Dr. Shouleh Nikzad


Education: 
  • 1982 BS EE, University of Southern California
  • 1984 MS EE, Caltech
  • 1990 Ph.D. Applied Physics, Caltech

Research Interests: 

Ultraviolet technologies, detectors, instruments, and science; low-energy particle detectors; focal plane arrays and their applications; ultraviolet spectrometers and UV cameras, biomedical applications, III-nitride materials, III-N photocathodes, and III-N UV arrays, Curved Focal Plane Arrays, back illumination approaches for novel device applications, advanced epitaxial techniques and applications; band structure/interface engineering using epitaxial techniques; nanostructures fabrication and device applications.


Professional Experience: 
  • JPL: JPL Fellow (2020-), Senior Research Scientist (2012-), & Principal Member of Engineering Staff (2006-), Technical Supervisor and Lead, Advanced Detector Arrays, Imaging Systems, & Nanoscience Group (2001-), Senior A Member of Technical Staff (2000), Senior Member of Technical Staff (1998), Technical Group Leader (1996), Member of Technical Staff (1992)
  • Caltech, Post-doctoral fellow, 1990-92
  • Argonne National Laboratory, Lab Grad Fellow, 1988-90
  • Electronics engineer, Kratos Avionics, 1984-85
  • Electro-optics engineer, Pacific Infrared, 1982-84

Selected Awards: 
  • SPIE Luminary, 2021
  • SPIE Aden and Marjorie Meinel Technology Achievement Award, 2021
  • JPL Fellow, 2020
  • IEEE Fellow, 2020
  • NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, 2020
  • IEEE Photonics Distinguished Lecturer Award, 2019-2020
  • National Academy of Inventors Fellow, 2017
  • American Physical Society (APS) Fellow, 2012
  • SPIE Fellow, 2016
  • OSA and WISTEE Global Women of Light, 2016
  • SPIE, SPIE Women in Optics and featured as a role model, 2012
  • IEEE, selected by IEEE Women in Eng., featured as a Pioneer Electrical Engineer & role model, 2011
  • Pioneer in Medicine—Technology and Leadership, SBMT 2012.
  • Space Act Award, Hybrid Advanced Particle Detector, 2002
  • Lew Allen Award of Excellence, Fundamentals of Low Energy Particle Detectors, 1997

Selected Publications: 

Over 200 publications in refereed journals, proceedings, book chapters. Selected refereed journal publications listed below.

  1. “FIREBall-2: The Faint Intergalactic Medium Redshifted Emission Balloon Telescope,” E. Hamden, et al., The ApJ, 898 170, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aba1e0
  2. “End-to-end ground calibration and in-flight performance of the FIREBall-2 instrument,” Vincent Picouet, et. al., Journal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments, and Systems 6(4), 044004 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1117.JATIS.6.4.044004
  3. “Delta doped Electron Multiplying CCD for FIREBall-2,” G. Kyne, E.T. Hamden, Shouleh Nikzad, A.D. Jewell, K. Hoadley, T.J. Jones, M.E. Hoenk, S.R. Cheng, D.C. Martin, N. Lingner, D. Schiminovich, B. Millard, R. Grange, O. Daigle, Journal of. Astronomical Telescopes Instruments, and Systems 6(1), 011007 (2020).
  4. “Toward ultrafast, ultra-stable imaging arrays: Superlattice doping to enhance the performance of backside-illuminated 3D-hybridized silicon photodetectors,” April D. Jewell, Quinn Looker, Marcos O. Sanchez, Shouleh Nikzad, and Michael E. Hoenk, Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A 38, 023203 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5140979.
  5. “Atomic Layer Deposition of Lithium Fluoride Optical Coatings for the Ultraviolet,” J. Hennessy, and S. Nikzad, Inorganics, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 46, May 2018.
  6. "High-efficiency UV/optical/NIR detectors for large aperture telescopes and UV explorer missions: development of and field observations with delta-doped arrays," S. Nikzad, A. D. Jewell, M.E. Hoenk, T.J. Jones, J. Hennessy, Tim Goodsall, Alexander G. Carver, Charles Shapiro, Samuel R. Cheng, Erika T. Hamden, G. Kyne, D.C. Martin, D. Schiminovich, P. Scowen, K. France, S. McCandliss, R.E. Lupu, J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst.3(3), 036002 (2017), doi: 10.1117/1.JATIS.3.3.036002.
  7. “Single Photon Counting UV Solar-Blind Detectors Using Silicon and III-Nitride Materials,” Nikzad, S.; Hoenk, M. E.; Jewell, A. D.; Hennessy, J. J.; Carver, A. G.; Jones, T. J.; Goodsall, T. M.; Hamden, E. T.; Suvarna, P.; Bulmer, J.; Shahedipour-Sandvik, F.; Charbon, E.; Padmanabhan, P.; Hancock, B.; Bell, L. D. Sensors 2016, 16, 927.
  8. “Delta doped Electron Multiplied CCD with Absolute Quantum Efficiency over 50% in the near to far Ultraviolet Range for Single Photon Counting Applications”, S. Nikzad, M. E. Hoenk, F. Greer, B. Jacquot, S. Monacos, T.J. Jones, J. Blacksberg, E. Hamden, D.Schiminovich, C. Martin, and P. Morrissey, Applied Optics, 51, 365 (2012).
  9. “Simultaneous direct detection of sub keV molecular and atomic ions with a delta-doped CCD at the focal plane of a miniature mass spectrometer”, A.D. Jewell, T.J. Jones, M.P. Sinha, and S. Nikzad, Applied Physics Letters 88 043501 (2006).
  10. “Ultra-low temperature homoepitaxial growth of Sb-doped silicon”, J. Blacksberg, M.E. Hoenk, and S. Nikzad, Journal of Crystal Growth, 285 (4) pp. 473-480, 2005.
  11. “Single-event, keV Proton Detection using a Delta-doped Charge-coupled Device”, S. Nikzad, D. Croley, S.T. Elliott, T. Cunningham, W. Proniewicz, G. Murphy, and T.J. Jones, Applied Physics Letters, 75, 2686 (1999).

