Dr. Sam Kassegne
holds a Ph.D. degree in engineering mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University. His research interests are in the
areas of MEMS, polymer photovoltaic technology, bio-nanoelectronics,
and integrated micro- and nano-fabrication technologies. His experimental
research work is focused primarily in Organic-MEMS, novel
applications of microfluidics/nanofluidics and microarray technology,
and new bio-nanoelectronics platforms. His lab has a strong focus
on developing the next generation of integrated micro- and nano-lithography
technology for a variety of application areas. Other focus areas
include MEMS-based IMUs.
Dr. Kassegne
has an extensive industrial experience in MEMS, biotech and computational
sciences acquired through his employment at Nanogen, Microfabrica
and Bentley Systems in Southern California. He also has consulted
for the following companies: Corning/Intellisense, SAIC, Nevada
Nanotech, OxyHeal, ERC, OmniTech, KeyMark Engineering, Game Changers,
Cooley LLP, and Nokia. Further, as evidenced by the breadth
and depth of his publication records and the companies he has
consulted for, Dr. Kassegne has a unique engineering background
that spans a number of engineering disciplines.
Dr. Kassegne's
research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, DOE
(through von Liebig Center) San Diego Foundation, CSUPERB, AlphaTec,
and Amco (Korea). He has also taught MEMS & FEA courses at
UCSD and UCI where he was a visiting scientist at his mentor's
Marc Madou's Lab.
Our new Solar Fab & Class 100 Microfabrication Facilities.
Courses
Taught
Research
Sponsors
Research
Collaborators
Dr.
J. N. Reddy - Texas A&M
Dr. Marc Madou
- UC Irvine.
Dr. Finley Charney - Virginia Tech
Dr. Asrat Worku - AAU
Dr. Bibi Ephraim - Cisco
Dr. Kyoung S Chun - U. of Seoul
Dr. Athonu Chaterjee - Corning, NY
Dr. Kee Moon - SDSU
Dr. Khaled Morsi - SDSU
Dr. Robert Pozos - SDSU (Bio)
Dr. Dalibor Hodko - Nanogen
Dr. Forest Rohwer - SDSU (Bio)
Dr. R. de Callafon - UCSD.
New
Research Students: Our group is always looking for
motivated, bright, and hard-working students. If you have research
interest in some of the broad research areas we pursue and are ready
to be challenged, stop-by and talk to us or e-mail us. Recent
Alumni.
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MEMS Lab
is part of $18.5 million NSF ERC on sensorimotor neural engineering.
Our partner institutions are University of Washington and
MIT. Dr. Kassegne is Thrust Leader.
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Shanel
Miller, Beejal Mehta, Mihir Parikh, Mieko Hirabayashi, and
Kadir Toksoy win a DOE-sponsored renewable energy fellowship.
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[YouTube
Video on Organic Solar Research] • [YouTube
Video on OLED Research @ SDSU] • [YouTube
Video on Organic Solar Coating System]
    
We are a research
group in the mechanical engineering department of San Diego State
University in southern California. Our team includes mechanical,
biomedical, chemical, electrical as well as materials engineers.
Our research areas include MEMS, micro- and nano-fabrication, bio-nanoelectronics,
microfluidics/nanofluidics, polymer-based photovoltaic technology,
emerging technologies in IMUs (applications in cell phone, navigation
systems, and image stabilization), and computational sciences (modeling
multi-physics and reaction engineering in life sciences and electrochemical
systems). Our group collaborates with researchers at our institution
and other national MEMS programs (including the various academic and
industrial groups that spun-off the core Nanogen technology).
We also have an active international program involving seminars and
joint research. Our new extended class 100 cleanroom facility (1600
sq. ft.) is equipped for most lithography processes including metal
depositions (RF sputtering), plasma etching, as well as characterizations
including 0.25 micron resolution deep UV lithography capability with
Micrascan III step and scan litho system. Our capabilities were further
enhanced by acquisition of additional space as well as equipments
in early 2011. In the new facility, a brand new organic solar processing,
packaging and testing facility is in the process of being installed.
     
Current
Group Members: Beejal Mehta, Andre Estrada, Mieko Hirabayashi,
Nasim Vahid, Neal Steinberg (Physics), Mohammad Rayatparvar, Anson
Hsu, Mihir Parikh, Chintan Patel, Neha Chowdhry, Abhishek Khatri,
and Kadir Toksoy. Recent Alumni.
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Bio-Nanoelectronics Group |
This
group is investigating the feasibility and long-term stability
of bio-nanoelectronics architecture based on our existing
microarray platform. The architecture comprises of DNA molecular
wires and interconnects attached to carbon/graphite microelectrodes.
The boarder impact of this study is in developing nanoscale
modulation of electrochemistry and electric-fields that will
form basis for advancing our knowledge in large-scale bio-nanoelectronics
as well as electrochemistry and electrostatics at a sub-micron-scale.
Recent
achievments in this area will be discussed in an upcoming
journal paper.
Researchers:
Mieko Hirabayashi, Mohammad Rayatparvar, Neha Chowdhry,
Nasim Vahidi, and Beejal Mehta.
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Polymer Solar Cell Group (link) |
Using
a hybrid bottom-up and top-down micro/nano fabrication approach,
we are developing new generation of polymer-based solar cells
and OLED with new electrode materials and architecture. The
group also uses computational photovoltaics to develop new
insights and fundamental understanding of interfacial issues
between phtoactive layers and electrode materials.
Together
with our collaborators, Dr. Kee Moon and Dr. Khaled Morsi,
our work in this area has been patented and licensed to a
company in South Korea.
Researchers:
Mohammad Majzoub, Gunay Ozturk, Kadir Toksoy, Ashish Gaikwald,
Mihir Parikh, Krishna Desai, and Shanel MIller.
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Nanofabrictaion Group |
We
are working on innovative hierarchical micro- and nano-fabrication
technologies. One approach we are pursuing is IMN-litho (Integrated
Micro/nano) lithography that shows promise in machining chips
with both micro and nano features on the same substrate. Potential
applications include bio-chips, sensors, microfluidic chips,
and microarrays with a hierarchy of feature sizes starting from
nanometer-level to sub-micron, micron and sub-mm interface to
the outside world.
Collaborators:
Dr. Moon and Morsi @ SDSU.
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We
have very active research in (i) computational electrochemsitry
for micro- and nano-electrochemical systems, and (ii) computational
photovoltaics to drive our experimental work in organic PV technology.
Our work
in electrochemistry of micro- and sub-micron systems (microarrays,
DNA/Microfluidic chips) has resulted in a number of publications.
Results include the first hybridization model in electronically
active microarrays and models for effect of protonation of
buffers in promoting DNA hybridization in a narrow pH window.
Researchers:
Neha Chowdhry, Bhuvnesh Arya, Neeraj Yadav.
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| (V)
IMU Group (Accelero & Gyro) |
We
are working on novel tunable 2-axis and 3-axis MEMS accelerometers
& gyroscopes. An ongoing research project has a wide application
in cell phones, gaming, energy harvesting, and image stabilization.
In a collaborative work with Dr. Palacios' group at Math Department,
we are looking at coupling of gyros and accelerometers for better
performance, particularly a reduction in phase drift.
Researcher:
Andre Estrada
Collaborator:
Dr. Antonio Palacios, Math. Dept., SDSU.
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