Dr Joumana El Rifai

Affiliations

At Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi: Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Research Institute , Heritage and Material Science.

PhD in

Engineering

Research Interests

• Fabrication of novel semiconductor materials
• Nanostructures for photovoltaic and energy harvesting applications
• MEMS design, fabrication and analysis methods
• MEMS monolithic integration techniques

Publications Patents

• J. El Rifai, A. Witvrouw, A. Kamal and S. Sedky. Method for manufacturing a micromachined device and the micromachined device made thereof. European Patent EP 2 347 993 A2 (27/07/2011), US Patent US 2011/0180886 A1 (28/07/2011).
• J. El Rifai, S. Sedky and A. Witvrouw. Capacitive Switch and Methods for Forming Such Switches. Patent No. WIPO PCT: WO 2013030403 A1, March 7, 2013.

Journal Articles

• A. Abdel Aziz, M. Elsayed, H. Abu Bakr, J. El-Rifai, T. Van der Donck, J.P. Celis, V. Leonov, P. Fiorini and S. Sedky (2010). Pulsed laser deposition of bismuth telluride thin films for MEMS thermoelectric energy harvesters. Journal of Electronic Materials. Vol. 39, No. 9, pp. 1920-1925.
• J. El-Rifai, S. Sedky, R. Van Hoof, S. Severi, D. Lin, S. Sangameswaran, R. Puers, C. Van Hoof and A. Witvrouw (2012). SiGe MEMS at processing temperatures below 250ᵒC. Sensors and Actuators. DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2012.01.035.
• S. M. Al Menabawy, J. El-Rifai, M. A. Swillam (2018). One step fabrication of Silicon nanocones with wide-angle enhanced light absorption. Scientific Reports 8. DOI: 1 0.1038/s41598-018-22100-7.
• S. Magdi, J. El Rifai, M. Swillam (2018) Litho-Free Fabrication of Crystalline Silicon Nanowires Using Amorphous Silicon Substrate for Wide-Angle Energy Absorption Applications. ACS Appl. Nano Materials. DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.8b00598.
• S. Christopolous, N. C. Angastiniotis, V. Laux-Le Guyon, E. Bsaibess, L. Koutsokeras, B. Dupochel, J. El-Rifai, L. Li, A. Slimani. Comparative study of the optical behavior of a polyethylene film embedded with pure and mixed nanoparticles of granulated and free-standing nature. Polymers, 14 (13), 2629, 2022.
• J. El-Rifai, E. Bsaibess, S. Christopolous, F. Giovannelli, A. Slimani, V. Laux-Le Guyon. Laser-Induced Nanostructured Si and SiGe Layers for Enhanced Optical and Thermoelectric Performance. ACS Omega, 9 (48), 47506, 2024

Conference Proceedings

• J. El-Rifai *, S. Sedky, R. Wasfi, C. Van Hoof and A. Witvrouw (2009). Laser-induced crystallization of SiGe MEMS structural layers deposited at temperatures below 250oC. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., 1153, 2009.
• J. El-Rifai *, A. Witvrouw, A. Abdel Aziz, R. Puers, C. Van Hoof and S. Sedky (2009). Harsh laser annealing techniques for improved crystallization of a-Si(Ge) layers deposited at 210oC. SAFE Proc., pp. 63-66.
• J. El-Rifai *, A. Witvrouw, A. Abdel Aziz, R. Puers, C. Van Hoof and S. Sedky (2010). Selective Laser Annealing for Improved SiGe MEMS Structural Layers at 210oC. Proc. IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems – MEMS, 16, pp. 324-327.
• J. El-Rifai *, A. Witvrouw, A. Abdel Aziz, R. Puers, C. Van Hoof and S. Sedky (2011). Contact resistivity of laser annealed SiGe for MEMS structural layers deposited at 210oC. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., 1299, pp. 73-78.
• J. El-Rifai *, S. Sedky, R. Van Hoof, S. Severi, D. Lin, R. Puers, C. Van Hoof and A. Witvrouw (2011). Laser annealed SiGe devices for MEMS applications at temperatures below 250oC. IEEE Transducers Proc., pp. 1336-1339.
• S. M. Al Menabawy, J. El-Rifai, M. A. Swillam (2018). Fabrication of amorphous silicon nanowires using excimer laser for solar cells applications. Proc. SPIE 10527, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices VII.
• S. M. Al Menabawy, J. El-Rifai, M. A. Swillam (2018). Broadband absorption enhancement in a one-step fabricated amorphous silicon nanocones using excimer laser. Proc. SPIE 10527, Physics, Simulation, and Photonic Engineering of Photovoltaic Devices VII.
• S. Magdi, J. El-Rifai, and M. A. Swillam (2018). Fabrication of Black Silicon using Laser Annealing. Frontiers in Optics / Laser Science, OSA Technical Digest (Optical Society of America), paper JW3A.9.

Conference Participations / Presentations

• J. El-Rifai **, E. Bsaibess, S. Christopolous, F. Giovannelli, A. Slimani, V. Laux-Le Guyon. Nanostructured Poly-Si and Poly-SiGe Layers for Enhanced Energy Harvesting Applications. EMRS, Warsaw, Poland, 2024.
• J. El-Rifai *, E. Bsaibess, S. Christopolous, F. Giovannelli, A. Slimani, V. Laux-Le Guyon. Nanostructured Polycrystalline Silicon Layers for Enhanced Energy Harvesting Systems. ICAMA, Tunisia, 2024.
• E. Bsaibess, J. El-Rifai, S. Christopoulos, A. Yusuf, H. Alawa, A. Slimani, V. Laux-Le Guyon. Optimization of Bismuth Telluride Nanoparticles Synthesized via Spark Ablation. MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, Boston, 2024.
• J. El-Rifai **, E. Bsaibess, S. Christopolous, F. Giovannelli, A. Slimani, V. Laux-Le Guyon. Characterization of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Layers Synthesized via Spark Ablation. EMRS, Strasbourg, 2025 (accepted).

* Indicates a presentation by J. El Rifai.
**Indicates a poster presentation by J. El-Rifai.