Sérgio Manuel de Sousa Pereira

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

2000 to 2005
PhD in Physics, rated as excellent in the jury written report. This PhD work was performed jointly at theDepartment of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK, and at the Physics Department of the University of Aveiro in Portugal.

1994 to 1999
Degree in Physics engineering (materials science branch). Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Top student award.

The last year of this 5-year degree, including the final year project, was performed in the UK at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, under the Socrates/Erasmus scheme (1999).

SELECTED HONORS and AWARDS

 -Gulbenkian foundation prize “Estimulo à Investigação 2006” in Nanotechnology. This prize, amounting 12 500 €, is awarded to the best young scientists working in Portugal in selected fields. Lisbon, 2006.

-The work “In_xGa_1-xN Nanostructures: Development of a Revolutionary Light Emitting Technology” obtained o the first place exequo in the young researchers contest in 2002.
Note: competition performed among young researchers (<35) of the UA that were nominee for the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU 2002) prize.

-Prize “CTT-Portuguese Mail” for the best student of the UA during the academic year 1999/2000, UA, (2000).

- Merit grant attributed by the Aveiro University for Exceptional Performance during the academic year 1997/1998. (1999).

-Prize “best abstract award” given by the UKNC (UK Nitrides Consortium- http://www.uknc.org/) organization, for the best scientific abstract submitted to the International Conference of Nitride Semiconductors (ICNS3) Montpellier, France, (5-9 July 1999).

- “Merit Grant” by the V. N. De Famalicão city Chambers. Prize attributed to students that obtained an exceptional performance during the university degree. (1999).

SCIENTIFIC TRACK RECORD AND EXPERTISE

Sérgio has published over 100 technical papers in high-quality ISI referenced peer reviewed international journals. His work has been featured as editor selection in several journals and cover story of high impact journals such as Advanced Materials and Advanced Functional Materials. His scientific papers have so far been cited over 2000 times , resulting in a Hirsch (h) factor of over 20 and an i-10 factor of over 50.

His research work is linked to the attribution of the Nobel prize in Physics in 2014, with Sérgio being co-author of two of the Nobel Laureates (I. Akasaki, H. Amano) and his papers being cited by the 3 Nobel receipts (Akasaki, Amano and S. Nakamura). Sérgio has also contributed with over 90 technical communications, including over 10 invited and keynote talks in internationally recognized conferences, workshops and schools and served as chair in several conferences. He has also co-organized four major international conferences.

Main expertise areas:

• Materials Science and Nanotechnology (nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and basic material properties at the nanoscale). Integration of top-down and bottom-up approaches for development of multifunctional semiconductor nanostructures.
• Development and optimization of the structural and optical properties nanostructured materials: quantum well and quantum dot structures, with application to light emitting diodes and LASER structures, semiconductor and metallic alloys with plasmonic properties for lab-on-a-chip applications.
• Application and development of micro and nano-structural characterization techniques for advanced materials; namely high resolution X-ray diffraction techniques (HR-XRD) Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM-TEM) and confocal microscopy.
• Development and optimization of thin film growth (MOVPE, sputtering, MBE), strain relaxation and surface phenomena, compositional analysis, doping and ion implantation in semiconductor thin films.
• Optical characterization of materials using: photoluminescence, catodoluminescence, absorption, Raman and confocal microscopy/spectroscopy;

Sergio's research interests span the whole range of experimental solid state Physics, however the most active areas under investigation in the last years have been focused on the field of nanostructured semiconductor materials for optoelectronic applications. Most published work so far is related to structural and optical properties of thin films of III–N luminescent semiconductors (InGaN/GaN). This research topic has been recognized with the Nobel prize in Physics in 2014.

More specific interests concern: 

-Structural and optical properties modelling of semiconductor thin films; single and multiple quantum wells and quantum dots with application to light emitting diodes. 

-Application and development of micro and nano-structural characterization techniques for advanced materials; namely high resolution X-ray diffraction techniques (HR-XRD) Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM-TEM) and confocal microscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).

-Thin film growth techniques (MOVPE, MBE, sputtering, PLD) optimization, compositional analysis strain relaxation and surface phenomena, doping and ion implantation of semiconductor thin films. 

