Matthew M. Waite

Welcome to my homepage. My name is Matthew M. Waite, and I am an Associate Professor at the West Chester University, in West Chester, PA. I have been here since July of 2001.

During the Spring semester of 2010 I am teaching the following:

1) Introductory Physics II: Physics 180- Physics II

3) and the upper level Physics 240-Modern Physics, which covers 20th century physics.

Personal Stuff:

I did my undergraduate studies at Gettsyburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Site of the famous Civil War Battle, and they don't let you forget it there! As a friend of mind once commented, it was a really good place to have a battle because there are all those statues and monuments to hide behind.

After I left Gettysburg (the first time) I headed to the "Small Wonder," Delaware, to attend the University of Delaware for graduate school. My research dealt with diamond thin films, and other thin films. My primary research had to do with the initial nucleation and growth of diamond thin films on various materials. I was fortunate enough to study under Dr. S. Ismat Shah at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, DE. Dr. Shah and I published a number of letters and papers during my time in graduate school. He is now a full professor in the Departments of Material Science and Engineering as well as Physics at the University of Delaware. I finished my degree requirements in July of 1995 and headed back to Gettysburg.

Although I really liked working at Gettysburg, I'm happy that I was forced to move. With the exception of the heat, I enjoyed my time in Texas alot. Dallas is a fun city, and my colleagues at the University of Dallas are exceptional. They are the part of TX that I miss the most. But I'm glad to be back East....guess I'm just a hopeless Yank.

Current Research Interests:

Currently there are four projects I am actively involved in:

1) The growth and investigation of Fe-Pt thin films for high density magnetic storage media.

2) The growth and investigation of MnSi thin films as ferromagnetic semiconductors. These films have potential for use in applications ranging from thermoelectrics, to optoelectrics, to photovoltaics, and other silicon-based electronics applications.

3) The growth and investigation of Pt-Si thin films for use in microelectronic applicattions such as in MOSFET's. The low resistivity of metal silicides allows for the scaling down of MOSFETs, to the several nanometer range of gate lengths.

4) I am preparing a text on Electronics for the undergraduate physics major. Most of the electroncsi text I have reviewed and considered over the past 15 years have been primarily directed at the electical engineering undergraduate student. Although this is, in many respect, adequate, I have been desiring a text that delved more into the fundamental behavior of the electronic devices and the physics behind their behavior. With a solid understanding of this, the applicaitons and an understanding of why the applicaitons work should be apparent. It's a slightly, but I feel important, different approach.

Favorite Links:

I am a MAC user. I just don't understand why more people aren't. MAC's make computing so much easier.

I am a new's junkie. The best place I've found on the web to catch up to date news is at the BBC site.

Another favorite is the FoxTrot cartoon. Bill Amend incorporates alot of physics humor (if there is such a thing) in this cartoon. And it all seems to relate to my classes!