Dr. Ribal Georges Sabat rmc, CD, BSc, MSc, PhD Assistant Professor

Department of Physics

Dr. Sabat researches the physical properties of electromechanical and optical transducer materials for use in functional devices and applications. A transducer material can transform one type of energy into another. In the case of electromechanical transducers, they transform electrical energy into mechanical energy and vice versa. Such materials include piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials. They are mostly used in sensor and actuator applications by respectively detecting or producing physical vibrations, as in the case of medical ultrasound systems and naval SONARs. In the case of optical transducer materials, these consist of transparent materials that can transform the electromagnetic energy of light into mechanical or electrical energy and vice versa. They exhibit behaviours such as the electro-optical, photovoltaic, photoresist or thermo-optical effects. These have also been used in a wide array of applications ranging from optical switches and modulators to displays and light waveguides. Dr. Sabat experimentally studies these transducer effects in bulk ceramics, polymers, organic and inorganic thin films, single crystals and composites, and solar cells, in order to measure their material coefficients and be able to predict their performance under various operating conditions. He also investigates the physical principles at work in order to try to increase or enhance the transducer materials’ performance using various techniques, such as surface plasmon resonance and nano-scaled surface relief diffraction gratings. Such research will pave the way for device engineers and manufacturers to develop applications based on these materials in areas such as optical communications, automotive industry, aerospace, medical, vibration, noise and shape control, non-destructive evaluation and monitoring of structures, and many more...

For more information, see: Laboratory for Ferroelectric and Optical Materials

Papers Recently Published in Refereed International Journals

This link leads to a site belonging to an entity not subject to the Official Languages Act. Information on this site is available in the language of the site.

Courses Taught

• PHF205A – Mécanique
• PHF302A - Électromagnétisme
• PHF 360 - Astronomie et l'évolution de l'Univers
• PHF 462 - Physique Statistique et Thermique
• PH503 – Advanced Optics
• French second year physics lab