Episode 31 features German ALD professor, Dr. Martin Knaut. Martin is the chair for the Institute of Semiconductor and Microsystems Technology at TU Dresden and the atomic layer processing group leader. He is also a founding member of the Atomic Layer Process Innovation Network, or ALPIN, organizer of the annual ALD for Industry event, and runs a small in situ tool development company, called ALS Metrology. With a long career working with ALD in Dresden, at the likes of Infineon and Qimonda, Martin has witnessed the ebbs and flows of the semiconductor industry in the state of Saxony.

Martin and Tyler discuss the goal of the Silicon Saxony organization, how we can better recruit students in microelectronics, and why he originally started the Atomic Layer Process Innovation Network. They also discuss his company, ALS Metrology, the importance of using in situ monitoring for process development, and his work on flash-enhanced ALD.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

01:48 Martin’s background & semiconductors in Dresden

10:00 Recruiting issues for microelectronics

17:29 ALPIN & ALD for Industry events

29:34 ALS Metrology

34:57 Importance of in situ monitoring

41:59 Flash-Enhanced ALD

53:55 Concluding remarks

In this episode, Tyler is joined by Professor Carl Hägglund from Uppsala University. They discuss Carl’s motivations for pursuing ultrathin solar cells, how he learned ALD at Stanford in Stacey Bent’s lab, and an unlikely research connection through his child’s school. They also talk about why ALD is useful for plasmonic solar cells, optimization of SnS ALD and his planned path towards a fully realized ultrathin photovoltaic. 

00:00 Introduction 

01:45 Motivation for fabricating plasmonic solar cells 

09:58 Learning ALD at Stanford 

22:46 Optimizing SnS ALD process 

30:33 Path towards an ultrathin solar cell 

Dr. Suvi Haukka, former executive technologist at ASM, ASM Fellow and ALD Innovator Awardee, joins Tyler for Episode 29. Suvi began her ALD career at Microchemistry in Finland working on atomic layer epitaxy on catalysts for under the direction of ALD technology inventor, Tuomo Suntola. She continued with Microchemistry as head of the thin film development group before spending most of her time teaching the world’s biggest semiconductor companies, like Intel and Samsung, about ALD. Suvi is one of the integral people in introducing ALD to the semiconductor industry in the 2000s. 

Suvi and Tyler discuss how she started working with ALD, what it was like to do a PhD with Tuomo Suntola, and how the make up of Microchemistry changed over the years. We also discuss the circumstances surrounding the ASM acquisition, how development changed under new leadership, and how it felt pitching ALD to the semiconductor industry.

In this episode: 

00:32 Introduction to Microchemistry 

06:01 Doing a PhD with Tuomo Suntola 

19:00 Visiting semiconductor companies 

25:37 Post-ASM acquisition