Full-time study

4 years

prof. RNDr. Tomáš Šikola, CSc.

Chairman :
prof. RNDr. Tomáš Šikola, CSc.
Councillor internal :
prof. Ing. Ivan Křupka, Ph.D.
doc. Mgr. Vlastimil Křápek, Ph.D.
prof. RNDr. Radim Chmelík, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Miroslav Kolíbal, Ph.D.
prof. RNDr. Pavel Šandera, CSc.
Councillor external :
prof. Mgr. Dominik Munzar, Dr. (Přírodovědecká fakulta, Masarykova univerzita)
prof. RNDr. Pavel Zemánek, Ph.D. (Ústav přístrojové techniky, Akademie věd ČR)
RNDr. Antonín Fejfar, CSc. (Fyzikální ústav, Akademie věd ČR)

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.

2. round (applications submitted from 15.09.2025 to 31.10.2025)

1. Aberration corrected low voltage STEM techniques to investigate aging mechanism in Al-Mg-Si alloys

   Al–Si–Mg alloys are important structural materials that are widely used in many fields, such as automotive, railway, ship, and aerospace, due to their low thermal expansion coefficient and density, high specific modulus and strength, satisfactory wear resistance, and excellent castability. Aberration corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a high-resolution microscopy technique using low accelerating voltages (30–80 kV) and it can be used for atomic-scale analysis of light alloys microstructure. This technique reduces knock-on damage (beam-induced atom displacement), enhances contrast for light atoms (Z-contrast), and is better suited for beam-sensitive materials (e.g. precipitates in aluminum alloys). The goal of the thesis is to fully utilize the potential of the low-voltage aberration-corrected STEM for studying aging mechanisms in Al alloys, mainly focused on visualization of precipitates like β' and βʺ phases in Al-Mg-Si alloys at early stages of aging. It is impossible using a conventional HR STEM operation at high voltages. The thesis will be realized in cooperation with Toyama University in Japan (Prof. Kenji Matsuda).

   Supervisor: Mikmeková Šárka, Ing. Mgr., Ph.D.

2. Analytical electron microscopy of materials and structures for nanophotonics

   The progress of nanophotonics is related to the introduction of novel materials and structures. Analytical electron microscopy provides an excellent tool for studying the materials and structures, allowing to determine their elemental and chemical composition, structural properties including the crystallinity, crystal lattice and its atomic and mesoscopic defects, and electron structure. Within the thesis, analytical electron microscopy will be applied to some of the recent nanophotonic materials and structures, including phase-changing materials (vanadium dioxide, gallium, Sb2S3), active plasmonic antennas, hybrid metal-dielectric structures, or plasmonic antennas featuring plasmonic lightning-rod effect. The work can also focus on the development of new methods of analytical electron microscopy.

   Supervisor: Křápek Vlastimil, doc. Mgr., Ph.D.

3. Atomically-thin Metasurface Optics based on High Performance 2D materials

   The highly-engineerable scattering properties of metallic and high-index semiconductor/dielectric nanostructures currently underpin the operation of nowadays metasurfaces. They support geometrical plasmonic or Mie resonances that offer strong light-matter interaction and excellent control over the scattering phase and amplitude. Their optical responses tend to be of a simple, linear form and they are hard to modify with external stimuli. As a result, basic Maxwell equation solvers can be used to predict and optimize their behavior. In stark contrast, van der Waals (vdW) materials comprised of atomically-thin layers bonded by the vdW force exhibit a fascinating diversity of quantum, collective, topological, non-linear, and ultrafast behaviors. It is exciting to think how such materials may open up new functions for metasurfaces [1]. This PhD topic aims to start addressing that question by exploring the new fundamental physics that can emerge at the cross roads of the metasurface and vdW fields. We will start by exploring how the properties of two-dimensional (2D) vdW semiconductors materials, such as the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), can be modified by subwavelength patterning to form atomically-thin metasurfaces. Further, flat 2D-material based metasurface optical devices for dynamic wavefront control providing new functionalities not achievable by bulk optical elements or “classical” plasmonic or all-dielectric metasurfaces will be studied.

   Supervisor: Mach Jindřich, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

4. 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.

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

5. BICs in photonic waveguides

   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]. Even though the first observation of photonic BIC was achieved in a system of coupled waveguides [3], the individual waveguides supported conventional modes outside the radiation continuum. Researchers have observed BICs in a single waveguide with a low-index core; however, effectively such a waveguide acts as a conventional quantum well (i.e., localization in the region with high effective refractive index). Therefore, the study will address this problem and focus on theoretical investigation of various possible alternative mechanisms that could enable BICs in waveguides. As a starting point anisotropy induced BICs in dielectric waveguides will be studied. Subsequently, more general class of waveguide structures will be considered; namely, we will assume nanophotonic waveguide structures and perform systematic parametric studies to explore the existence of new BICs. Finally, critical assessment of the benefits of the BICs in comparison with classical guided waves from the point of view of their potential integrated photonic applications will be carried out. [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] Y. Plotnik et al., “Experimental observation of optical bound states in the continuum,” Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 107, no. 18, pp. 28–31, 2011 [4] Y. Yu, et al., “Ultralow-Loss Etchless Lithium Niobate Integrated Photonics at Near-Visible Wavelengths,” Adv. Opt. Mater., vol. 9, no. 19, pp. 1–8, 2021.

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

6. Biosensors based on graphene and related 2D materials

   Classical biochemical tests in vitro are currently replaced by bioelectronic sensors that excel in their speed, reusability and minimal dimensions. One of the most promising materials in this area is graphene, which has a high sensitivity to the presence of adsorbed molecules and is biocompatible at the same time. The subject of the doctoral thesis will be development and production of biosensors based on graphene and related two-dimensional materials. In the thesis, it will be necessary to master the general physical principles of sensors, problems of field-controlled transistors with electrolytic gate and functionalization to achieve selective sensor response. A suitable applicant is a graduate of a Master's degree in Physical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Biochemistry. Aims: 1) Managing physical principles of biosensors, their theoretical and experimental aspects. 2) Design and manufacture of a sensor based on a field-controlled transistor with an electrolytic gate. 3) Functionalization of sensor for specific biological and chemical reaction 4) Sensor response testing on selected biological materials.

   Supervisor: Bartošík Miroslav, doc. Ing., Ph.D.