-Technological development and characterization of novel compound semiconductors for application in light emitting devices in the visible spectral region.

National:

-Rosário Correia and Teresa Monteiro Physics Department, Univ. Aveiro 

-Katharina Lorenz, Eduardo Alves and Nuno Barradas, Nuclear and Technological Institute

-all the CICECO team

International:

- Kevin P. O’Donnell, R.W. Martin and Carol Trager-Cowan Strathclyde University (UK) 
-Ian Watson, The Institute of photonics (UK) 
-Jean Frandon, University Paul Sabatier (France)
-Bernard Gil and Olivier Briot, CNRS- University Montpellier (France) 
-Yasushi Nanishi, Ritsumeikan University (Japan)
- Arup Neogi, Univ. Texas (USA)
-Tony Llopis, Duke University(USA)
-Slava Kachkanov, Diamond Light Source

-Colin Humphreys, GaN Cambridge center(UK)

Industry: 

-Ruud Balkenende, Philips Research Laboratories (NL)
-Patricia Kidd PANalytical Research Centre (UK)

Molecular and Nano Tools for Cancer Theranostics
Reference: EXCL/QEQ-MED/0233/2012
End dates: 31-05-2016
Funding source: FCT
Global Funding (€):496 065,00 €     
Status (Participant/ Principal): Participant
Principal Researcher at CICECO: S. Pereira
Key words:Nanoscience, Theranostics, Cancer, Specific Radiopharmaceuticals, Nuclear Medicine

Novel light emitting heterostructures with plasmonic coupling to metal nanocrystals
Reference: PTDC/CTM/101453/2008
End dates: 12-12-2013
Funding source: FCT
Funding for UA (€):95 000 € 
Status (Participant/ Principal): Principal
Principal Researcher at CICECO: S. Pereira
Key words: Optoelectronics, Group III-Nitride quantum heterostructures, Nanoscale fabrication and manipulation, Metallic Nanocrystals

Free-charge carrier properties and doping mechanisms of InN-based materials
Reference: PTDC/FIS/100448/2008
End dates: 1-6-2013
Funding source: FCT
Global Funding (€):188 000 €           
Status (Participant/ Principal): Participant
Principal Researcher at CICECO: S. Pereira
Key words: Semiconductor thin films and nanostructures, group-III nitrides, doping and conductivity, structural properties and defects.

Ternary and quaternary nitride alloys for lattice matched heterostructures: Novel materials for high efficiency field effect transistors and optoelectronic devices
Reference: PTDC/FIS/65233/2006 (extended)
End dates: 1-09-2011
Global Funding (€):153.240,00
Status (Participant/ Principal): Participant
Principal Researcher at CICECO: S. Pereira
Key words: Nitrides, AlInN, Strain, Nanostructures
 

MULTIFOX: Nanometric Probing and Modification of Multiferroic Oxides
Reference: PTDC/FIS/105416/2008
End dates: 1-1-2013
Global Funding (€):180 000 €
Status (Participant/ Principal): Participant
Principal Researcher at CICECO: Vitor Amaral
Key words: Multiferroic, magnetic, piezoforce microscopy, nanostructured materials

Book Chapters

Co-authorship with the Nobel Laureates of Physics in 2014, Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano.

-Phonons and Free-Carrier Properties of Binary, Ternary, and Quaternary Group-III Nitride Layers Measured by Infrared Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, by A. Kasic, M. Schubert, J. Off, B. Kuhn, F. Scholz, S. Einfeldt, T. Böttcher, D. Hommel, D. J. As, U. Koehler, A. Dadgar, A. Krost, Y. Saito, Y. Nanishi, M. R. Correia, S. Pereira, V. Darakchieva, B. Monemar, H. Amano, I. Akasaki, G. Wagner in “Group III-Nitrides and Their Heterostructures: Growth, Characterization and Applications” edited by F. Bechstedt, B. K. Meyer and M. Stutzmann (Wiley-VCH, Berlin, 2003) ISBN 3-527-40475-9.

