Isaac Tobin - Post Graduate Researcher

Biography

I graduated with a B.Sc in Physics Technology from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2009. From there I joined the Laser and Plasma Applications group in Trinity College Dublin under Prof. James G. Lunney as part of a collaborative project between TCD, University College Dublin and Dublin City University, our work centres on the successful development of an efficient source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light for the semiconductor industries; (typically for lithography and for metrology). This collaboration means that I am able to continue to work in a number of the academic centres of excellence in these fields.

I also continue with my interest in computer programming and design, which is a useful factor in my research. One of the main aims of DIT is to prepare you for experimental research and so teamwork and laboratory methodology are key to this, and are areas, which I enjoy very much. Experimental research is a keen hobby beyond my college studies; so taking the opportunity to do a Ph.D in physics is a natural and obvious step for me, which I am enjoying tremendously right now.

Research Interests:

My part of the collaborative project on EUV has been to explore the possibilities of using a laser triggered Z-pinch Sn discharge to yield an efficient emitter of EUV and study the dynamics of the pinch with various novel geometries. The main methods of analysis used for this project in TCD are time- and spatially-resolved UV/visible emission spectroscopy, Faraday cup and Langmuir ion probes, thin film deposition for debris analysis, fast-gated visible emission imaging, absolutely calibrated EUV spectroscopy and EUV sensitive time-integrating photodiode.