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Professor Nicholas Braithwaite

Professor of Engineering Physics

The Open University Faculty of Science Department of Physical Sciences

+44 (0)1908 653229
x 53229

Profile

I joined the Physics and Astronomy Department in August 2004 after many years in the Department of Materials Engineering at The Open University. 

Qualifications

BSc Physics (UMIST)

MSc The Science and Application of Electric Plasmas (Oxford)

DPhil Thermally produced caesium plasmas (Oxford)

FInstP

Teaching Interests

I enjoy the challenge of teaching in general and especially topics relating to classical physics, electronics, electricity and magnetism.  The preparation of OU teaching resources, including activities beyond the text, benefit from team based approaches, which provide a stimulating envirnoment for work.  I remain an enthusiastic face-to-face teacher and find residential schools an exciting place to be. 

In the Technology Faculty I worked on T201 Materials in Action and its successor T203, and T356 Artificial Intelligence for Technology.  I also led the production of T354 Inside Electronic Devices and T207 The Engineer as Problem Solver. 

Since joining the Department to Physics and Astronomy, I have contributed to the production of SMT359 Electromagnetism and S189 Understanding the Weather.

Research Interests

My research is in plasma physics - a broad field that stretches from the interactions of charged particles with solid surfaces on a scale of micrometres to stars and the interstellar medium.  I have mainly concentrated at the beginning of this range with studies of plasmas formed from electrical discharges in gasses as part of technological applications relating to the manufacture of semi-conductors.

Current Research Projects

UK Nonthermal Plasma Network (with Liverpool and Glasgow, EPSRC)

Studies of Magnetron Plasmas (with Liverpool and Salford, EPSRC)

Wafer Bonding (previously DTI, EPSRC Studentship)

Atmospheric Plasmas (Industry)

 

