Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Applied Physics
University of Michigan
2004
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Staff
Staff
Kim Michelle Lewis, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research & Chief Research Officer
Department/Office
- Office of Research
School/College
- College of Arts & Sciences
Additional Positions
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Vice President of Research & Chief Research OfficerResearch Administration
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ProfessorPhysics and Astronomy
Biography
Kim Michelle Lewis, Ph.D. is from New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her secondary education in the New Orleans Public school system and in 1994 graduated from McDonogh #35 Senior High School, the first high school for African-American students in the State of Louisiana. She studied at Dillard University, a Historical Black College and University in New Orleans, and received the David and Lucile Packard and the UNCF/Mellon Fellowships. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1998. In that same year Dr. Lewis was accepted to the University of Michigan Applied Physics Ph.D. Program and received a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship and several Pre-doctoral Research Grants from the Social Science Research Council. Dr. Lewis’ thesis work in Condensed Matter Physics was the development of single electron devices for application as low-noise electrometers. Her graduate advisor was Professor Ç. Kurdak. Her work led to a U.S. Patent No. 6,777,911 in August 2004. Dr. Lewis completed her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in August 2003 while working toward her Ph.D. in Applied Physics which she earned in August 2004 from the University of Michigan.
At the University of Michigan, Dr. Lewis became the 2001 president of the Movement of Underrepresented Sisters in Engineering and Science (MUSES), which is a formal dialogue group for women of color. In 2002 she co-authored a publication entitled, "A Place of Her Own? Strategies for Supporting Graduate Women of Color". In 2001 Dr. Lewis became the chairperson of the Gallium Arsenide Bay Committee for the University of Michigan Solid State Electronics Laboratory, currently the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility.
Dr. Lewis accepted a 2004 postdoctoral position at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Center for Computation and Technology with Professor Theda Daniels-Race. In April 2005, she received a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue her research in molecular electronics.
In 2009, Dr. Lewis was awarded a Career Enhancement Fellowship by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and a National Science Foundation (NSF) BRIGE Award. She received the NSF Career Award in 2012. Her research expertise is in quantum transport in nanoscale structures, such as thin films and molecular junctions using techniques that include inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy. Other interests of Dr. Lewis include the study of the electrophysiology of biological systems, including adult stem cells for therapeutic and regenerative medicine applications.
Currently, Dr. Lewis is the Vice President for Research and Chief Research Officer. She is also a Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her interests are to provide college-wide leadership to strengthen its research and graduate programs, to support the promotion and tenure of faculty, and build collaborative interdisciplinary teams across the Division of Natural Sciences to attract federally funded grants. Throughout her career Dr. Lewis continues to participate in community outreach efforts.
Education & Expertise
Education
Master of Science (M.S.)
Electrical Engineering
University of Michigan
2003
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Physics
Dillard University
1998
Expertise
Condensed Matter Physicist
Dr. Lewis' expertise is in quantum transport in nanoscale structures, such as thin films and molecular junctions using techniques that include inelastic electron tunneling spectrospcopy and scanning probe micrscopy. Expertise include: 1) Exerpimental Condensed Matter Physics/Low Temperature Physics, 2) Molecular Electronics, 3) Scanning Probe Microscopy Techniques, and 4) Electron Transport.
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
K. M. Lewis, and Ç. Kurdak, Charge Transformer and Method of Implementation, U.S. Patent No. 6,777,911 (August 17, 2004).
Featured News
Featured News
Read: Science.org | The Toll of White Privilege
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Voltage-Dependent Barrier Height of Electron Transport through Iron Porphyrin Molecular Junctions
Voltage-Dependent Barrier Height of Electron Transport through Iron Porphyrin Molecular Junctions
Electron transport through iron porphyrin (FeP) molecules self-assembled on a gold (Au) substrate was investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. In the direct tunneling region (|V| ≤ 0.1 V), the Simmons model was used to characterize the electron transport. The energy barrier between the Fermi energy level of Au and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the FeP molecule was determined to be between 0.3 and 0.6 eV; the range of the electron attenuation coefficient was 0.6–0.8 Å–1. Instead of a constant barrier height, a voltage-dependent barrier height was adapted to simulate the experimental I–V curves over the entire voltage range (|V| ≤ 2 V) using the Simmons model for the intermediate case. The voltage-dependent barrier height is supported by a previously predicted response of molecular-projected self-consistent Hamiltonian orbitals. The dependence showed that the HOMO level relative to the Fermi energy level of the Au electrode decreased as the bias voltage increased. To verify the deposition of the FeP on the Au substrate, Raman spectroscopy and AFM analysis were performed.
