Charles M. Falco

UA Chair of Condensed Matter Physics
Professor of Optical Sciences

Contact Information

  • Telephone:
    520-621-6771
  • Fax:
    520-621-4356
  • Email:
    falco@u.arizona.edu
  • Mailing Address:
    Dr. Charles M. Falco
    University of Arizona
    Gould-Simpson Building
    1040 East 4th Avenue
    Tucson, Arizona  85721-0077  USA

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Education

  • PhD, University of California, Irvine, 1974

  • MS, University of California, Irvine, 1971

  • BS, University of California, Irvine, 1970

Employment

  • University of Arizona (1997-present), UA Chair of Condensed Matter Physics and Professor of Optical Sciences (Director, Arizona Research Laboratories Surface Science Division, 1983-2003); Director, Laboratory for X-Ray Optics (1987-present).  University of Arizona (1982-1997), Professor of Physics and Optical Sciences, and Research Professor in the Arizona Research Laboratories, University of Arizona.

  • Universite de Paris-Sud, Professeur invite, Orsay, France, May-June 1986, Maitre de Recherche, Orsay, France, May-July 1979

  • Argonne National Laboratory, Physicist, Solid State Science Division, Argonne, Illinois, 1977-1982; Group Leader, Superconductive and Novel Materials Group, 1978-1982, Assistant Physicist, Solid State Science Division, 1974-1977

Professional Affiliations

  • American Physical Society, Fellow

  • IEEE, Fellow

  • Optical Society of America, Fellow

  • SPIE-The International Society for Optical Engineering, Member

Recent Professional Activities

  • Co-Organizer of the Division of Materials Physics session on Magnetic Nanostructures and Heterostructures at the American Physical Society March Meeting.  Minneapolis, Minnesota. March 18–22, 2000.

  • Member of the NSF Program Review Panel on Electronics, Photonics, and Device Technologies (EPDT), Washington, DC.  June 8–9, 2000.

  • Member of the DOE Site Visit Committee for the Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.  June 19–21, 2000.

  • Member of the Program Committee for the SPIE Conference on Combinatorial and Composition Spread Techniques in Materials and Device Development II.  San Jose, California.  January 19–26, 2001.

  • Member of the NSF Program Review Panel on Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT), Washington, DC.   January 22–23, 2001.

  • Member of the International Advisory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Metallic Multilayers (MML'01).  Aachen, Germany.  June 24–29, 2001.

  • Member of the NSF Program Review Panel for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.  June 11–13, 2003.

  • Member of the DOE Site Visit Committee for the Materials and Engineering Physics Research Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  December 8–11, 2003. 

  • Member of the NSF Program Review Panel for the Division of Electrical and Communications Systems.  Washington DC.  January 15–16, 2004.

  • Member of the International Advisory Committee for the 5th International Symposium on Metallic Multilayers (MML'04).  Boulder, Colorado.  June 7–11, 2004.

Awards and Honors

  • Distinguished Lecture in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences.  National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia.  May 2006.

  • Sir Neville Mott Memorial Lecture.  Florida State University, Tallahassee.  January 2006.

  • Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Lecture.  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  April 2004.

  • School of Engineering and Applied Science & School of Art Sesquicentennial Assembly Series Lecture.  Washington University in St. Louis.  February 2004.

  • Laredo Taft Lecture.  University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.  January 2004.

  • Louis Clark Vanuxem Lectures.  Princeton University.  Princeton, New Jersey.  May 2002.

  • 31st Annual George C. Benson Memorial Lecture.  Miami University.  Oxford, Ohio.  April 6, 1999.

  • Association Internationale des Critiques d'Art, U.S. Chapter, 1998 Best Design Exhibition, The Art of the Motorcycle, Second place award, co-recipient.

  • Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award, 1989

  • Technology 100 Award, 1981

  • Industrial Research 100 Award, 1977

  • National Science Foundation Traineeship, 1970-1974

Research

  • Metallic superlattices; x-ray optics; magnetism; magneto-optics; far-IR detector materials; superconductivity; and nucleation and epitaxy of thin films. Preparation, characterization, and study of the physical properties of multilayered materials and superlattices consisting of individual layers in the 2 A to 5000 A range. These artificially structured materials exhibit a number of interesting x-ray optical, magnetic and magneto-optic, structural, and superconductive properties. Samples are prepared using the group’s three MBE machines and two multitarget sputtering machines. Characterization is accomplished using the group’s x-ray diffraction, electron and tunneling microscopy, and surface science probes, including RHEED, LEED, XPS, Auger, ISS, TEM, SEM, STM, and AFM.  Computerized image analysis.