Speakers Prof. Christophe Detavernier

Comments In this episode we kick off the ALD series with our first guest, Christophe, coming to speak about in-situ analysis of ALD deposition processes. The different methods (QCM, ellipsometry, Mass spectrometry, IR spectrometry and XPS) are used to probe the film growth and the chemistry of the process happening on the surface and around the deposition chamber. The techniques are presented with some exaples of application at the Coocon lab with a more in depth discussion of the latest research topic of ALD and thin film Li-ion batteries.

Speakers Prof. Greg Parsons

Comments Nanovation podcast by Michael Filler interviewing Prof. Greg Parsons. Prof. Greg Parsons from North Carolina State University is the guest on this episode of the Nanovation podcast. Greg is an expert on atomic layer deposition (ALD), the process by which thin films or coatings are deposited atomic layer by atomic layer. Or, as Greg explains, almost. We discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of ALD. While Greg has explored the use of ALD in a variety of applications, his pioneering work in the area of textiles stands out. Greg's scientific talks are filled with great stories, and this discussion is no different. You’ll hear stories of scientific discovery and also gain insight into Greg’s philosophy for research and life. Be sure to listen to the end to hear Greg participate in the inaugural Nanovation "lightning round."

Speakers prof. Ruud van Ommen

Comments Nanovation podcast by Michael Filler interviewing Prof. Ruud van Ommen: The ability to coat large quantities of small particles — powders — via atomic layer deposition (ALD) has opened new vistas for battery materials, chemical catalysis, 3-D printing, and more. On this episode of the Nanovation podcast, Ruud van Ommen from TU Delft talks everything powder ALD. In this context, Ruud and Mike focus on the why and how of process scale-up. Listeners of the show won’t be surprised to learn that there’s much more to scale-up than increasing the size of the tank! Ruud also shares the motivation behind founding the company Delft IMP and how, in the early days, he was told that powder ALD was impossible.

Speakers Professor Ruud van Ommen interviewed by Tyler J. Myers from Beneq

Comments In Episode 9, Tyler gets schooled on particle ALD with Delft University of Technology professor, Ruud van Ommen. The duo discuss challenges associated with doing ALD on powders, scale up strategies, Ruud's work on coating pharmaceutical powders, and atomic layer etching of particles. Follow Ruud on Twitter @JRvanOmmen and find his research page here: https://www.tudelft.nl/tnw/over-facul... Follow Tyler on Twitter @TyMytheALDGuy

Speakers Tyler J. Myers from Beneq interviews prof. Michael Nolan of Tyndall Institute Ireland

Comments Episode 13: Becoming Predictive Using ALD Models. In Episode 13, Tyler chats with Michael Nolan from the Tyndall National Institute in Ireland. Michael specializes in molecular and atomistic modeling, using his expertise to help predict, understand, and screen ALD precursors and chemistries. Mike and Tyler talk about all things modeling, including basics for modeling ALD reactions, limitations of current modeling efforts, and how theorists and experimentalists can powerfully work together

Speakers Tyler J. Myers from Beneq interviews prof. Riika Puurunen of Aalto University

Comments Back for her second episode, Professor Riikka Puurunen is bringing us back to the basics with a deep dive on conformality. Recorded live from the Harald Herlin Learning Center at Aalto University, Tyler and Riikka talk about the all-important property of ALD. In this episode, Riikka explains the history of conformality in ALD, her recent paper on modeling collaboration, the origins of the PillarHall conformality test structures and a conversation on open science.

Speakers Dr. Maksym Plakhotnyuk

Comments Episode 16 features Dr. Maksym Plakhotnyuk, the CEO and Founder of Atlant 3D Nanosystems. Atlant 3D produces the world’s first reactor for direct writing of ALD – the ultimate area-selective ALD process. Their Nanofabricator tool will could be the enabling technology for on-demand printing of microelectronics. In this episode, Maksym tells Tyler about the company’s origins, their deal with NASA to create a 0G ALD reactor and Maksym’s own history as an entrepreneur. Follow Maksym and Atlant 3D on Twitter: @MPlakhotnyuk & @Atlant3d

Speakers Matthias Young

Comments In Episode 17, Tyler speaks with Matthias Young from the University of Missouri, aka Mizzou. Matthias talks about this use of oxidative MLD for depositing redox active polymer films which paves the way for more cost-effective electrode materials. Matthias and Tyler discuss his journey to, from and back to ALD, how working in other fields can benefit your creativity, results from his recent work in oMLD paper, and how ALD can be used as a tool for understanding fundamental questions about tricky surface phenomena.

Speakers Parag Banerjee

Comments In Episode 18, Professor Parag Banerjee from the University of Central Florida joins Tyler to chat about his less-than-traditional path in ALD. Parag was a Process Engineer at Micron during the time ALD was first being implemented into their manufacturing workflows. Parag tells Tyler about his role at Micron, how Micron handled the addition of ALD, his decision to return to academia and what’s happening at his lab in Florida.

Speakers Jeffrey Elam

Comments Tyler is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Elam from Argonne National Lab in Chicago. Jeff is the head of the Atomic Layer Deposition research program at Argonne and has received numerous awards, accolades and patents for his work, the ALD Innovator Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at Argonne as examples. In this episode, Tyler and Jeff discuss his time as a post doc in the Steven George lab where he built the first ALD reactors, how he began the ALD group at Argonne, and some of his award-winning work on fabricating large-area microchannel plates.

Speakers Michael Nolan

Comments !! On the Goloud player, click the red play button, then press X to close the player popup, then slide the time forward to 15:03, where the interview with Prof. Michael Nolan starts!

