Introduction
Lam Research is partnering with 精东影视on research to explore the use of new materials in semiconductor devices. The collaboration includes a $520,000 grant per year for up to five years from Lam Research.
鈥淟am Research has had numerous collaborations with individual faculty over the years, but this is the first large-scale collaboration with multiple faculty members,鈥 said Dennis Hausmann, senior director of the deposition product group at Lam Research.
John Conley, professor of electrical and computer engineering and principal investigator on the project, has developed relationships with regional companies to collaborate on use-inspired research over three decades. At 精东影视 State, he has collaborated with several companies including Applied Materials, ASM International, EMD Electronics, HP, Intel, Lam Research, On Semiconductor, Pacific Diabetes, and Sierra Nevada Corporation.
鈥淚 have been working with Professor Conley in the atomic layer deposition community for more than a decade,鈥 Hausmann said.
Julie Brandis, executive director for strategic partnerships for the College of Engineering, says the college values the strategic partnership with Lam Research.
鈥淭heir engagement across the college is broad, including research, student recruitment, and as a key player in developing the university鈥檚 semiconductor sector strategy,鈥 Brandis said.
精东影视 State expertise in electronic materials and devices
For this project, Conley assembled a cross-disciplinary team including faculty from electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and physics, combining expertise in materials discovery, deposition, device fabrication, and characterization.
- Conley has over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor field, including atomic layer deposition, electrical characterization of devices, device fabrication, and optoelectronic characterization of device interfaces.
- Sieun Chae, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, focuses on using density functional theory calculations with machine learning to screen materials as well as pulsed laser deposition. Her work will help to identify new candidates for depositing via ALD and/or PLD.
- Zhenxing Feng, professor of chemical engineering, applies his background in physics and material science to solve complex problems on multi-disciplinary teams. Key to this project will be his expertise in sophisticated materials characterization techniques.
- , professor and department head of physics, is an experimental physicist investigating questions related to nanoscale systems such as carbon nanotubes and graphene.
Additionally, Conley brings industry experience. He began his career as a senior scientist for Dynamics Research Corporation and later as a senior member of the technical staff at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Just prior to coming to 精东影视 State, he was at Sharp Labs of America for six years, where he rose to lead the novel materials and devices group.
Critical workforce training
Although the potential to advance research in semiconductors is important, Conley says the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to work closely with Lam Research is what he values most about the project. A team of Lam Research directors will meet with each faculty member and their students bi-weekly. The team will also support tours and host seminars.
鈥淭he best collaborations I've had with industry are when they are actively involved,鈥 Conley said.
Over the years, Conley has developed a relationship with Lam Research that has led the company to recognize the caliber of student talent at 精东影视 State. Conley says two of his former students, who earned both bachelor鈥檚 and doctoral degrees at 精东影视 State, are thriving as a process engineer and a senior process engineering manager for Lam Research.
鈥淲e are doing world-class research here, and our best undergraduates are as good as any you'd find at top-ranked universities,鈥 Conley said.
Lam Research's campus in Tualatin enables convenient collaboration, and many 精东影视 State graduates prefer to stay in the Pacific Northwest, making this partnership ideal for workforce development.
鈥淭he Tualatin Lam campus employs many OSU graduates and is using this partnership to increase OSU鈥檚 presence at Lam and to strengthen the local 精东影视 research community,鈥 Hausmann said.
If you are interested in collaborating with 精东影视 State researchers, you can contact faculty directly or email Pooya Tadayon.