-Importance of Residual Stresses at the Nanoscale and Stress and melting temperature at the nanoscale” by G Guisbiers and S Pereira in Nanotechnology Research: New Nanostructures, Nanotubes and Nanofibers Edited by Xiaohua Huang, Nova Sciences Publishers (2008) ISBN:978-1-60021-902-3

Selection of representative papers divided by key topics of research interest:

1) Semiconductor Physics, Modeling and Properties of Nanomaterials

H. C. L. Tsui, L. E. Goff, S. K. Rhode, S. Pereira, H. E. Beere,   I. Farrer, C. A. Nicoll, D. A. Ritchie, and M. A. Moram “Band gaps of wurtzite ScGaN alloys", Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 132103 (2015).

J. Lin, A. Llopis, A. Krokhin, S. Pereira, I. M. Watson, and A. Neogi, Comparison of electrostatic and localized plasmon induced light enhancement in hybrid InGaN/GaN quantum wells Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 242106 (2014).

A. Llopis, S.M.S. Pereira, I.M. Watson, and A. Neogi “Plasmonic modification of electron-longitudinal-optical phonon coupling in Ag-nanoparticle embedded InGaN/GaN quantum wells” Applied Physics Letters, 105, 091103 (2014).

-A. Llopis, J. Lin, S. M. S. Pereira, T. Trindade, M. A. Martins, I. M. Watson, A. A. Krokhin, A. Neogi, “Electrostatic mechanism of strong enhancement of light emitted by semiconductor quantum wells”, Physical Review B-rapid communications , 87, 20 (2013).

-M. Mahat and A Llopis and R. D. Schaller and I. Watson, S. Pereira and A. Neogi “Carrier-induced nonlinearities in InGaN/GaN quantum wells with V-pits” MRS Communications 2, (2) 55-60 (2012) -Top 10 most downloaded Research Letters in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

-M. Kazan, G. Guisbiers, S. Pereira et al., "Thermal conductivity of silicon bulk and nanowires: Effects of isotopic composition, phonon confinement, and surface roughness" Journal of Applied Physics 107, 083503, (2010).

-M. Kazan, S. Pereira, M.R. Correia, P. Masri, “Contribution of optical phonon decay into acoustic phonons to the thermal conductivity in AlN” Phys. Rev. B 77, 180302(R) (2008).

-M. Kazan, S. Pereira, M. R. Correia et al., "Directional dependence of AlN intrinsic complex dielectric function, optical phonon lifetimes, and decay channels measured by polarized infrared reflectivity" Journal of Applied Physics 106, 023523 (2009).

-G. Guisbiers, M. Kazan, O. VanOverschelde, M. Wautelet, S. Pereira,“Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Metallic and Semiconductive Nanostructures”, J. Phys. Chem. C 112 (11), 4097-4103 (2008).

-M. Kazan, S. Pereira J. Coutinho, M. R. Correia and P. Masri “Role of optical phonon in Ge thermal conductivity” Applied Physics Letters 92, 211903 (2008).

-G. Guisbiers and S Pereira, “Theoretical investigation of the size and shape effects on the melting temperature of ZnO nanostructures”, Nanotechnology 18 (43), 435710 (2007).

-G. Itskos, G. Heliotis, P. G. Lagoudakis, J. Lupton, N.P. Barradas, E. Alves, S. Pereira, I. M. Watson, M. D. Dawson, J. Feldmann, R. Murray and D. D. C. Bradley “Efficient Förster coupling of Mott-Wannier and Frenkel excitons in (Ga,In)N quantum well/ polyfluorene semiconductor heterostructures” Phys. Rev. B. 76  035344 (2007).-Featured in Virtual J. of Ultrafast Science-

2) Wide bandgap semiconductors: physics and materials characterization

T. T. Carvalho, F. G. Figueiras, S.M.S. Pereira et al. “Deposition parameters and annealing key role in setting structural and polar properties of Bi0.9La0.1Fe0.9Mn0.1O3 thin films”, Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Electronics, 28:17, 12690-12697 (2017).

-H C L Tsui, L E Goff, N P Barradas, E Alves and S Pereira, “Composition measurement of epitaxial ScxGa1-xN films” Semiconductor Science and Technology, 31:6, 064002 (2016).

