-1020, UOIT)
A course covering an introduction to Electricity and Magnetism. Its main modules are: Electric fields: Gauss's law; potential; capacitance and dielectrics. Electrical current and resistance; direct current and circuits. Magnetic field and its sources; Faraday's law; inductance. Alternating current circuits. Electromagnetic waves. The Nature of Light and Geometric Optics. Interference; diffraction and polarization. Relativity concepts. I was the principal instructor in the summer 2004, enrollment 50 students, and also a tutor and lab demonstrator.

Physics for the Health Sciences (PHY-1810, UOIT)
This course provides some of the basic physics needed by health scientists. The topics covered are biomechanics, fluid mechanics, optics and electricity. I was a tutor in the winter 2005 and will be the principal instructor in the winter 2006 session.

Electricity and Magnetism (ECE115, U of T)
This is a course covering an introduction to Electricity and Magnetism for first year students in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto. Its main modules are: Electric fields: Gauss's law; potential; capacitance and dielectrics; electrical current and resistance; direct current and circuits; magnetic field and its sources; Faraday's law; inductance; alternating current circuits; electromagnetic waves; the Nature of Light and Geometric Optics; interference; diffraction and polarization; relativity concepts. I was one of the principal instructors from 2000 to 2003; enrollment during the four year averaged ~350 students per year, divided in three or four sections. In 2002 I received a letter of commendation from the Dean for my contribution to teaching.

Course Development

• I have developed, and taught, a new course, "Scientific Computing Tools for the Health Sciences", in which I have emphasized the choice and the application of Computing Tools to topics relevant to this discipline. The course was delivered for the first time in the fall of 2007.
• I was the coordinator of MTSC6140, a graduate course included in the Master of Materials Science program and also offered for the first time. My main tasks included: developing a curriculum for a team taught course, coordinating the lectures schedule and delivery, organizing lecture delivery based on the Access Grid technology, teaching two of the sections, organizing and marking midterms (2) and a final paper, managing the web-site and all other administrative tasks.
• I am currently working on a new curriculum for the Physics for Biosciences I and II courses, in which the biological application will be emphasized. These courses will be delivered by presenting a "biological problem scenario" that will serve as the introduction to the physics behind the solution of the problem. This is done in collaboration with Dr. Valeri Kapoustine.
• I am also currently developing a detailed curriculum for Forensic Physics, in collaboration with Dr. Shari Forbes. The curriculum aims at covering not only the "standard" forensic physics topics (ballistics, collisions, etc.) but to examine other sub-fields that have become relevant in the forensic science context, like optics and optical analysis theory, nuclear physics and radiation physics, acoustics, etc.

Student Mentorship Before 2006

From 1992 to 2002 I served as the assistant Supervisor for the Co-operative Education Program with the Metropolitan Separate School Board. The program involved the training and supervision of OAC high school students within a university environment. During this period I have supervised ten OAC students, following their progress and submitting a monthly report to the School Board liaison.

During my tenure as Senior Research Associate at UofT, I was the co-supervisor of four Master candidates and one Ph.D. candidate. My main role was to support them in the planning, execution and analysis of the experimental tasks.

From 2003 to 2004 I was the co supervisor of an undergraduate student at UOIT. The student collaborated in the initial development of the theoretical modeling technique for the analysis of the properties of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon [22].

In 2005 I was also the co supervisor of two summer students at UOIT.