 

Selected Patents:

More than 20 US patents issued and more pending with many licensed to industry. Below are several selected patents.

  • "Hybrid Advanced Detector”, T. Cunningham, E. Fossum, S. Nikzad, and G. Soli, US patent #6107619.
  • “Hybrid Advanced Detector for Low-energy Particle Detection,” S. Nikzad, T. Cunningham, E. Fossum, and G. Soli, US patent #6346700
  • “Piezoelectrically Enhanced Photocathode,” S. Nikzad, R. Beach, R. Strittmatter, L. D. Bell, US Patent # 7,592,747.
  • “Solid-State Curved Focal Plane Array,” Michael Hoenk, Shouleh Nikzad, and Todd J. Jones, US Patent Number: 7,786,421
  • “Method for Growing a Back Surface Contact on an Imaging Detector Used in Conjunction with Back Illumination,” Michael E. Hoenk, Shouleh Nikzad, Jordana Blacksberg, US Patent # 7,800,040
  • “Low Voltage Low Light Imager and Photodetector,” Shouleh Nikzad, Chris Martin, Michael Hoenk, US Patent # 8,558,234.
  • “Delta-doping at wafer level for high throughput, high yield fabrication of silicon imaging arrays, Michael E. Hoenk, Shouleh Nikzad, Todd J. Jones, Frank Greer, Alexander G. Carver US Patent # 8828852
  • “Synthetic Foveal Imaging Technology”, Steve P. Monacos, Michael E. Hoenk, and Shouleh Nikzad, US Patent # 8582805
  • “Atomic layer deposition of chemical passivation layers and high performance anti-reflection coatings on back-illuminated detectors,” Michael E. Hoenk, Frank Greer, Shouleh Nikzad Patent # 8680637
  • “Sparsely bonded CMOS Hybrid Imager,” Thomas J. Cunningham, Bruce R. Hancock, Chao Sun, Todd J. Jones, Matthew R. Dickie, Shouleh Nikzad, Michael E. Hoenk, Christopher J. Wrigley, Kenneth W. Newton, Bedabrata Pain, US Patent # 9,105,548.
  • “Atomically precise surface engineering for producing imagers,” Frank Greer, Todd J. Jones, Shouleh Nikzad, Michael E. Hoenk, US Patent # 9,165,971.
  • "Multimodality brain mapping system (MBMS) using artificial intelligence and pattern recognition,” Babak Kateb, Shouleh Nikzad, US Patent # 9,754,371

 

Shouleh Nikzad
Address: 
4800 Oak Grove Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone: 818.354.7496
Email: 
Shouleh.Nikzad@jpl.nasa.gov