Speakers Jonas Sundqvist

Comments In Episode 20, Jonas Sundqvist, ALD researcher, entrepreneur and consultant joins Tyler for his 3rd time on the show to talk about his company, AlixLabs (Episode 4 about his blog, and Episode 7 as part of a panel about sustainability in the field). AlixLabs has developed a cutting-edge technology called Atomic Pitch Splitting (APS) which utilizes a topographically selective atomic layer etching process. Jonas discusses how APS works, why they could potentially pattern substrates without the use of multiple lithography steps, and how AlixLabs can offer semiconductor manufacturers a simpler, more cost-effective and precise method of creating features with nanometer spacings.

Speakers Dr. John Hennessy

Comments In Episode 21, John Hennessy from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab joins ALD Stories to talk about his work using ALD to deposit UV coatings for astronomical imaging applications. John talks about the relationship between NASA and JPL, how UV coatings allow us to see more of the universe, and how the technology has improved since the Hubble Space Telescope. John and Tyler also discuss how to test the readiness of devices for eventual launch and NASA’s Decadal Survey for deciding new mission concepts.

Speakers Sean Barry

Comments Professor Sean Barry from Carleton University joins Tyler on Episode 22 of ALD Stories. Sean recalls his time working at the University of Helsinki and a mishap or two in Mikko Ritala’s lab, how the Finnish ethos inspires him, and why he considers Helsinki his second city. Sean also talks about how knowledge of fundamental chemistry is important for understanding atomic layer deposition, why he decided to write a book on the topic, and how chemistry informed the evolution of gold ALD. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:22 Living in Helsinki 09:30 Sean’s background and Harvard ALD 21:00 Evolution of Au ALD 32:05 Sean’s book 45:17 What material is Sean’s dream? 50:23 Sean’s sage wisdom

Speakers Harm Knoops

Comments In Episode 23 of ALD Stories, Dr. Harm Knoops joins Tyler to discuss his dual role at Eindhoven University and Oxford Instruments Plasma Technologies. As an Atomic Scale Specialist, Harm routinely advises on processes in ALD, ALE and 2D materials while informing their work with supplemental research at Eindhoven. Harm and Tyler talk about alternatives careers to the traditional industry and academia binary, how scientists can leverage their technical knowledge, and how working in a cross-institute position makes for efficient science. We also touch on Harm’s work with plasmas, tackle misconceptions about plasma conformality, and how Harm approaches learning new topics.

Speakers Fred Roozeboom

Comments Dr. Fred Roozeboom joins ALD Stories for Ep. 24. Fred spent most of his career in the semiconductor industry at Philips and NXP working on rapid thermal processing and passive integration. He pivoted to ALD at the TNO Holste Centre and now finds himself at his alma mater, University of Twente. Fred was recently awarded the Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology from the ElectroChemical Society. Fred and Tyler talk about the semiconductor industry in the 80’s, his original RTP work at Phillips, and the importance of passive integration. They also discuss the Medtronic pacemaker, his world record during the great reintroduction of spatial ALD and the applications he’s most excited to see come to life with atomic layer deposition.

Speakers Tyler J. Myers

Comments In its short 50 years of existence, the history of ALD has been of great interest, being heavily researched and documented in the last decade. One can follow the story from many lenses: one in particular is to view the technology’s development is through an equipment perspective. Each milestone in process technology was accompanied and enabled by new ALD tools. Without innovative equipment design, we would not have the vast ALD ecosystem we do today. Via patents and literature, this ALDeep Dive will journey the evolution of the ALD reactor. It starts from Tuomo Suntola’s original reactor and IP, moves through the early days of commercial reactors, explore the introduction of plasma, powder and spatial tools, and wrap up with today’s equipment landscape and thoughts on the personal aspect of ALD reactors.

Speakers Stacey Bent

Comments In Episode 26, Professor Stacey Bent from Stanford University joins to discuss all aspects of her career, including early area selective deposition work, how her different academic appointments in chemistry and engineering have influenced the direction of her work, and how ALD can be used in energy applications. Stacey and Tyler also chat about how Stacey finds the best paths for her students, how being a professor and Vice Provost feedback to each other, and new programs she has initiated in her Vice Provost position.

Speakers Robert Clark

Comments For Ep. 27, Dr. Rob Clark from Tokyo Electron joins to discuss his rise from an equipment know-nothing to ALD process engineer extraordinaire. Rob, the self-proclaimed Manipulator of Matter, is a Senior MTS and Technology Director at TEL where he leads process and integration of thin film deposition methods for next-generation semiconductor devices. Recorded live at ALD ALE 2023 in Washington, Rob and Tyler discuss how he first learned ALD on CVD equipment, the early days of high-k ALD process development, and his work in making some of the first hafnium precursors for ALD integration in semicon at Schumacher. They also talk about his time as the only engineer at NanoFab North in Albany, how incredibly advanced semiconductor technology has become, and what the next decade of ALD research might look like.

Speakers Hele Savin

Comments In Episode 28 of ALD Stories, Tyler is joined by Aalto University’s Hele Savin. Hele is a professor in the department of Electronics and Nanoengineering where she uses ALD to engineer photovoltaics and semiconductor devices. In 2017, Hele was awarded the women’s innovation prize from the Finnish parliament after fabricating a black silicon solar cell with a record-breaking 22.1% efficiency and currently uses ALD to create induced junction photodiodes with over 100% external quantum efficiency. Hele and Tyler discuss how she was first exposed to ALD by Beneq, a mindset that using ALD was dirty, and how mind-blowing early ALD passivation results were. We also talk about why ALD oxides are better than thermal SiO2, the theoretical implications of breaking 100% EQE, and upcoming work in up conversion in her lab.