Publications

Authored Book
Chabert, Pascal and Braithwaite, Nicholas (2011). Physics of Radio-Frequency Plasmas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Conference Item
Morlock, A.; Sutton, Y. C.; Patel, M.; Braithwaite, N. St. J and Grady, M. M. (2011). Simulation of gas-grain collisions: a mechanism for chondrule formation. In: 74th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, 8-12 August 2011, London, UK.
Johnson, P. C.; Sutton, Y.; Sharp, D.; Moore, J. and Braithwaite, N. St. J (2011). Characteristics of a transition discharge in air through N2 spectroscopy. In: TPW 8th Technological Plasma Workshop , 6-7 January 2011, Bristol.
Morlock, A.; Sutton, Y. C.; Patel, M.; Braithwaite, N. St. J. and Grady, M. M. (2011). Simulation of gas-grain collisions: a mechanism for chrondrule formation. In: 74th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, 8-12 August 2011, London, UK.
Morlock, A.; Sutton, Y. C.; Braithwaite, N. St.J. and Grady, M. M. (2011). Even more chondrules born in plasma: simulation of gas-grain collisions. In: 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 7-11 March 2011, Houston, TX, USA.
Sutton, Y.; Naidis, G. V.; Johnson, P. C.; Sharp, D.; Moore, J. and Braithwaite, N. St.J (2010). Visualising gas heating from an RF plasma loudspeaker. In: GEC & IRCP 2010, Paris, France.
Morlock, A.; Sutton, Y. C.; Braithwaite, N. St.J and Grady, M. M. (2010). Chondrules born in plasma: laboratory simulations of circumstellar processes. In: 73rd Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, 26-30 July 2010, New York City, USA.
Sutton, Y.; Johnson, P. C.; Sharp, D.; Moore, J. and Braithwaite, N. St.J (2010). Ausio sound reproduction by thermal expansion in an RF generated plasma. In: Institute of Physics Plasma Physics Group Conference 2010, March 2010.
Morlock, Andreas; Sutton, Yvonne; Braithwaite, N. St.J and Grady, Monica (2010). Experiments in chondrule formation: simulations of gas-grain collisions using plasma arcs. In: Lunar and Planetary Society Meeting 2010, March 2010, Houston.
Sutton, Y.; Naidis, G. V.; Johnson, P. C.; Moore, J.; Sharp, D. and Braithwaite, N. St.J (2009). Cylindrical RF discharge with free boundary at atmospheric pressure. In: International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases, 17-19 July 2009, Cancun Mexico.
Ptasinska, Sylwia; Bahnev, Blagovest; Stypczynska, Agnieszka; Bowden, Mark; Braithwaite, Nicholas St.J. and Mason, Nigel J. (2009). The effect of a cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet on DNA. In: XXVI International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 22-28 July 2009, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.
Smialek, M. A.; Hoffman, S. V.; Folkard, M.; Prise, K. M.; Shuker, D. E. G.; Braithwaite, N. St. J. and Mason, N. J. (2008). VUV irradiation studies of plasmid DNA in aqueous solution. In: Radiation Damage in Biomolecular Systems, 19-22 July 2007, Dublin.
Sestak, S.; Franchi, I.; Verchovsky, A.B.; Al-Kuzee, J.; Braithwaite, N St.J and Burnett, D.S. (2006). Application of semiconductor industry cleaning technologies for Genesis sample collectors. In: 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 13-17 March 2006, Houston, Texas, USA.
Journal Article
Masteika, V.; Kowal, J.; Braithwaite, N St.J and Rogers, T. (2013). The effect of atmospheric moisture on crack propagation in the interface between directly bonded silicon wafers. Microsystem Technologies, 19(5), pp. 705–712.
Brihoum, Melsia; Cunge, Gilles; Darnon , Maxime; Gahan, David; Joubert, Olivier and Braithwaite, Nicholas St.J (2013). Ion flux and ion distribution function measurements in synchronously pulsed inductively coupled plasmas. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, 31(2),
Sutton, Yvonne C.; Johnson, Peter C.; Naidis, George V.; Sharp, David and Braithwaite, Nicholas St. J. (2012). A numerical and experimental investigation of an axially symmetric RF plasma. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 45(45),
Mitea, S.; Zelznik, M.; Bowden, M. D.; May, P. W.; Fox, N. A.; Hart, J. N.; Fowler, C.; Stevens , R. and Braithwaite, N. StJ. (2012). Generation of microdischarges in diamond substrates. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 21(2), 022001.
Samara, V.; Bowden, M. and Braithwaite, N. St.J. (2012). Modulation of microwave resonance probes. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 21(2),
Sutton, Yvonne; Moore, John; Sharp, David and Braithwaite, Nicholas St.J (2011). Looking into a plasma loudspeaker. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 39(11), pp. 2146–2147.
Verdonck, Patrick; Šamara, Vladimir; Goodyear, Alec; Ferchichi, Abdelkarim; Van Besien, Els; Baklanov, Mikhail R. and Braithwaite, Nicholas (2011). Influence of the ion bombardment of O2 plasmas on low-k materials. Thin Solid Films, 520(1), pp. 464–468.
