MSE 226 - Thermodynamics & Equilibrium Processes
Prerequisite or Co-Requisite: MSE 200 or any AMCS Course
The course offers a modern fundamental understanding of the main concepts and practical applications of thermodynamics in materials science. The following major topics are discussed: review of the laws of classical thermodynamics, introduction to statistical thermodynamics phase equilibria, including phase diagrams, theory of solutions, chemical reactions involving gasses and condensed matter, Elligham diagrams, surface and interfacial phenomena and thermodynamics at the nanoscale.
MSE 227 - Applied Quantum Mechanics
Prerequisite or Co-Requisite: MSE 200 or any AMCS Course
Introduction to non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Summary of classical mechanics and electrodynamics. Postulates of quantum mechanics, wave functions, operator formalism and Dirac notation. Stationary state problems, including quantum wells and tunneling. Harmonic oscillator. Time evolution. Approximation methods for time-independent as well as time-dependent interactions.
AP 230 - Condensed Matter Physics
Prerequisite: MSE 225 This course aims at establishing solid foundations in condensed matter physics. Prior to take this class, students should be familiar with basic electronic properties of materials (such as MSE225) and standard applied mechanics (such as MSE227). Starting with the band theory of solids and tight-binding model, it covers the semiclassical theory of metals, and addresses the concepts and Bloch states, Fermi surface and quantum oscillations, as well as scattering rates, beyond the relaxation time approximation. Then, electron liquid theory is addressed and basics concepts related to electron-electron interactions are covered, including the Stoner criterion, the Ha rtree-Fock approximation, Fermi and Luttinger liquids, and charge/spin density waves. Finally, superconductors are considered, including London, Ginzburg-Landau and BCS theories.
ME 308 - Introduction to Plasma Physics and Magneto-hydrodynamics
Prerequisite: ME 200 ab; AMCS 201 and AMCS 202.
Motion of charged particles; Statistical behavior of plasmas. Vlasov and Fokker-Planck equations and derivation of fluid models for plasmas; closure problem and models. Dispersive waves in plasmas. Ideal and non-ideal magneto-hydrodynamics. Exact solutions. Alfvén and shock waves in MHD. MHD instabilities.
EE 203 - Solid-State Devices Fabrication
Semiconductor material and device fabrication and evaluation: capacitors and field-effect transistors. Semiconductor processing techniques: oxidation, diffusion, deposition, etching, photolithography. Lecture and laboratory.
AP 210 - Spectroscopy of Solids
This course provides an introduction to the spectroscopy of solids. The first part covers fundamentals including, electromagnetic radiation, light sources, spectral analysis of light, and light detection. The second part will discuss light-matter interaction, covering dielectric responses of matter, transitions in the visible and near-visible spectral range, and selection rules. Finally, different spectroscopy techniques are reviewed and their application to different material classes including organic, hybrid, and inorganic materials are discussed.
ME 348 - Introduction to Spectroscopy and Laser Diagnostics
Prerequisite: ME 241 or ME 243 or equivalent
Fundamentals of microwave, infrared, Raman, and electronic spectroscopy. Laser-based diagnostic techniques for measurements of species concentration, temperature, pressure, velocity, and other flow field properties. Topics: rotational, vibrational, and electronic transition frequencies; spectral line shapes and line-broadening mechanisms; nuclear spin effects electronic spectra of atoms and molecules; absorption; emission; laser induced fluorescence (LIF); Rayleigh and Raman scattering methods; Mie theory; laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and particle image velocimetry (PIV); applications and cases Laser Diagnostics for Thermal Engineering.
MSE 307 - Materials Characterization
Prerequisite: None.
This course will introduce the basic principles of materials characterization and the common characterization techniques available at KAUST. It will cover the following topics: Diffraction methods: basic principles, interaction of radiation and particle beams with matter, XRD, scattering techniques; Spectroscopic methods; Imaging: optical including confocal microscopy, scanning, transmission electron, scanning tunneling and field ion microscopy; Microanalysis and Tomography: energy dispersive, wavelength dispersive, Auger Processes, Electron, Ion and Atom Probe Tomography, SIMS, photoelectron spectroscopy; thermal analysis: DTA, DSC. Lab visits and demonstrations will be scheduled to the class to discuss some case studies.
MSE 315 - Thin Film Science and Engineering
Prerequisite: None.