-H. C. L. Tsui, L. E. Goff, N. P. Barradas, E. Alves, S. Pereira, H. E. Beere, I. Farrer, C. A. Nicoll, D. A. Ritchie, M. A. Moram. The effect of metal-rich growth conditions on the microstructure of ScxGa1−x N films grown using molecular beam epitaxy. physica status solidi (a) 212:12, 2837-2842, (2015).

-A. Llopis, J. Lin, J. Y. Li S. Pereira and A. Neogi., "Carrier Dynamics in UV InGaN Multiple Quantum Well Inverted Hexagonal Pits," IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 15 (5), 1400-1405 (2009).

-C. R. Belton, G. Itskos, G. Heliotis, P. N. Stavrinou, P. G. Lagoudakis, J. Lupton, S. Pereira, E. Gu, C. Griffin, B. Guilhabert, I. M. Watson, A. R. Mackintosh, R. A. Pethrick, J. Feldmann, R. Murray, M. D. Dawson, D. D. C. Bradley, “New light from hybrid inorganic-organic emitters” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 41, 094006 (2008). -Invited paper-

-S. Pereira, K. P. O’Donnell and E.Alves “Role of nanoscale strain inhomogeneity on the light emission from InGaN epilayers”,Advanced Functional Materials 17, 37 (2007).

-Highlighted as cover story-

-C. J. Deatcher, C. Liu, S. Pereira, M. Lada, A. G. Cullis, O. Brandt and I. M.Watson ”In Situ Optical Reflectometry Applied to Growth of Indium Gallium Nitride Epilayers and Multi Quantum Well Structures” Semicond. Sci. Technol. 18 212 (2003).

-S. Pereira, M. R. Correia, E. Pereira E. Alves C. Trager-Cowan and K. P. O’Donnell  “Compositional pulling effects in In_xGa_1-xN layers: A combined Rutherford backscattering and depth resolved Cathodoluminescence study.” Phys. Rev. B 64, 205311 (2001).

-S. Pereira, M. R. Correia, T. Monteiro, E. Pereira, E. Alves, A. D. Sequeira, N. Franco “Compositional dependence of the strain-free optical bandgap in In_xGa_1-xN layers” Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 2137 (2001).

-K. P. O’Donnell, J. F. Mosselmans, R.W. Martin, S. Pereira and M.E. White “Structural analysis of InGaN Epilayers” J. Phys. Condens. Matter, 13 6977 (2001). -Invited Paper-

S. Pereira, M. R. Correia, E. Pereira, C. Trager-Cowan, F. Sweeney, K. P. O’Donnell, E. Alves, N. Franco and A. D. Sequeira “Structural and optical properties of InGaN/GaN layers close to the critical layer thickness” Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 1207 (2002);

-Work cited by the 3 Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics in 2014-

-M. R. Correia, S. Pereira, E. Pereira, J. Frandon, M. A. Renucci and E. Alves “Raman studies of A₁ (LO) phonon mode on relaxed and pseudomorphic InGaN epilayers” Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 4761 (2003).

3) Thin Films: Surface Phenomena and Advanced Characterization

T. T. Carvalho, F. G. Figueiras, S.M.S. Pereira et al. “Deposition parameters and annealing key role in setting structural and polar properties of Bi0.9La0.1Fe0.9Mn0.1O3 thin films”, Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Electronics, 28:17, 12690-12697 (2017).

-S. M. de Sousa Pereira, M. A. Martins, T. Trindade, I. M. Watson, D. Zhu, C. J. Humphreys “Controlled Integration of Nanocrystals in Inverted Hexagonal Nano-Pits at the Surface of Light-Emitting Heterostructures”, Advanced Materials 20 (5), 1038 (2008).).- Highlighted as cover story-

-R. Zhachuk, B. Olshanetsky, J. Coutinho and S. Pereira., "Electronic effects in the formation of apparently noisy scanning tunneling microscopy images of Sr on Si(111)-7x7" Physical Review B 81 165424,  (2010).

-Highlited in PRB Kaleidoscope April 2010-

-R. Zhachuk and S. Pereira “Comment on "Atomic structure model of the reconstructed Si(557) surface with a triple step structure: Adatom-parallel dimer model" Physical Review B 79, 077401, (2009).

