Research Interests
Growth and characterization of semiconductors, ceramic thin films and ceramic coatings, kinetics and mechanisms of creep in ceramic materials.
Education
Ph.D. Ceramic Engineering, U.C. Berkeley
1970
M.S. Ceramic Engineering, Pennsylvania State University 1966
B.S. Ceramic Engineering, NCSU 1964
Background and Research
Bob Davis worked as a research scientist at Corning Glass Works prior to joining the NCSU faculty in 1972.
A principal focus of one of Davis' teams of scholars is the growth and structural, microstructural, chemical, optical and electrical characterization of thin films of wide band gap semiconductors, including diamond, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride, gallium nitride and indium nitride. The students conduct this research in collaboration with another of Davis' teams which has the responsibility of device-related research, as well as the actual fabrication and characterization of working electronic and optoelectronic devices. Examples of these devices include high-power and high-temperature transistors, blue-light emitting diodes and high-storage capacitors. The applications of these devices include the control of electrical equipment, high storage of information on compact disks and storage of electrical charge. A third student team is conducting research concerned with various types of coatings for employment as storage capacitors for next generation electrical vehicles, thermal and erosion barriers on selected components of turbine engines and for containing radioactive wastes.