Thin films and coatings are the material building blocks of many modern and pervasive technologies ranging from electronics to optics and photovoltaics and from anti-counterfeiting to glazings and hard coatings. The fundamentals and atomistics of thin film growth are discussed in detail. Deposition techniques for thin films and coatings are presented, including physical and chemical vapor depositions, molecular beam epitaxy, atomic layer deposition and low-pressure plasma processes. Organic thin film deposition. Solution-processing and printing of inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic thin films. Artificially structured and chemically modulated layered and nanocomposite materials. Ex-situ/in-situ characterization of thin films and coatings.
MSE 228 – Biomaterials
Prerequisite: None.
This course offers a basic understanding of the concepts underlying the design and selection of materials for use in biological applications. It focuses on
both hard and soft tissue materials. The class addresses modern topics including biosensors, surface and interface functionalization. Further topics include: A brief introduction to relevant tissue types: anatomy, biochemistry and physiology; concepts of biocompatibility, host response, material degradation, testing and selection criteria; an overview of current research on biomechanics and its relevance to prosthesis design and tissue engineering; basic concepts of drug delivery and molecular biomechanics.
MSE 229 - Polymeric Materials
Prerequisite: None.
This course describes polymerization processes; polymer solutions (Flory-Huggins model and application to polymer blends); polymer chain conformations; calculation of end-to-end distribution function W(r) for short range interacting chains; rotational isomeric state scheme and temperature dependence; chain with long range interactions (excluded volume effect); radius of gyration; the crystalline and amorphous states of polymers; the glass transition (configurational entropy model); mechanical, electrical and optical properties and characterization of polymers.
MSE 230 - Materials and Energy
This course is intended as a review of the challenges facing materials scientists working in renewable energy and sustainability science and technology. It aims to give the student a birds-eye view of the current topics in energy harvesting and storage materials. The potential of various energy harvesting approaches will be discussed in the context of energy needs facing the world. This will be done with particular focus on materials innovations required to improve the state of the art. After this thorough introduction, the course will discuss solar power and electrochemical energy storage in more depth.
MSE 311 - Soft Materials
Prerequisite: None.
This course covers chemical and physical aspects of soft materials such as gels, polymers, lipids, surfactants and colloids; physical chemistry of soft materials; phase transformations and self-assembly; the role of intermolecular and surface forces in determining morphology and hierarchy. Membranes, catalysis, drug delivery, flexible and stretchable materials and devices.
MSE 313 - Functional Oxides
Prerequisite: MSE 227
Fundamental concepts relevant to functional oxides will be reviewed, including common structures, defect chemistry and reactions, Brouwer diagrams, Ellingham diagrams, Heckman diagrams, ionic and electronic transport and tensor notation. The physics, materials, and applications for the following classes of functional oxides will be covered: linear dielectrics, ferroelectrics, multiferroics, piezoelectric, pyroelectrics, electro optics, thermoelectrics and semiconducting oxides. Selected technological applications will be reviewed including.
MSE 316 - Magnetic Materials
Prerequisite: None.
This course introduces fundamental concepts in modern magnetic materials together with the electronic properties of magnetic hybrid structures. (i) Diamagnetism, para-magnetism, ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism will be introduced and the microscopic origin of magnetism will be addressed (metals, semiconductors, oxides, insulators, etc.). (ii) Experimental techniques to investigate magnetism and magnetic behavior will be mentioned (X-ray dichroism, Magneto-Optical Kerr effect, etc...). (iii) Advanced applications of modern magnetic materials will be presented and the electronic properties as well as magnetization dynamics of magnetic hybrid structures will be covered.
MSE 318 – Nanomaterials
Prerequisite: None.
This course describes the most recent advances in the synthesis, fabrication and characterization of nanomaterials. Topics to be covered: Zero-dimensional nanomaterials, including nanoparticles, quantum dots and nanocrystals; one dimensional materials including nanowires and nanotubes; two (2)-dimensional materials: including self-assembled monolayers, patterned surfaces and quantum well; three (3)-dimensional nanomaterials: including Nano porosity, nanocomposites, block copolymers and supra-crystals. Emphasis on the fundamental surface and size-related physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials; and their applications in bio sensing, nanomedicine, catalysis, photonics and Nano electronics.
MSE 320 - Solar Cell Materials and Devices
Prerequisite: None.
This course will provide the students with an up-to-date basic knowledge of the physical and chemical principles of materials used in solar cells of various kinds including but not limited to technologies such as: 1) silicon-based solar cells, 2) CIGS, CIS and other inorganic thin film solar cells, 3) multi-junction solar cells, 4) nanoparticles and quantum dots solar cells, 5) organic and hybrid solar cells and 6) thermal and concentrator solar power generation.