Large Metallic Vanadium Disulfide Ultrathin Flakes for Spintronic Circuits and Quantum Computing Devices
Through electron backscatter diffraction pole figure analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and optical microscopy, a complex epitaxial relationship with nine preferred in-plane orientations is observed in some regions of the VS2/mica samples. Remarkably, this is in agreement qualitatively with a superlattice area mismatch model, providing further evidence of the interfacial interactions with mica dictating the nucleation of film atoms in van der Waals heterostructures. Finally, magnetic force microscopy measurements suggest room-temperature ferromagnetism in ultrathin VS2 flakes, in agreement with several density functional theory calculations. The discovery of an ultrathin ferromagnetic metal such as VS2 may have an impact on emerging fields such as spintronics and quantum computing.
Cylindrical films for electronics in low background physics searches
Cylindrical films for electronics in low background physics searches
A technique for manufacturing thin-film resistors on cylindrical substrates is demonstrated. These devices are aimed for application in rare-event detectors that must minimize radioactive backgrounds from trace impurities in electronic components inside the detector. Cylindrical, conducting Ni films were created via electron beam deposition, using a mechanism that rotates the substrate, to demonstrate proof of principle and measure the resistivity on axis and in azimuth. These films are characterized by measurements using a facsimile of the Van Der Pauw method combined with electrostatic simulations.
Temperature dependent electron transport and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of porphyrin molecular junctions
We report electron transport measurements through a metal-molecule-metal junction of free base or zinc porphyrin molecules. Junctions are formed by zig-zag electromigration of a gold nanowire. Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy measurements were performed at 4.3 K to confirm the presence of molecules in the junction and to measure the vibrational modes of the molecular junction. Temperature dependent current/voltage measurements are performed in order to determine that the electron conduction mechanism through these molecular junctions is direct tunneling.
Conductance of Junctions with Acetyl-Functionalized Thiols
Conductance of Junctions with Acetyl-Functionalized Thiols: A First-Principles-Based Analysis
Thiol-based contacts are widely used in fabrication of molecular junctions but are associated with several drawbacks due to their chemical reactivity. In particular, their tendency to dimerize by forming sulfur–sulfur bonds is viewed as a barrier for large scale bridge fabrication. Instead, the use of functionalized sulfur end groups in the fabrication of the junctions is promoted. We analyze the effects of thiol functionalization by acetyl on the transport properties of porphyrin based bridges. In scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments, where the conductance is measured as the tip is retracted, we observe molecular conductance steps due to junctions with acetyl protected thiols that are significantly lower than observed for junctions with acetyl protected thiols that are significantly lower than observed for junctions with deprotected thiols (by a factor of ≈5).
Modification of Molecular Conductance by in Situ Deprotection of Thiol-Based Porphyrin
Modification of Molecular Conductance by in Situ Deprotection of Thiol-Based Porphyrin
Acetylthio-protected free base porphyrins are used to form scanning tunneling microscope-molecular break junctions. The porphyrin molecules are deprotected in situ, before the self-assembly. Two types of molecular junctions are formed in the junctions: Au-S-Por-SAc-Au and Au-S-Por-S-Au. Lower conductance values and higher conductance values are observed.
Stability of rectification of iron porphyrin molecular junctions
Stability of rectification of iron porphyrin molecular junctions
We report rectification from porphyrin molecules ligated to an iron atom. Current-voltage (IV) curves were measured from the molecules using a conductive atomic force microscope (AFM). Molecules were deposited on a substrate from template-stripped gold from 1 μM iron porphyrin solution by either a drop-dry or 60 s deposition method.