Student Mentorship 2006-2008

• Summer 2006: Cosupervised (with Brian Nixon) two summer students. Deena Al-Saad and Trevor Sherk for the development of Scientific Computing Tools Courseware. Their work was presented in a poster at the 2006 UOIT Summer Student Research Day and involved preparation of a quiz Databank and the assessment of web delivered material.
• Summer 2006: Cosupervised (with Anatoli Chkrebtii) 5 summer students. Chris Bouley, Graham Nicholls, Justin Findlay, Mei Sun and Tim Teatro. Their work involved the modeling of the structure and the optoelectronic properties of amorphous silicon. Their results were presented in two posters at the 2006 UOIT Summer Student Research Day.
• Summer 2007: Supervised 2 undergraduate students during the summer (Iain Moyles and Ryan McVey) They were involved in setting up an experimental technique using a pico-second optical pulse laser.
• Summer 2007: Cosupervised (with Anatoli Chkrebtii) a Post Doctoral Fellow, Ihor Kupchak. Ihor was a major contributor to the development of a novel ab-initio Molecular Dynamics protocol for applications in the modeling of disordered systems. This work has so far resulted in two published paper and one paper submitted to Physical Review Letters.
• Summer 2007-present: I am currently an external co-supervisor for a doctoral student at the University of Toronto. Keith Leong work involves the characterization of Micro-crystalline Silicon and measurements of tail states in amorphous silicon.
• Fall 2007-present: I am also currently co-supervising (with Dr. W. Smith) a M.Sc. student (Shafiq Muhammad) for the Master in Materials Science program. Shafiq will be involved in the preparation and characterization of Carbon nanotubes, and in the optical characterization of amorphous silicon films. Shafiq is the recipient of the Continuing Graduate Student Scholarship in the amount of $3,000.00.
• Summer 2008: I continued the supervision of two undergraduate students (Ryan McVey and Iain Moyles), and employed a third undergraduate student (Anthony Boland) to work on "dye solar cells". Iain Moyles is the recipient of an undergraduate NSERC research scholarship in the amount of $6,000.00.

Other Professional Activities

1992-2003	Assistant Supervisor for the Co-operative Education Program with the Metropolitan Separate School Board.	University of Toronto Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
1998	Co-organizer of the "Italian-Canadian Workshop on Amorphous Materials Science and Technology"	University of Toronto Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Memberships & Affiliations

2006-Present	Member	APS, IEEE
2005-Present	President	INCA Canada. A non for profit association devoted to the issues of Italian-Canadians (pensions, citizenship, etc.)
1991-2003	Advisory Board Member	TORION Plasma Corporation
2006-Present	Advisory Board Member	Canadian Center for Italian Culture & Education
2003-2005	President	COMITES -Committee for Italians Abroad (a non-profit organization established by decree of the Consulate General of Italy)
1996-Present	Advisor	Committee for Cultural Affairs – Italian Consulate
1993-1996	President	Dante Society (a cultural organization with the mandate of promoting events of various nature both in the humanistic and scientific fields)
1985-1992	Advisory Board Member	Dante Society

Service and Contributions to the University and the Community

• Nov 15 2007 Member Selection Committee PHY1080 instructor.
• Member Physics hiring committee (2007-08 competition).
• February 24, 2007 Energy Forum at Pickering Commercial Centre.
• Poster preparation for 2007 UOIT open house and for the Energy and Environment Day.
• Participation in the Pickering bridge project.
• Currently involved in the promotion and finalization of a student and research exchange agreement with the Polytechnic Institute of Turin.
• Member: Science Safety Committee (2007-present).
• Member: UOIT Radiation Safety Committee (2008 – present).
• Member: NSERC undergraduate scholarship selection committee (Science, 2008).
• Member: Ontario Graduate Scholarship Committee (Physics, Ph.D. level, 2007: the appointment is for q three year period).
• Reviewer for the European Physical Journal of Applied Physics (EPJAP):
     Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys., 40, 125-128 (2007).
• Participated in UOIT University Fairs (2006-2007).
• Participated in both recruitment dinners for high school graduates (2008 Scholar’s Dinner) to promote UOIT. Prepared a 20 minutes presentation for visitors to promote the research programs at UOIT.
• Participated in the UOIT open house for the Faculty of Science (2006-08).
• Participated in the Team Canada visit (2007-08) and counselled three of the participants.
• Poster preparation for 2008 UOIT open house and for the Energy and Environment Day.
• Consultant for Councillor Anthony Perruzza (City of Toronto) on environmental issues.
• Was interviewed by OMNI TV (Italian version) on environmental issues and on UOIT (2007).
• Was interviewed on CHIN radio to promote UOIT (2008).
• Facilitated the production of a TV feature on UOIT by OMNI TV (2008).
• Served as Chair in two Master Committees for the Mechanical Engineering program (2008).
• Scientific and technical reviewer of the Proposal by Fantech Limited entitled "Energy Recovery System with Adjustable Humidity Transfer"., on behalf of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) (2008).
• Peer reviewer of the textbook "Physics for Scientists and Engineers by R.D. Knight (2008).
• Participated in an international scientific review panel (Rome, August 2008) to ascertain the merits of a new invention for cancer detection.