MSE 322 - Semiconductor Materials
Prerequisite: None.
The course covers the physico-chemical and electronic properties of advanced semiconductor materials other than Si and GaAs. The materials that will be covered include elemental semiconductors such as Ge and carbon (in the form of carbon nanotubes and graphene), compound semiconductors such as III-V and II-VI compounds, and wide-band gap semiconductors such as carbides and nitrides. Special classes of semiconductors such as oxides, chalcogenides, and polymeric semiconductors will be included. In each material category, the material processing and fabrication of select devices will be discussed including 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional devices. Measurement protocols for the devices will be presented.
MSE 324 – Photophysics of Organic Semiconductors
This course offers an introduction to electronic processes in conjugated organic materials nowadays used in many different optoelectronic devices such as lightemitting diodes and organic solar cells. The theoretical basics of electronic transitions and excited states (excitons) are discussed first, followed by an overview of basic measurement (spectroscopy) techniques. Furthermore, emission spectra of single molecules,ensembles, and aggregates are reviewed and basic concepts of energy transfer and photoexcitations in conjugated polymers are introduced. Finally, the course offers an overview of technological applications of semiconducting organic materials and an introduction to advanced (time-resolved) spectroscopy and data analysis techniques.
ME 317 A, B – Mechanics of Composite Materials and Structures
Prerequisite: ME 211a; ME 212a; ME 317b requires ME 317a.
Introduction and fabrication technologies. Elastic response of composite materials (especially fiber and particulate reinforced materials) from the fabrication to the in-service structure. Up scaling strategies from the microstructure to the single ply: kinematic and static bounds, asymptotic expansion and periodical homogenization. Up scaling strategies from the single ply to the structural scale: elastic deformation of multidirectional laminates (lamination theory, ABD matrix). Mechanics of degradation in composite materials: fiber-matrix debonding, plasticity, micro cracking and induced delamination. Tools for description of non-linear effects: damage mechanics for laminates, applications of fracture mechanics. Aging and fatigue. Basic criteria-based theories will also be reviewed, including first ply failure, splitting and delamination. Basic experimental illustration will include: hand lay up of a simple laminate, characterization using full field measurement of its material properties.
AP 320 – Introduction to Nanoelectronics
This class explores quantum transport in mesoscopic devices. It addresses quantum transport in clean systems, including quantum conductance interference effects in nanodevices such as Aharonov-Bohm effects, and quantum oscillations. Properties of two-dimensional electron gases and nanowire will be discussed. The effect of disorder is discussed from Knudsen regime, including size effects, to drift-diffusion model and quantum corrections to conductance including weak and strong localization, universal conductance fluctuation. Finally, single electron transistor, Coulomb and Pauli spin blockade regimes will be presented.
AP 390 – Contemporary Topics in Applied Physics
The goal of this class is to enhance the student's critical thinking and methodology in research areas related to Applied Physics. This course is built on an advanced research topic considered as highly relevant for technology applications such as, but not limited to advanced memory concepts, single electron transistors, two dimensional Dirac electronics, innovative solar cells, novel laser sources etc. It covers both fundamental and applied aspects, and engages the student in examining the technological potential and limitations of scientific breakthroughs in this field. The advanced research topic depends on the teaching faculty and changes every year.
EE 206 - Device Physics
Structural properties of materials. Basic quantum mechanics of electrons in solids. Band theory and trap states. Charge transport, band conduction and hopping conduction. Optical properties of materials. Piezoelectric and ferro-electric phenomena. Magnetic effects in materials. Physical phenomena will be related transistors, light emitters, sensor and memory devices.
EE 306 - Electronic and Optical Properties of Semiconductors
The course discusses in detail the theory behind important semiconductor based experiments such as Hall Effect and Hall mobility measurement, velocity-field measurement, photoluminescence, gain, pump-probe studies, pressure and strain dependent studies. Theory will cover: Band structure in quantum wells; effect of strain on band structure; transport theory; excitons, optical absorption, luminescence and gain.
EE 231 - Principles of Optics
Prerequisites: basic knowledge of electromagnetic, signals and systems, and linear algebra.
Basic principles of optics. Topics include classical theory of diffraction, interference of waves, study of simple dielectric elements such as gratings and lenses, analysis of Gaussian beams, elements of geometrical optics, Waveguides, interferometers and optical resonators. The course aims at equipping the student with a set of general tools to understand basic optical phenomena and model simple optical devices.