-R. Zhachuk, S. Teys, B. Olshanetsky, and S. Pereira, “Speed determination of single Sr adatoms moving within Si(111)-7x7 half unit cells” Applied Physics Letters 95, 061901 (2009).

-N.P. Barradas, E. Alves, S. Pereira, and I. M. Watson, “RBS analysis of InGaN/GaN quantum wells for hybrid structures with efficient Förster coupling”, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 266, 1402 (2008).

-S. Teys, B. Olshanetsky, R. Zhachuk, S. Pereira, and G. Norga, “Sr induced striped surface reconstructions formed on Si(111)”  Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 161912 (2008).

-N. P. Barradas, E. Alves, S. Pereira, V. V. Shvartsman, A. L. Kholkin, E. Pereira, K. P. O’Donnell, C. Liu, C. J. Deatcher, I. M. Watson and M. Mayer “Roughness in GaN/InGaN films and multilayers determined with Rutherford backscattering” Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 217, 479 (2004).

-S. Pereira, E. Pereira, E. Alves, N. P. Barradas, K. P. O’Donnell, C. Liu, C. J. Deatcher and I. M. Watson “Depth profiling InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells by Rutherford backscattering: The role of intermixing.” Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 2950 (2002).

4) Nanomaterials and characterization for nanomedicine applications

-A. S. Pereira, J. F. B. Barata, V. I. R. C. Vaz Serra, S. Pereira,T. Trindade “A green method for the preparation of fluorescent hybrid structures of gold and corrole” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 17:10,1 (2015).

-I. Pirmettis, Y. Arano, T. Tsotakos, K. Okada, A. Yamaguchi, T. Uehara, M. Morais, J. D. G. Correia, I. Santos, M. Martins, S. Pereira et al. “New Tc-99m(CO)(3) Mannosylated Dextran Bearing S-Derivatized Cysteine Chelator for Sentinel Lymph Node Detection”, Mol. Pharmaceut 9 (6), 1681 (2012).

-M. Morais, S. Subramanian, U. Pandey, G. Samuel, M. Venkatesh, M. Martins, S. Pereira, J.D.G. Correia and I. Santos “Mannosylated Dextran Derivatives Labeled with fac-[M(CO)3]+ (M = 99mTc, Re) for Specific Targeting of Sentinel Lymph Node” Molecular Pharmaceutics  8 (2), 609 (2011).

-M. A. Martins, S. Fateixa, A. V. Girao S. Pereira and T. Trindade., "Shaping Gold Nanocomposites with Tunable Optical Properties", Langmuir 26, 11407-11412 (2010).

Teaching/Lecturing

-Lecturer in the integrated PhD programme of the subjects “Advanced topics in Physics I” and “Current Themes in Physics” University of Aveiro (2011-2013).

-Lecturer in selected topics of the EMMS, the Joint European Master’s Programme in Materials Science, Univesity of Aveiro. (2006-2009).

-Assistant in the subjects; Mechanics, General Physics, Electromagnetism, Waves, Solid State Physics and Semiconductors, covering students from the first to the fourth year of several courses of science and engineering at the Aveiro University in Portugal (1999-2004).

-Assistant lecturer of the subject “General Physics” at the Department of Physics of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. (2000-2001).

Supervision

PhD and Post postdoctoral (students) grants

-Drª Angela Pereira (SFRH/BPD/44398/2008)

-Dr. Michel Kazan (FCT Project grant, later SFRH/BPD/39121/2007)

-Dr. Gregory Guisbiers (SFRH/BPD/34727/2007)

-Drª Patricia Lima (SFRH/BPD/34365/2006)

-Dr. Ruslan Zhachuck (SFRH/BPD/38291/2007)

-Drª Ana Violeta Girão (FCT Project Grant, SFRH/BPD/66407/2009)

- Manuel Martins (FCT project grant, current SFRH/BPD/89563/2012/)

Master students (EMMS European Masters in Materials Science)

-Amsalu Mute Soboki

-Thelge Chaminda Peiris

-Seyed Mohammad Goushegir

-Dechan Angmo

-Fikado Salvador

-Shifa Redi

Graduate Students with final year thesis supervision

-Paula Pinheiro

-Sónia Pereira