Professor Michael R J Gibbs
BSc, PhD, FinstP, CPhys, Senior member IEEE
Professor of Materials Physics and Director of the Sheffield Centre for Advanced Magnetic Materials and Devices
Address:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD
Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 4261
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5943
Email: m.r.gibbs@sheffield.ac.uk
Mike Gibbs joined the Department in 2004 with a Chair in Materials Physics. He took a BSc in Physics from the University of Sheffield in 1977, followed by a PhD in Metallurgy & Materials Science from the University of Cambridge in 1981. From January 1984 to December 1993 he was lecturer then senior lecturer in the School of Physics at the University of Bath. In January 1994 he returned as senior lecturer to the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Sheffield. He was promoted to Reader in Physics from October 1995 and a Personal Chair from October 1997.
Research interests
His research centres on the fabrication, characterisation and exploitation of magnetic materials. Many projects involve magnetic thin films and multilayers, and the integration of magnetic materials in to devices. The range of topics covered include:-
- Growth and characterisation of monolithic and multilayer magnetic materials: FeCo, FeGa, RE:Fe:B, NiFe
- Magnetic microelectromechanical systems (MagMEMS): devices for bio- chemical and security
- Magnetic materials for application in spintronics: including organic materials
- Magnetic phenomena on the nanoscale
- The study of magnetoelasticity at surfaces and interfaces
Key projects
- The development of a technology platform combining MEMS with smart magnetic materials for a wireless, passive and sensitive mass sensor
- The study of magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic and organic materials, with the aim of understanding spintronics in hybrid devices
- The study of ultra thin films and nanowires: magnetic and magnetotransport studies
Professional activities and recognition
- Editorial board of IEEE Magnetics Letters
- Editorial Board of Applied Physics Research
- Editorial Board of Journal of Magnetism
- Member of the EPSRC College
Key publications
- D. Dhanalakshmi, A. Rao, N.A. Morley, A. Das, M. Grell and M.R.J. Gibbs, ‘Effect of polymer processing on spin MR in organic structures’, J. Appl. Phys. 105 (2009) 07C702.
- N.A. Morley, A. Javed and M.R.J. Gibbs, ‘Effect of a forming field on the magnetic and structural properties of thin Fe-Ga films’, J. Appl. Phys. 105 (2009) 07A912.
- S.Basu, P.W.Fry, M.R.J. Gibbs, T.Schrefl and D.A.Allwood, ‘Control of the switching behavior of ferromagnetic nanowires using magnetostatic interactions’, J. Appl. Phys. 105 (2009) 083901.
- A. Javed, N.A. Morley And M.R.J. Gibbs, ‘Structure, magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of as-deposited Fe-Ga thin films’, J. Magn. Magn. Mat. 321 (2009) 2877-2882.
- T.J. Hayward, M.T. Bryan, P.W. Fry, P.M. Fundi, M.R.J. Gibbs and D.A. Allwood, ‘Direct Imaging of Domain Wall Interactions in Ni80Fe20 Planar Nanowires’, Phys Rev B 81 (2010) 020410(R).
- T.J. Hayward, M.T. Bryan, P.W. Fry, P.M. Fundi, M.R.J. Gibbs, M.-Y. Im, P. Fischer and D.A. Allwood, ‘Pinning induced by inter-domain wall interactions in planar magnetic nanowires, Appl. Phys. Letts. 96 (2010) 052502.
- M.T. Bryan, P.W. Fry, T. Schrefl, M.R.J. Gibbs, D.A. Allwood, M.-Y. Im and P. Fischer, ‘Transverse field-induced nucleation pad switching modes during domain wall injection’, IEEE Trans Mag, 46 (2010) 963-967.
- A. Javed, N.A. Morley and M.R.J. Gibbs, ‘Thickness dependence of magnetic and structural properties in Fe80Ga20 thin films’, J. Appl. Phys. 107 (2010) 09A944.
- A. Javed, T. Szumiata, N.A. Morley and M.R.J. Gibbs, ‘An investigation of the effect of structural order on magnetostriction and magnetic ehaviour of Fe-Ga alloy thin films’, Acta Materialia 58 (2010) 4003-4011.
- D. Dhandapani, N.A. Morley, M.R.J. Gibbs, T. Kreouzis, P. Shakya, P. Desai and W.P. Gillin, ‘The effect of injection layers on a room temperature organic spin-valve’, IEEE Trans Mag 46 (2010) 1307-1310.
Research group
PhD students
Swaraj Basu
Thirunavukkarasu Gnanavel
Athar Javed
Madalena Negoita
Research associates
Tom Hayward
René Dost