EE 208 - Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices
Materials for optoelectronics, optical processes in semiconductors, absorption and radiation, transition rates and carrier lifetime. Principles of LEDs, lasers, photo detectors and solar cells. Designs, demonstrations and projects related to optoelectronic device phenomena.
EE 332 – Optical Waves in Crystals
Prerequisite: EE 233.
Propagation of laser beams: Gaussian wave optics and the ABCD law. Manipulation of light by electrical, acoustical waves; crystal properties and the dielectric tensor; electro-optic, acousto-optic effects and devices. Introduction to nonlinear optics; harmonic generation, optical rectification, four-wave mixing, self-focusing and self-phase modulation.
MSE 321 - Optical Properties of Materials
Prerequisite: None.
This course will provide the students with an up-to-date basic knowledge of the physical and chemical principles of materials used in solar cells of various kinds including but not limited to technologies such as: 1) silicon-based solar cells, 2) CIGS, CIS and other inorganic thin film solar cells, 3) multi-junction solar cells, 4) nanoparticles and quantum dots solar cells, 5) organic and hybrid solar cells and 6) thermal and concentrator solar power generation.
AMCS 201 - Applied Mathematics I
Prerequisites: Advanced and multivariate calculus and elementary complex variables. AMCS 201 and 202 may be taken separately or in either order. No degree credit for AMCS majors.
Part of a fast-paced two-course sequence in graduate applied mathematics for engineers and scientists, with an emphasis on analytical technique. A review of practical aspects of linear operators (superposition, Green's functions and Eigen analysis) in the context of ordinary differential equations, followed by extension to linear partial differential equations (PDEs) of parabolic, hyperbolic and elliptic type through separation of variables and special functions. Integral transforms of Laplace and Fourier type. Self-similarity. Method of characteristics for first-order PDEs. Introduction to perturbation methods for nonlinear PDEs, asymptotic analysis, and singular perturbations.
AMCS 202 - Applied Mathematics II
Prerequisites: Advanced and multivariate calculus and elementary complex variables. AMCS 201 and 202 may be taken separately or in either order. No degree credit for AMCS majors.
Part of a fast-paced two-course sequence in graduate applied mathematics for engineers and scientists, with an emphasis on analytical technique. A review of linear spaces (basis, independence, null space and rank, condition number, inner product, norm and Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization) in the context of direct and iterative methods for the solution of linear systems of equations arising in engineering applications. Projections and least squares. Eigen analysis, diagonalization and functions of matrices. Complex analysis, Cauchy-Riemann conditions, Cauchy integral theorem, residue theorem, Taylor and Laurent series, contour integration and conformal mapping.
AMCS 231 - Applied Partial Differential Equations I
Prerequisites: Advanced and multivariate calculus and elementary complex variables.
First part of a sequence of courses on partial differential equations (PDE) emphasizing theory and solution techniques for linear equations. Origin of PDE in science and engineering. Equations of diffusion, heat conduction and wave propagation. The method of characteristics. Classification of PDE. Separation of variables, theory of the Fourier series and Fourier transform. The method of Green's functions. Sturm-Liouville problem, special functions, Eigen function expansions. Higher dimensional PDE and their solution by separation of variables, transform methods and Green's functions. Introduction to quasi-linear PDE and shock waves.
AMCS 331 - Applied Partial Differential Equations II
Prerequisites: Multivariate calculus, elementary complex variables, ordinary differential equations. Recommended: AMCS 231 or AMCS 201.
Second part of a sequence of courses on partial differential equations (PDE) emphasizing theory and solution techniques for nonlinear equations. Quasi-linear and nonlinear PDE in applications. Conservation laws, first-order equations, the method of characteristics. Burgers' equation and wave breaking. Weak solutions, shocks, jump conditions and entropy conditions. Hyperbolic systems of gas dynamics, shallow-water flow, traffic flow and bio-fluid flow. Variational principles, dispersive waves, solitons. Nonlinear diffusion and reaction-diffusion equations in combustion and biology. Traveling waves and their stability. Dimensional analysis and similarity solutions. Perturbation methods. Turing instability and pattern formation. Eigenvalue problems. Stability and bifurcation.
AMCS 252 - Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
Prerequisites: Familiarity with Taylor series, norms, orthogonal polynomials, matrix analysis, linear systems of equations, eigenvalues, differential equations, and programming in MATLAB or a similar language.