Stypczynska, Agnieszka; Ptasinska, Sylwia; Bahnev, Blagovest; Bowden, Mark; Braithwaite, Nicholas St. J. and Mason, Nigel J. (2010). The influence of amino acids on DNA damage induced by cold plasma radiation. Chemical Physics Letters, 500(4-6), pp. 313–317.
Ptasinska, Sylwia; Bahnev, Blagovest; Stypczynska, Agnieszka; Bowden, Mark; Mason, Nigel and Braithwaite, Nicholas St. J. (2010). DNA strand scission induced by a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 12(28), pp. 7779–7781.
Šamara, V.; Bowden, M. D. and Braithwaite, N. St. J. (2010). Effect of power modulation on properties of pulsed capacitively coupled radiofrequency discharges. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 43(12), p. 124017.
Kowal, J.; Nixon, T.; Aitken, N. and Braithwaite, N. St. J. (2009). Surface activation for low temperature wafer fusion bonding by radicals produced in an oxygen discharge. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 155(1), pp. 145–151.
Franklin, R, N, and Braithwaite, N, St. J . (2009). Electron plasma waves and plasma resonances. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 18(1), pp. 1–4.
Franklin, R. N. and Braithwaite, N. St. J. (2009). 80 Years of Plasma. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 18(1), pp. 1–3.
Braithwaite, N. St. J.; LauroTaroni, L.; Haas, F. A. and Turner, M. M. (2008). Displacement of charge and conduction current in collisionless planar sheaths during voltage transients. Contributions to Plasma Physics, 48(5-7), pp. 412–417.
Counsell, G.; de Vere, A. P. C.; Braithwaite, N St.J; Hillier, S. and Bjorkman, P. (2006). On the use of a capacitive diaphragm gauge for dust detection in next-step fusion devices. Review of Scientific Instruments, 77(9), 093501-1.
Bradley, J.W.; Clarke, G.C.B.; Braithwaite, N. St.J.; Bryant, P.M. and Kelly, P.J. (2006). Time resolved 2-D optical imaging of a pulsed unbalanced magnetron plasma. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 15(2), S44-S50.
Haas, F.A.; Al-Kuzee, J. and Braithwaite, N. St.J. (2005). Electron and ion sheath effects on a microwave 'hairpin' probe. Applied Physics Letters, 87(201503),
Piejak, R.B.; Al-Kuzee, J. and Braithwaite, N St.J (2005). Hairpin resonator probe measurements in RF plasmas. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 14(4), pp. 734–743.
Al-Kuzee, J.; Matsuura, T.; Goodyear, A.; Nolle, L.; Hopgood, A. A.; Picton, P. D. and Braithwaite, N. St.J. (2004). Optimization of plasma etch processes using evolutionary search methods with in situ diagnostics. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 13(4), pp. 612–622.
Braithwaite, N.St.J. and Matsuura, T. (2004). Plasma processing of materials at the atomic scale. Contributions to Plasma Physics, 44(5-6), pp. 478–484.
Lauro-Taroni, L.; Turner, M.M. and Braithwaite, N.St.J. (2004). Analysis of the excited argon atoms in the GEC RF reference cell by means of one-dimensional PIC simulations. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 37(16), pp. 2216–2222.
Verdonck, Partick; Goodyear, Alec and Braithwaite, Nicholas St John (2004). The Influence of diffusion of fluorine compounds for silicon lateral etching. Thin Solid Films, 459(1-2), pp. 141–144.
Liu, X.W.; Hopgood, A.A.; Usher, B.F.; Wang, H. and Braithwaite, N.St.J. (2003). Formation of misfit dislocations in strained-layer GaAs/InxGa1–xAs/GaAs heterostructures during postfabrication thermal processing. Journal of Applied Physics, 94(12), pp. 7496–7501.
Braithwaite, N.St.J.; Sheridan, T.E. and Boswell, R.W. (2003). Transient RF self-bias in electropositive and electronegative plasmas. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 36(22), pp. 2837–2844.
Haas, F.A.; Goodyear, A. and Braithwaite, N.St.J (2002). The electron distribution function at an RF planar probe due to an incident electron beam. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 11(4), pp. 544–549.
Nolle, L.; Goodyear, A.; Hopgood, A.A.; Picton, P.D. and Braithwaite, N.St.J (2002). Automated control of an actively compensated Langmuir probe system using simulated annealing. Knowledge-Based Systems, 15(5-6), pp. 349–354.
Verdonck, P.; Goodyear, A.; Mansano, R.D.; Barroy, P.R.J. and Braithwaite, N St.J. (2002). Importance of fluorine surface diffusion for plasma etching of silicon. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures, 20(3), pp. 791–796.
Barroy, P.R.J.; Goodyear, A. and Braithwaite, N.St.J (2002). Sheath reversal during transient radio-frequency bias. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 30(issue), pp. 148–149.
Beck, Alison J.; Candan, Sennur; Short, Robert D.; Goodyear, Alec and Braithwaite, Nick St.J. (2001). The Role of ions in the plasma polymerization of allylamine. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 105(24), pp. 5730–5736.
Patent
Braithwaite, Nick; Al-Kuzee, Jafar; Lima, Paulo and Kowal, Jan; The Open University (2009). Surface activation and direct bonding of semiconductor wafers. GB 2458256.