Dr Juan Pereiro Viterbo

(he/him)

Research

I am interested in assisting the development of new technologies by creating basic understanding of epitaxial mechnisms as well as of the stability of metallic and semiconducting thin films.

Along my career I have worked with a wide range of material systems and physical properties in world leading groups. My research interests include:

• III-V semiconductors and nanostructures.
• Integration of dissimilar materials.
• Metal-Semiconductor interfaces.
• Magnetic materials (magnetic semiconductors in particular).
• 2D materials epitaxial growth and properties.
• Heterostructures that enable interface superconductivity.

My current research focuses on the study of nucleation and relaxation phenomena in thin films and nanostructures of III-As semiconductors, as well as their integration on dissimilar substrates.

Cardiff University LEEM laboratory hosts a unique Molecular Beam Epitaxy/Low Energy Electron Microscope system that allows real-time imaging of real and reciprocal space of the surface of the sample during epitaxial growth with atomic resolution in z axis and 5 nanometer resolution in x-y directions. A number of in-situ characterization tools are being developed to facilitate our interaction with academic and industrial partners.

I have strong expertise developing instrumentation and experiments dedicated to the growth and characterisation of electronic and physical properties of thin films. I am currently interested in the development of Artificial Intelligence methods to potentiate Low Energy Electron Microscopy capabilities.

I am also member of the Institute of Physics' Semiconductors Physics group committee. Member of the EPSRC peer review college and regularly review for IOP, AIP, APS and Elsevier journals.

Currently I am also guest editor for a special issue of MDPI Sensors.

Teaching

I am Director of Learning and Teaching at the School of Physics and Astronomy in Cardiff University.

I am module organiser of 3rd year Atomic and Nuclear Physics module (20 credit) and deputy module organiser of Optics module.

I am very interested in Learning and Teaching methodology for Higher Education. I am fellow of the Higher Education Academy (now Advanced Higher Education) and recently completed a Post-graduate certificate on University Learning and Teaching at Cardiff University.

I am a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee. I participate in outreach opportunities promoting STEM education and the research taking place at Cardiff University (I have participated in initiatives such as: Innovation in Isolation, Science Cafe, I am a Scientist get me out of here, the night of the researchers, etc.)

Biography

I received a PhD in Physics at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM-ISOM) in November 2009. My research was based on: the epitaxial growth of III-N by Molecular Beam Epitaxy; the characterisation of the thin films and heterostructures using mainly scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and x-ray diffraction growth; fabrication of devices in a cleanroom environment; characterization of photodetectors and assessment and re-design of heterostructures.

Following my PhD, I was appointed as a research fellow in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and worked as a visiting scientist in Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY, USA) at Dr. Ivan Bozovic's Molecular Beam Epitaxy group. My work was focused on building understanding of interface superconductivity and the search for new superconducting mechanisms which could potentially enable higher superconducting critical temperatures. In particular, I studied La2-xSrxCuO4 nanostructure formation, participated in the discovery of a metal to insulator transition in WO3 thin films, and applied Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM) to the imaging of viruses.

Next, I was appointed as a post-doctoral fellow at UCSD (San Diego, CA, USA) in Prof. Ivan K. Schuller's group, where I worked on the growth and characterization of superconductors and magnetic materials. I participated in the discovery of a new magnetic material and in the development of understanding on the characterisation of superconductor materials and the effect of disorder in traditional supercondutors.

I arrived to Cardiff University in November 2014, attracted by the potential of the III-As Low Energy Electron Microscopy system. In 2016 I was granted a Marie Sokolowska Curie fellowship.

Honours and awards

FPI fellowship (Researcher Personnel Training) from Madrid government (Granted: 2004, duration: 4 years)

Awarded with IBS young scientist fellowship in 2014

Memberships: Institute of Physics
Member of Committee Semiconductors Physics Group IOP
Marie Curie Fellow starting September 2016

Fellow of the EPSRC peer review college

Referee in peer reviewed publications for American Institute of Physics, American Physical Society, Institute of Physics, IEEE and Elsevier.

Supervisions

Current supervision

Matyo Ivanov

Research student