Zafer Mutlu
Materials and devices for semiconductor and quantum technologies
Assistant Professor
About
My research is on materials and devices for semiconductor and quantum technologies. In my group, the Advanced Nanoelectronics & Nanostructures Laboratory (ANNLab), we design, build, and characterize nanoelectronic devices based on low-dimensional semiconductors and quantum materials, including atomically precise 1D graphene nanoribbons and 2D materials, for computing and sensing. We also develop topological surface acoustic wave devices for wireless communication. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona, with courtesy appointments in the Department of Physics and the School of Electrical, Computing, and Software Engineering.
Honors
- Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow
- Peterson Family Outstanding Early Career Faculty
- Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing Fellow
- Excellence at the Student Interface Award
Affiliations
- Senior Personnel, NSF New Frontiers of Sound (NewFoS) Science and Technology Center
- Faculty Member, Arizona Astrobiology Center
Profile
Faculty Profile (opens in a new tab) | Google Scholar (opens in a new tab)
Research
Our research covers graphene nanoribbon transistors for computing, graphene nanoribbon sensors for extreme environments and for detecting very weak light from biological samples, and topological acoustic wave devices for wireless communication. We grow the materials and build and test the devices ourselves, in our lab and in the shared cleanroom facilities at the University of Arizona.
Selected Publications
[ACS AMI]Electrical and Structural Response of Nine-Atom-Wide Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors to Gamma Irradiation (opens in a new tab) PDF of “Electrical and Structural Response of Nine-Atom-Wide Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors to Gamma Irradiation” (opens in a new tab)
K. Yumigeta, M. Yusufoglu, J. G. Federice, E. T. Hughes, A. M. Degirmenci, J. T. Njardarson, K. Simmons-Potter, B. G. Potter, Z. Mutlu
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2026 Supplementary Front Cover
[Adv. Mater. Interfaces]Scalable Etch-Free Transfer of Low-Dimensional Materials from Metal Films to Diverse Substrates (opens in a new tab) PDF of “Scalable Etch-Free Transfer of Low-Dimensional Materials from Metal Films to Diverse Substrates” (opens in a new tab)
K. Yumigeta, M. Yusufoglu, M. Sarker, R. Raj, F. Daluisio, R. Holloway, H. Yawit, T. Sweepe, J. Battaglia, S. Janssen, A. C. Welch, P. DiPasquale, K. A. Mkhoyan, A. Sinitskii, Z. Mutlu
Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2026
[ACS Nano]Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors with Long-Term Stability and Reliability (opens in a new tab) PDF of “Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors with Long-Term Stability and Reliability” (opens in a new tab)
C. Dinh, M. Yusufoglu, K. Yumigeta, A. Kinikar, T. Sweepe, Z. Zeszut, Y.-J. Chang, C. Copic, S. Janssen, R. Holloway, J. Battaglia, A. Kuntubek, F. Zahin, Y. C. Lin, W. G. Vandenberghe, B. J. LeRoy, K. Müllen, R. Fasel, G. Borin Barin, Z. Mutlu
ACS Nano, 2024
[APR]Contact Engineering for Graphene Nanoribbon Devices (opens in a new tab) PDF of “Contact Engineering for Graphene Nanoribbon Devices” (opens in a new tab)
Z. Mutlu, C. Dinh, G. Borin Barin, P. H. Jacobse, A. Kumar, D. Polley, H. Singh, Z. Wang, Y. C. Lin, A. Schwartzberg, M. F. Crommie, K. Müllen, P. Ruffieux, R. Fasel, J. Bokor
Applied Physics Reviews, 2023 Featured Article
[Carbon]Scaling and Statistics of Bottom-Up Synthesized Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors (opens in a new tab) PDF of “Scaling and Statistics of Bottom-Up Synthesized Armchair Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors” (opens in a new tab)
Y. C. Lin, Z. Mutlu, G. Borin Barin, Y. Hong, J. P. Llinas, A. Narita, H. Singh, K. Müllen, P. Ruffieux, R. Fasel, J. Bokor
Carbon, 2023
[IEDM]Short-Channel Double-Gate FETs with Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons (opens in a new tab)
Z. Mutlu, Y. C. Lin, G. Borin Barin, Z. Zhang, G. Pitner, S. Wang, R. Darawish, M. Di Giovannantonio, H. Wang, J. Cai, M. Passlack, C. H. Diaz, A. Narita, K. Müllen, F. R. Fischer, P. Bandaru, A. C. Kummel, P. Ruffieux, R. Fasel, J. Bokor
IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), 2021
Leadership
Director, Advanced Nanoelectronics & Nanostructures Laboratory (ANNLab)2022–Present
Research group in materials and devices for semiconductor and quantum technologies, University of Arizona
Co-Director, FASTLab
Hands-on training in fabricating logic, memory, quantum, and communication devices, University of Arizona
Lead Investigator, Team Research Projects
Funded by the NSF Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) program, the Semiconductor Research Corporation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Microelectronics Commons SWAP Hub
University of Arizona Lead, Intel Scholarship & Fellowship Program2026–Present
Led by Northern Arizona University and administered by the Semiconductor Research Corporation, supporting six master’s scholars
General Chair, FUSENANO National Workshop2024
Molecules to Systems: The Future of Semiconductors with 1D and 2D Nanomaterials (opens in a new tab), Tucson, AZ
Selected Invited Talks
Arizona Quantum Bootcamp, University of Arizona2026
Invited lecture on nanoelectronics and the future of semiconductors
Arizona–Livermore Days, Tucson, AZ2026
Talk on graphene nanoribbon nanosensors
Lawrence Symposium on Epitaxy, Arizona State University2025
“From Molecules to Logic: Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors”
IEEE Workshop on Microelectronics and Electron Devices (WMED), Boise State University2025
“Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons as Next-Generation Channel Materials for Transistor Scaling Beyond Silicon Limits”
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas2024
Invited seminar
MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, Boston, MA2023
Invited talk and session chair
Components Research, Intel Corporation2023
Invited talk on graphene nanoribbon transistors to the Advanced Device Research group
Recent News
October 2026Our team received a 3-year Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant for nanoelectronics research, with me as lead investigator.
October 2026I lead the University of Arizona part of the NAU-led Intel Scholarship & Fellowship Program (opens in a new tab), supporting six master’s scholars.
September 2026Our lab joined the University of Arizona REPLIQA (opens in a new tab) team with Google Quantum AI (opens in a new tab) to develop nanosensors.
In the Media
- Arizona Science (opens in a new tab) (AZPM, NPR 89.1), interview on advanced nanoelectronics, October 2026
- University of Arizona News (opens in a new tab), story on our graphene nanoribbon sensors, July 2026
- Phys.org (opens in a new tab) and EurekAlert (opens in a new tab), coverage of the same study, July 2026
Selected Professional Activities
Member, Early Career Advisory Board2026–Present
RSC Applied Interfaces (opens in a new tab) (Royal Society of Chemistry)
Member, Early Career Editorial Board2026–Present
Graphene and 2D Materials (opens in a new tab) (Springer Nature)
Contributing Author, SRC Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap 2.02025
Digital Processing and Workforce Development chapters (opens in a new tab), Semiconductor Research Corporation
Professional Experience
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering (2022–Present)
Assistant Professor (by courtesy), Department of Physics (2024–Present)
Assistant Professor (by courtesy), School of Electrical, Computing, and Software Engineering (2024–Present)
University of California, Berkeley, CA
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (2018–2022)
Affiliate, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2018–2022)
University of California, Riverside, CA
Assistant Project Scientist, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (2017–2018)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering (2016–2017)
Education
Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA
2011–2016Advisor: Cengiz S. Ozkan
Dissertation: “Crystal Growth and Phase Engineering of Two-Dimensional Metal Chalcogenides (opens in a new tab)”
M.S. in Physics, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
2007–2009Advisor: Oğuz Doğan
Thesis: “Fabrication of YBCO Superconducting Thin Film on Si Substrate and Investigation of the Film Properties”
B.S. in Physics Education, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
2002–2007