The course covers theory and algorithms for the numerical solution of ODEs and of PDEs of parabolic, hyperbolic and elliptic type. Theoretical concepts include: accuracy, zero-stability, absolute stability, convergence, order of accuracy, stiffness, conservation and the CFL condition. Algorithms covered include: finite differences, steady and unsteady discretization in one and two dimensions, Newton methods, Runge-Kutta methods, linear multistep methods, multigrid, implicit methods for stiff problems, centered and upwind methods for wave equations, dimensional splitting and operator splitting.
AMCS 255 - Advanced Computational Physics
This course covers a selection of advanced topics related to computational physics. Based on prior knowledge in calculus and linear algebra, the following topics are considered: Lagrangian formalism, symmetries and conservation laws, stability and bifurcation, multi-body problems and rigid bodies, linear and nonlinear oscillations, Hamiltonian formalism, canonical transformations and invariances, Liouville's theorem, discrete Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, Hamilton Jacobi theory, transition to quantum mechanics and relativity fields.
CS 229 – Machine Learning
Prerequisites: linear algebra and basic probability and statistics. Familiarity with artificial intelligence recommended.
Topics: linear and non-linear regression, nonparametric methods, Bayesian methods, support vector machines, kernel methods, Artificial Neural Networks, model selection, learning theory, VC dimension, clustering, EM, dimensionality reduction, PCA, SVD and reinforcement learning.
AP 330 – Many-Body Theory in Condensed Matter
Prerequisite: AP 228 This course introduces techniques and concepts in many-body quantum physics in condensed matter. Fundamental theoretical tools such as second quantization, Green's function formalism, as well as Feynmann diagrams will be introduced and applied to selected topics such as weak localization, interacting electron systems, superconductivity.
MSE 314 - Ab-initio Computational Methods
Prerequisite: MSE 227
Introduction into the theory and application of materials modeling techniques. Comparison of analytical and numerical methods. Introduction into basic numerical algorithms. Fundamentals of density functional theory. Band structure approaches for crystalline solids. Introduction into commercial and freeware computer packages. Advanced applications of ab-initio computational techniques.
AMCS 353 - Advanced Topics in Wave Propagation
This course starts from the basic linearized theory of wave phenomena: examples are chosen from electromagnetics, acoustics, elastics and other subjects and exposes the recent developments in wave propagation. The topics include : basic concepts in wave propagation; waves in layered media; scattering, transmission and reflection; waves in random media, effective medium properties, resolution analysis; applications in wave functional materials and imaging and numerical techniques in techniques in solving wave equations in heterogeneous media. Basic knowledge on eigenvalue problem, fourier transform, linear algebra, vector analysis is desired.
ME 305 A, B – Computational Fluid Dynamics
Prerequisite: ME 200 a, b or equivalent; AMCS 201 and AMCS 202 or equivalent; ME 305b requires ME 305a.
Introduction to floating point arithmetic. Introduction to numerical methods for Euler and Navier-Stokes equations with emphasis on error analysis, consistency, accuracy and stability. Modified equation analysis (dispersion vs. dissipation) and Von Neumann stability analysis. Finite difference methods, finite volume and spectral element methods. Explicit vs. implicit time stepping methods. Solution of systems of linear algebraic systems. Higher-order vs. higher resolution methods. Computation of turbulent flows. Compressible flows with high-resolution shock-capturing methods (e.g. PPM, MUSCL, and WENO). Theory of Riemann problems and weak solutions for hyperbolic equations.
ME 319 A, B – Computational Solid Mechanics
Prerequisite: AMCS201 and AMCS202 or equivalent; ME 211 A, B or ME 212 A, B (may be taken concurrently); ME 319B requires ME 319A.
Variational principles in linear elasticity. Finite element analysis. Error estimation. Convergence. Singularities. Adaptive strategies. Constrained problems. Mixed methods. Stability and convergence. Variational problems in nonlinear elasticity. Consistent linearization. The Newton-Rahpson method. Bifurcation analysis. Adaptive strategies in nonlinear elasticity. Constrained finite deformation problems. Contact and friction. Time integration. Algorithm analysis. Accuracy, stability, and convergence. Operator splitting and product formulas. Coupled problems. Impact and friction. Space-time methods. Inelastic solids. Constitutive updates. Stability and convergence. Consistent linearization. Applications to finite deformation viscoplasticity, viscoelasticity and Lagrangian modeling of solids.
