Full-time study

4 years

prof. RNDr. Tomáš Šikola, CSc.

Chairman :
prof. RNDr. Tomáš Šikola, CSc.
Councillor internal :
prof. RNDr. Petr Dub, CSc.
prof. RNDr. Radim Chmelík, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Ivan Křupka, Ph.D.
prof. RNDr. Pavel Šandera, CSc.
Councillor external :
RNDr. Antonín Fejfar, CSc. (Fyzikální ústav AV ČR, v.v.i.)
prof. Mgr. Dominik Munzar, Dr. (Ústav kondenzovaných látek, PřF Masarykovy univerzity)
prof. RNDr. Pavel Zemánek, Ph.D. (Ústav přístrojové techniky AV ČR, v.v.i.)

The aim of the doctoral study in the proposed programme is to prepare highly educated experts in the field of physical engineering and nanotechnology with sufficient foreign experience, who will be able to perform independent creative, scientific and research activities in academia or applications in our country and abroad. The study is based on the doctoral students' own creative and research work at the level standardly required at foreign workplaces in the areas of research carried out at the training workplace and supported by national and international projects. These are the following areas of applied physics: physics of surfaces and nanostructures, light and particle optics and microscopy, construction of physical instruments and equipment, micromechanics of materials.

The graduate has knowledge, skills and competencies for their own creative activities in some of the areas in which the research activities of the training workplace are carried out. These are applications of physics especially in the field of physics of surfaces and nanostructures, two-dimensional materials, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, micromagnetism and spintronics, biophotonics, advanced light microscopy and spectroscopy, electron microscopy, laser nanometrology and spectroscopy, computer controlled X-ray micro and nanotomography, micro and development of technological and analytical equipment and methods for micro/nanotechnologies. The possibility of using the personnel and material background provided by the CEITEC research infrastructure as well as extensive cooperation with important foreign workplaces contributes to the high level of education. This guarantees that the graduate is able to present the results of their work orally and in writing and discuss them in English. Due to high professional competencies and flexibility, graduates find employment both in universities and other research institutions in our country and abroad, and in high-tech companies in the positions of researchers, developers, designers or team leaders.

Due to their high professional competencies and flexibility, graduates find employment in the field of basic and applied research at universities and other research institutions in our country and abroad, as well as in high-tech companies in the positions of researchers, developers, designers and team leaders.

See applicable regulations, DEAN’S GUIDELINE Rules for the organization of studies at FME (supplement to BUT Study and Examination Rules)

The rules and conditions of study programmes are determined by:
BUT STUDY AND EXAMINATION RULES
BUT STUDY PROGRAMME STANDARDS,
STUDY AND EXAMINATION RULES of Brno University of Technology (USING "ECTS"),
DEAN’S GUIDELINE Rules for the organization of studies at FME (supplement to BUT Study and Examination Rules)
DEAN´S GUIDELINE Rules of Procedure of Doctoral Board of FME Study Programmes
Students in doctoral programmes do not follow the credit system. The grades “Passed” and “Failed” are used to grade examinations, doctoral state examination is graded “Passed” or “Failed”.

Brno University of Technology acknowledges the need for equal access to higher education. There is no direct or indirect discrimination during the admission procedure or the study period. Students with specific educational needs (learning disabilities, physical and sensory handicap, chronic somatic diseases, autism spectrum disorders, impaired communication abilities, mental illness) can find help and counselling at Lifelong Learning Institute of Brno University of Technology. This issue is dealt with in detail in Rector's Guideline No. 11/2017 "Applicants and Students with Specific Needs at BUT". Furthermore, in Rector's Guideline No 71/2017 "Accommodation and Social Scholarship“ students can find information on a system of social scholarships.

The presented doctoral study programme represents the highest level of education in the field of physical engineering and nanotechnology. Follows the academic and bachelor's and subsequent master's degree programme of "Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology", which are carried out at FME BUT.

1. BICs in periodic nanophotonic systems

   Bound states in the continuum (BICs) represent a theoretically interesting way of field localization, which contradicts the conventional wisdom of bound states with energies solely outside the continuum of free states. BICs offer several interesting applications; for example, in photonics, BICs enable development of sensitive nanostructures with significant reduction of radiation leakage [1,2]. The study will focus on theoretical analysis and physical understanding of BICs in periodic nanophotonic systems, such as photonic crystals or metasurfaces, which can be used, e.g., for advanced biosensing [3]. The student will explore the existence and properties of the BICs in a selected class of the systems. Critical assessment of the benefits of the BICs in comparison with more traditional techniques from the point of view of potential sensing applications will be carried out. The study will rely heavily on numerical analysis. [1] K. Koshelev, A. Bogdanov, and Y. Kivshar, “Engineering with Bound States in the Continuum,” Opt. Photonics News, vol. 31, no. 1, p. 38, 2020 [2] S. I. Azzam and A. V. Kildishev, “Photonic Bound States in the Continuum: From Basics to Applications,” Adv. Opt. Mater., vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 16–24, 2021 [3] M. L. Tseng, Y. Jahani, A. Leitis, and H. Altug, “Dielectric Metasurfaces Enabling Advanced Optical Biosensors,” ACS Photonics, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 47–60, 2021.

   Tutor: Petráček Jiří, prof. RNDr., Dr.

2. In-situ preparation and modification of nanostructures

   Revealing the growth mechanisms at nanoscale is particularly challenging from many reasons. The most prominent advances in physics of nanostructure growth were achieved utilizing real-time in-situ monitoring techniques (both microscopic and spectroscopic). In our group, we have a large expertise in real time electron microscopy and, this year, a new vacuum chamber dedicated to Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy was installed to CEITEC Nano infractructure. The aim of this PhD dissertation is to work on revealing puzzling growth modes of twodimensional nanostructures of interest (silicene, phosphorene, transition metal selenides etc.) utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, as well as study of their interaction with electrons, and oxidation.

   Tutor: Kolíbal Miroslav, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

3. Novel effects in guided-wave nanophotonics structures

   The theoretical analysis of novel optical effects and functionalities in modern nanophotonic guided-wave structures is impossible without adequate and powerful numerical tools. The project will focus on development and application of such techniques that are based on eigemode expansion. Application will address selected interesting problems, such as, nanophotonics arrays that support the bound states in continuum, the issues related to the loss compensation in plasmonic structures, systems with gain and loss where realistic models of gain media based on the rate equations for the populations is used, and modulation in hybrid waveguides with graphene.

   Tutor: Petráček Jiří, prof. RNDr., Dr.

4. Using hyperspectral camera for the detection of optical emission spectra of meterorites

   Eploration of space is currently on the rise of interest, what is reflected in the construction of various devices for interplanetary research and analyses. The goal of this dissertation thesis is optomechanical design of a compact hyperspectral camera as a payload within a standardized CubeSat. This includes testing on a simplified model and prliminary feasibility (technical) study of the analysis of characteristic data, spectra of selected elements.

   Tutor: Pořízka Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.